Home | Friday 29th August 2008 | Issue 644
STORMING THE BARACK AIDES
The 1999 WTO protests - the Battle in Seattle - were a watershed moment in contemporary direct action history. On the one hand, people power showed it could disrupt, interrogate and even block those in power from their largely misguided work (or evil self-interested work, if you prefer). A self-consciously global movement against neo-liberalism shook capitals (and capitalists) around the world.
And, on the other fist, the authorities swiftly took a long hard look (no, not into their consciences, but) at their ongoing security arrangements. G8 and WTO style shenanigans have been held in increasingly remote, water-surrounded, illiberal, police state type locations ever since.
In America, Seattle helped spark the political will for a Neocon inspired clampdown on civil liberties to begin in earnest, culminating in a draconian new raft of measures brought in under the cloak of 9/11 and flag-waving patriotism. The War on Terror® masked a new wave of resistance-crushing. But is a new backlash against all this finally emerging back in the Homeland of the brave?
With Iraq smouldering away like a new Vietnam, over 9,000 anti-war protesters descended on Denver last week, marching to the gates of the Pepsi building - the un-ironical union-busting choice of venue for the Democratic Party convention being held to proclaim Barrack Obama as the latest saviour of the planet. OK, activists were helped with pulling in punters by a free Rage Against the Machine gig, but nonetheless this was one of the biggest such demonstrations seen in years.
And that was only the warm up. Even bigger things are planned for next week's Republican National Convention (RNC) in city of St Paul, Minneapolis. A large mobilisation, self-styled as the 'RNC Welcoming Committee', is expected and a full support infrastructure is in place, including convergence centres, training, legal aid, free use of bikes and more. Repression has been extensive in the build up with raids on social centres, indymedia offices and private homes.
And the flip side of the rampant post 9/11 expansion of military-gear-being-flogged-to-paranoid-consumers means that this time the black bloc are expected to turn up in body armour and gas masks. It all looks set to kick off so watch this (convergence) space.
www.protestrnc2008.org www.NoRNC.org and http://twincities.indymedia.org
And, on the other fist, the authorities swiftly took a long hard look (no, not into their consciences, but) at their ongoing security arrangements. G8 and WTO style shenanigans have been held in increasingly remote, water-surrounded, illiberal, police state type locations ever since.
In America, Seattle helped spark the political will for a Neocon inspired clampdown on civil liberties to begin in earnest, culminating in a draconian new raft of measures brought in under the cloak of 9/11 and flag-waving patriotism. The War on Terror® masked a new wave of resistance-crushing. But is a new backlash against all this finally emerging back in the Homeland of the brave?
With Iraq smouldering away like a new Vietnam, over 9,000 anti-war protesters descended on Denver last week, marching to the gates of the Pepsi building - the un-ironical union-busting choice of venue for the Democratic Party convention being held to proclaim Barrack Obama as the latest saviour of the planet. OK, activists were helped with pulling in punters by a free Rage Against the Machine gig, but nonetheless this was one of the biggest such demonstrations seen in years.
And that was only the warm up. Even bigger things are planned for next week's Republican National Convention (RNC) in city of St Paul, Minneapolis. A large mobilisation, self-styled as the 'RNC Welcoming Committee', is expected and a full support infrastructure is in place, including convergence centres, training, legal aid, free use of bikes and more. Repression has been extensive in the build up with raids on social centres, indymedia offices and private homes.
And the flip side of the rampant post 9/11 expansion of military-gear-being-flogged-to-paranoid-consumers means that this time the black bloc are expected to turn up in body armour and gas masks. It all looks set to kick off so watch this (convergence) space.
www.protestrnc2008.org www.NoRNC.org and http://twincities.indymedia.org
