Solidarity

There has been much debate here and elsewhere about the tactics different groups are using to oppose the government. Should you condemn the destruction of property as occurred on the 26^th of March? Have UK Uncut’s actions really been successful in promoting an anti-cuts agenda? Does tackling the one issue of cuts go far enough when really you oppose the whole system that allowed this right wing administration to exist?

The aim of the left during this government’s term should be to silently support a multitude of actions attacking the right. For many reasons the left have become seen as unelectable since the 1980s. Tony Blair was elected into government with a manifesto that promised to adhere to Conservative budget planning for the first two years in power. The left has everything to win by a multilevel attack on government and everything to lose by visibly debating the best way to do it.

Lucy Annson from UK Uncut on Newsnight refused to be trapped into attacking others direct action. By stressing that young and old participate in their action she demonstrated that there are many ways to act. In the Newsnight footage they claim that the majority of the march was overshadowed which has caused many to claim it as “an own goal”. No, what happened is that the media decided to focus on the actions of a few and then claim that their focus meant the rest of the march was over looked. This point would mean that there is only a finite amount of news space dedicated to the march in general which is untrue. The people who marched created news, UK Uncut created more and those who smashed windows created even more. All this means there was a bigger impact overall surely.

Therefore, none of the above questions matter. There does not need to be a consensus or agreement on actions. Would I ever adopt black bloc tactics, mask up and throw a brick at a window? No. Do I think that the fact that every time there is a Conservative government there are violent clashes that helps the left? Yes I do.

UK Uncut & Black Bloc – They All Look The Same To Me

Since the events of last Saturday, both the mainstream media and the police have sought to blur the lines of distinction between UK Uncut and the black bloc 'anarchists' that attacked the Ritz, Santander and Starbucks. A total of 201 arrests were made following Saturday’s march. Charges have been brought against 149 people, 138 of which were charged with aggravated trespass in connection with the Fortnum & Mason protest organised by UK Uncut.

New footage from the Guardian indicates that UK Uncut was deliberately targeted by police and this attempt to demonise UK Uncut and associate them with violent disturbances has been systematically reinforced by mainstream press and social networking sites. But why would the establishment seek to portray UK Uncut as violent ‘anarchists’? And why would the police choose to ignore violent behaviour in favour of arresting peaceful activists from a growing protest movement?

Well, on the face of it, UK Uncut is an easier and more manageable target – but that analysis is far too simple. We should instead ask who represents the greatest threat to the ‘establishment’?

In purely cosmetic terms, anarchists – with their penchant for smashing up expensive hotels and discharging paint bombs over high-end shops – are a fearsome threat to society. Their behaviour is sadistically iconic but, in truth, their actions alienate more than they attract and their activity is easily managed. But, my word, do they make for a good photo opportunity!

UK Uncut, on the other hand, represents a real and fundamental threat to the established order. The movement – fluid in its organisation and fiercely tech-savvy – has grown steadily since it was formed last year. Although not dogmatically political, their activity is distinctly class-based: they target organised capital or, more precisely, the tax-dodging classes – such as Vodafone, Top Shop or Boots – and their tactics are articulate, peaceful and original. Take, for example, the occupation of banks and the impromptu organisation of pop-up libraries or stand-up performance. Their thoughtful mobilisation – coupled with the resurrection of trade union activism – has had a profound effect on the established order and prompted this vicious backlash which hopes to gut the movement of activists and starve it of public support.

UK Uncut was targeted by police in an attempt to discredit them and encourage people to confuse peaceful demonstration against legitimate targets with violent vandalism. Anarchists were not targeted in the same way because their antics serve to fragment the labour movement by alienating potential support and providing a stick with which to beat the left. Characterising UK Uncut as thuggish criminals serves to undermine their sophisticated and peaceful activism.

