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 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.