The repression of UK Uncut has – at its very core – the class struggle and it shows that the antagonism between labour and capital is as strong as ever. UK Uncut has steadily been able to raise awareness of tax-dodging corporations and this has had a positive effect on raising the consciousness of British workers – but there was always going to be a backlash. On Monday it was announced that parliament is to investigate corporate tax avoidance – a formidable victory for the movement. Let’s hope it’s just the start.

The Black Bloc: A Modern Guerrilla

Firstly, I would like to point out that I am aware the black bloc is not a group or movement itself but a tactic used by a lose number of groups. For a good guide see Dan’s explanation. I also don’t wish to give the impression that black bloc tactics and actions have been carefully thought through and organised to achieve the effect they have.

Much has already been written about the events that transpired on Saturday’s March for the Alternative. However, what I have found lacking is an analysis of the motivations and tactics of the parties involved. The black bloc tactic sits perfectly within the modern age, making it surprisingly effective which, in turn has inevitably distracted attention from the rest of the anti-cuts movement and has damaged the effect of peaceful protest (as a result partly of police action).

Attending the march on Saturday and seeing it all play out I was shocked at the surreal nature of the interplay between the police, the media and the black bloc. The bloc tactics seemed surprising at first. By wearing full black and covering their faces from the outset the “trouble makers” were easily identifiable even before any action was taken. They were setting off bangers and smoke grenades before the first attacks on Santander and the Ritz. They were also always in groups the largest of which I saw numbered around 80 again, before any damage occurred (which is larger than most of the media footage displays largely due to the fact that they split into smaller groups later). Looking at the figures it would appear that these tactics were futile in resisting arrest. The police charged 149 people with a range of crimes due to civil disobedience on Saturday which is a significant number.

This number however includes the arrest and charging of 138 peaceful UK Uncut protesters at the Fortnum and Masons sit in. Therefore, only 11 other arrests were made. There have only been two charges of violent conduct made. The truth then is this, if you want to be involved in direct action using black bloc tactics and destroying property is less likely to get you arrested than a peaceful occupation. It’s clear that the police saw the Fortnum and Masons occupation as a honeypot of chargeable offenders that they could add to their very small arrest list.

Whilst the block bloc are clearly identifiable as outlined above they are not arrestable by police. You can’t arrest someone for wearing black. It's also difficult to arrest one person who has committed a crime after they have run back into a crowd of people identical to themselves. This exploits the media who are able to quickly spot and shoot trouble.

Look at any of the videos of damage on Saturday and you will notice that people with cameras and on lookers vastly outnumber the bloc. In the now famous “I’m a cop!” video you can’t help notice that of the 4 people in the bank 2 are journalists. Notice how many people are surrounding those pushing the bin through the front doors and how they are just standing watching and filming. Also notice how no one was arrested.

This is why they were so effective. Relatively small groups of 10-20 were free to roam independently causing damage unopposed. Once the police arrive their first priority is to stop the damage. Once this is done the group has already moved on, hit and run style. Only 11 police officers were treated for injuries on Saturday which shows the bloc’s aversion to direct contact.

The attack on the Ritz was stopped by about 6 police men just standing together even though they were vastly outnumbered. The result of these tactics is that the media gain a ton of footage and the bloc members aren't arrested and are free to go home and watch themselves on TV.

The media are already hooked on the bloc and after having run out of news are now reporting that the Royal wedding is the next target. Such an assertion fundamentally misunderstands the tactic since the Royal Wedding will be centred in a set of defendable locations surrounded by pro royal onlookers. However, the bloc could attack the same targets as on Saturday which will be completely undefended since the police will be elsewhere.

Do these attacks help further promote an anti-cuts/anti-government message? In all of the coverage I have seen on the attack on Topshop the fact that Philip Green dodged £285 million in tax is mentioned as a motive. Did the peaceful sit in by UK Uncut in that store in November get the same exposure? No. Will anyone reading an article focus on the damage of the tax dodge or the damage done to a number of buildings in London? If I was to burn down a whole hospital I would be unlikely to clock up £285 million worth of damage.

Would the march alone have gained as much coverage? Does the attention attained from this coverage help or hinder the anti-cuts movement? I am unsure. What I do know is that the bloc’s success promoted by the media and the police targeting of peaceful activists has left peaceful protesters the victims on Saturday.

Special Protest Video: March for the Alternative

Special Protest Report: Inside Black Bloc

As we march across Piccadilly Circus towards Piccadilly a group of about three to four-hundred anarchists peel in from the right and begin parading in parallel to the TUC march. It’s not clear where they’ve come from and it’s hard to tell how old they are. Clad in all black their faces are covered with a variety of masks, bandanas, scarfs, ski masks and gas masks. Although the majority are men, there are a number of women and – as far as you can tell from body-shape and eyes – they seem to age from around 16-25. The smell of adrenaline and purpose hangs thick in the air.
The anarchist line swoops in engulfing the wide road as we lurch to the left and hear the sound of fire-crackers behind us. With the iconic black and red flags of the CNT held aloft they stride purposefully down Piccadilly. The loud bang of fire-crackers continue to erupt behind us growing ever-closer as we parade past lines of banks interspersed with expensive shops. The beast has found its prey.
Within the blink of an eye a fire-cracker explodes just to our right as the line of anarchists turn on a six-pence and immediately start marching in the opposite direction. We turn to see them swarming round a branch of Santander. A smoke bomb spews forth a green mist and pockets of the group throw themselves at the bank’s windows. The window buckles under a tirade of fists and feet but the flexi-glass doesn’t break. A volley of colourful paint bombs splatter the walls as a stray smoke bomb bounces off the brick and ricochets back into the crowd as it spits out its vibrant haze.
The spectacle is watched by half a dozen policemen across the road. They stand there perfectly still relaying a running commentary into their radios. The anarchist group turns apace and accelerates down Piccadilly and descends on the Ritz. The offensive becomes a blur as the crowd pelts the Ritz with more paint and attempt to gain entry via a side gully. Small clusters break-off and begin throwing stuff at the police as the paparazzi –seemingly from no-where – weave in and out wearing hockey helmets for protection before returning to the hive of the group and disappearing into the sea of black.
The crowd advances down Piccadilly and by now the side roads are lined with riot police. They remain still in line gathering information and relaying updates as the anarchists surge on Starbucks before disappearing into the London streets like dissipating green smoke. We don’t encounter them again until we arrive at Hyde Park – but their kaleidoscopic calling-cards adorn all surrounding walls and virtually every street corner (or police riot van) is daubed with an anarchist ‘A’.
It’s a fascinating experience to witness first-hand the anarchist tactic of black bloc. Black bloc is not an organisation or faction, it is a tactic different anarchist groups use for security and to avoid arrest. Here’s how a website promoting the tactic describes it:

The Black Bloc is a tactic that has been used in demonstrations for years. It is used as a security and safety measure. In it's essential form, each participant of a Black Bloc wears somewhat of a uniform. The idea of wearing this uniform is that if every single person in the Bloc looks relatively alike, it is hard for the police to determine which individual did what. For instance, if a Black Bloc participant throws a brick at a store window and runs into the Bloc, she will easily blend in with everyone else. However, if a person wearing normal street clothes happens to throw a brick and run into the Bloc, chances are that she will have been filmed or photographed and later caught by the police.

The group we witnessed was more than likely a coalition of multifarious anarchist groups united by the mutually beneficial tactic of black bloc. The common uniform gives them the opportunity to blend inconspicuously into the group whilst the geography of the location – flagged as it was by numerous streets on either side – provides an ideal getaway and allows the group to divide into smaller parties and reconstitute elsewhere. With reports of numerous assaults of varying sizes across London it appears the group was an amorphous mass able to split, divide and reform without much effort. Indeed, it’s conspicuous how a number of photos in our photo album show the anarchists in constant communication via mobile phone.

Historically anarchists may seek the abolition of authority but, yesterday at least, it seems they were very well organised.

Media Watch: March for the Alternative

Unsurprisingly, the photo editors of Britain’s Sunday papers have been seduced by the evocative and powerful images of anarchists “on the rampage in central London” during yesterday’s March for the Alternative.

Although most papers chose a photo depicting street violence – with the Independent on Sunday adopting a particularly powerful vista – the Observer and The Star both went with huge crowd scenes and no paper dared deny the magnitude of the march with estimates ranging from 250,000 to 500,000 protestors. Regardless of which figure you go with, a couple of hundred anarchists is but a tiny minority and hardly representative.

Both the events yesterday and the media coverage today bring into question the role of direct action in the labour movement. Of course there are times when direct action is necessary – and civil disobedience was crucial in the civil rights movement and the suffragettes – but the anti-cuts movement is a different beast and I fear what the press term ‘violent extremism’ could discourage families from protesting in the future and undermine what should be a broad movement.

It’s also important, however, to draw distinction between the peaceful and effective direct action employed by UKuncut and the more aggressive black bloc tactics used by anarchists yesterday. In many cases – such as the occupations of Topshop and Fortnum and Mason – anarchists hijacked legitimate UKuncut demonstrations. UKuncut have shown in the past they use peaceful means to occupy establishments in order to gain publicity, create a spectacle and raise consciousness. Unfortunately, anarchist activism which involves attacking rather than occupying is too divisive for a political movement in its infancy and undermines attempts to create a critical mass of opposition. A revolution has never been won on adrenaline alone – it requires developed consciousness, mass support and effective mobilisation.

The newspapers’ sensationalism, however, shouldn’t distract attention from the true story to come from yesterday’s events. It was the story of something we haven’t seen for a while and something which most people had written off as doomed or extinct. Yesterday we saw the re-awakening of the trade union movement and the forceful demonstration of a mass labour movement mobilised by sectional interest but organising collectively. Yesterday showed that half a million people on the streets of London – with many more sympathetic and unable to attend – represents the majority of public opinion.

It is the responsibility of all those who attended the demonstration yesterday to spread the story of a peaceful, united and passionate march and ensure it isn’t hijacked by the sensationalist press. The success and unprecedented scale of the march makes it easier for trade unions to organise militant action in workplaces and – with the full impact of cuts yet to come – the momentum is with us. The March for the Alternative shows that the fight-back has just begun.

Special Protest Report: March for the Alternative

The TUC had organised the 26 March demonstration months in advance. Everyone knew it would be big, but just how many people and which groups would turn up in central London on the day? Estimates of numbers vary between sources, but it was probably around 500,000. It definitely felt comparable to the demonstration against the Iraq war in 2003.

Victoria Embankment was already full of banners and placards by the time EoP arrived at 10:30am. We were pleased to join numerous trade unions, activists, public sector workers, unemployed, disabled people, and protestors. It was interesting to see the diversity of groups extended to women’s organisations, music and theatre unions, physiotherapists, and pensioners all marching alongside revolutionary and political parties.


We started marching just after 12pm. Trade union branches from around the country were represented in their delegations and many workers – from nurses to firemen – marched in uniform against the cuts.


Walking towards Westminster, we caught up with the teaching unions NASUWT and the NUT, protesting against cuts to education.


The route took us up Whitehall and past Downing Street where you could hear the crowd’s deafening boos. The march was apparently 4 miles long, so let’s hope Cameron heard our discontent for a good few hours.


Trafalgar Square was about half way along the route. People took the chance to rest, climb statues to protest, and a large Trojan horse circled Nelson’s Column.


From Piccadilly Circus, we moved along Picadilly – the home of Fortnum & Mason, several banks, and the Ritz. On our right, a stream of about 200 anarchists joined the protest. They seemed very well organised, and we caught sight of them causing havoc at branches of Santander, Starbucks and the Ritz. This was action distinctly separate from the main, peaceful march. We’ve included a photo below, but more can be found in our Facebook photo album.



Amongst a suddenly heavy police presence we reached Hyde Park at about 3:30pm. There were hundreds of thousands of people there already. Speakers at the rally included Ed Miliband, Brendan Barber, and Mehdi Hasan, who all praised the great turnout. We were told at 4:30 that people were still arriving - and information on Twitter suggested that the march still stretched back to Whitehall.



We left Hyde Park for a well-deserved tortilla down Oxford Street. We passed Oxford Circus, and the spectacle that was Topshop’s flagship store. It’s not the first time this store has been targeted by UKUncut, but it had certainly been hit harder than any previous occasion. The paint-splattered windows implied that it had been targeted by the anarchists who had previously attacked the Ritz, de Beers Jewellers and Starbucks. A wall of police was protecting the store, and it certainly wasn’t open for business. Even passing shoppers couldn’t help but take a photo. As I write, there are still reports that police are defending the store.

We participated in the main, peaceful, family-orientated march. We also caught a glimpse of the minority’s actions against businesses and the rich. It will be interesting how the Sunday papers will report the march tomorrow. Will they focus on the 500,000 or the 500?

Click here for our full photo album

Why are you marching?

On Saturday 26th March thousands of people will take to the streets in an act of opposition to government cuts. Cuts are coming hard and fast - from the voluntary sector to the systematic dismantling of the NHS - in an attempt to divide opposition, fragment dissent and nullify alternatives.

In anticipation of the March for the Alternative we canvassed online opinion from activists on why they are opposing government cuts. Here are some of the responses we received from ordinary folk - we hope you will share your own:

“I am not on the actual march, I am doing the armchair army march instead cos I am disabled. I am 'marching' because the govt is not chasing tax dodgers hard enough, my son and I live in poverty and he needs his EMA so he can get out of poverty and eventually find a job. I am marching for a living wage for my boyfriend who stands at a machine all night long for just above minimum wage. I am marching for people who need help in hospitals, for doctors, for nurses, for teachers, for the armed forces, fire services, other public sector workers and anyone else who is struggling under the reckless behaviour of our banks and financial institutions. I want those people who broke our laws in the financial crash brought to justice, their assets seized and returned to the people.” Clare Jordan

Chris McCabe is marching “for justice and against wars & the banksters’ coup”

“I’ve never been on a march before but I’ll be out on Saturday. I’m disgusted by the cuts to the Film Council and the effect it’ll have on the arts.” Jimmy Burns

“If there’s money in the Treasury reserve for war in Libya, why isn’t there money for public services? That’s why I’m marching.” Trev Fish

“I'm marching because I don't want my children to have to live in the same kind of miserable Tory world I had to endure when I was their age, a life with no prospects, no work and limited access to education. I am a member of the Socialist Party and Northampton Alliance to Defend Services, and was actively involved in the campaign against the Poll Tax under Thatcher when I was my daughter's age (18), and in supporting the miners when I was my son's age (10). My daughter hopes to go to University this September, the first member of my family ever to do so, yet she faces leaving education with a massive debt to cripple her early life. I am also marching for my clients. I am the manager of a Homeless Hostel and my vulnerable clients are having their access to benefits and health services slashed, and their home put at risk. I am also marching in solidarity with those in the middle east and across the world who are rising up against their capitalist oppressors.” Del Pickup

"I am marching on the 26th because I care.

I am appaulled at the current levels of unemployment, especially among young people. The Con/Dem Government's plans to cut public sector job, pay and pensions is unnecessary, cruel, and will ultimately do more harm than good. I am very angry with the absurd levels of tax avoidance, which the millionaire government deliberately turns a blind eye to.

I, along with over 100,000 people, want to show the Government and the big corporations that we will not take cuts to our essential services, privatisation, sale of publicly owned assets, rises in fees and brutal attacks on our trade unions.

I firmly believe that united, we can win against the government, and the March for the Alternative will hopefully earn the workers of Great Britain a place in the history books." Ed Stuttard.

Will you be on Saturday's march? Let us know why you will be marching below.