March 18th. Autonomous Anonymous Anarchist Callout for the anniversary of the war

Does anybody bother to ask themselves:

1. What difference this kind of activity makes, and,

2. Who it is aimed at?

I've been around the anti-authoritarian scenester-scene for 25 years now, and I have had to come to the conclusion that stuff like this is devoid of meaning. It mainly aims at keeping the people involved in it entertained -- a sort of anarchist role playing game, the protest ghetto version of "Dungeons and Dragons."

If you don't know anyone who posted or is organizing this, don't blindly follow strangers.

This could very well be a government set-up to identify so-called anarchists, create more Josh Wolf's, and worse.

It is so packed with generic "anarchist" language as to cause serious suspicion. Normally, a group like Anarchist Action identifies themselves in posts like this or doesn't even bother to announce such things in a public forum.

At this point, it clearly does not pass the smell test. Be very wary.

Trust no one you don't already know.

Yes. There will be thousands of people at the Ånswer mårch. Like previous marches, there will certainly be hundreds of police. In my opinion, a secondary breakaway march would need video legal support. The case this weekend where Tacoma police shot rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters sitting down singing "give peace a chance" is a perfect illustration of this. There were no television or newspaper reporters there. The video made by a young libertarian legal student was able to disprove the police department's statement that these protesters had been throwing things at the officer. It wasn't true at all.
There are many other examples of why even camera phone support is essential. A videotape might have been crucial for getting felony charges dropped at that ill-fated g8 rally even, which Josh Wolf is incarcerated for. However, the factor of Wolf being in jail for not turning over a tape does change the scene. Perhaps it's best to really think through what you are doing at a march like this, and how you will handle yourself with a camera.
If you are a journalist, be a journalist. If you are out to protect your friends, it might be best to stand towards the middle or rear and focus on the general crowd panorama, law enforcement and who is standing on the sidewalks. If everyone bunches together, then it is easy to be all stopped by some police horses. If everyone spreads around, then one camera can't film everything. If you are a vandal, you might want to go away entirely, and be a long distance from the many assembled police officers.

>>At this point, it clearly does not pass the smell test. Be very wary.

Yep. I don't trust this either. Who is organizing this? (Not even going into the problems associated with breakaways)

i would deffinately say dont trust this...

Perhaps the reason why there is no attribution as to the origin of this call to action is that the groups who would usually put out such a call to action end up getting targeted. i.e. anarchist action, perhaps the need for an anonymous call to action is more important now than ever. I agree that you should never blindly follow someone you don't know (or even possibly someone you do know) into any sort of action, especially ones that are likely to curtail your freedom in a quick manner. But that is where using your own head comes in, which can't be substituted for a well known group.
Also wouldn't it be more beneficial for police operating some sort of sting operation to invoke a more trusted name like anarchist action as opposed to collectives which as far as I can tell, don't exist.
And c'mon, "the illuminati"? We all know pigs don't have a sense of humor.

indymedia is just about the shittiest place to have an anonymous debate about the legitimacy of an anonymous callout.

When i read things like:
"It mainly aims at keeping the people involved in it entertained"
I am a bit perplexed as to this critique's value. People that think political action is supposed to be boring become Maxists. Others believe that the more you suffer the more of a revolutionary you are, thses are mostly Moaists. I think that having fun is great. capitalists say that it is not fun unless you are spending money. People can be different from all of these three groups. So, i can't see having fun and "entertainment" as a problem. I think that meeting people and doing things together builds a sense of solidarity and action gives people hope. Plan a better action and people will go to that.

p.s. The San Francisco Police do not use horses for crowd control. (only a little once in 15 years).

I>>People that think political action is supposed to be boring become Maxists. Others believe that the more you suffer the more of a revolutionary you are, thses are mostly Moaists.

That's a rather uninformed and simplistic view of the political left.

>>I think that having fun is great. capitalists say that it is not fun unless you are spending money. People can be different from all of these three groups.

Having fun is great! Riding ponies is fun, but you don't here anyone saying calling it revolutionary, do you?

>>So, i can't see having fun and "entertainment" as a problem. I think that meeting people and doing things together builds a sense of solidarity and action gives people hope. Plan a better action and people will go to that.

I haven't heard a critique of entertainment or fun. What I do see, is a critique of self-conflagration for weak and scattered organizing.

I'm all for building a revolutionary anarchist movement, but a dose of common sense is needed within the anarchist community before that can happen.

Black Bloc/Cop Standoff
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2005/09/25/17702621.php



and how about this blast from the past? think it's still not going on??



Feds monitoring NYC anti-GOP activists
Concerns about mayhem at New York convention

The Associated Press
Updated: 11:01 a.m. ET Aug. 16, 2004

NEW YORK - Federal agents and city police are keeping tabs on people they say might try to cause trouble at the Republican National Convention, questioning activists, making unannounced visits and monitoring Web sites and meetings.

The law enforcement effort has been going on quietly, overshadowed in public by talk of counterterrorism measures planned for the Aug. 30-Sept. 2 event.

“We’re not engaging in surveillance of groups or individuals without legal predication,” said Jim Margolin, spokesman for the New York office of the FBI.

Ann Roman, a spokeswoman for the Secret Service, said agents expect to respond to an increase in possible domestic threats against President Bush and other dignitaries as the convention at Madison Square Garden nears. The Secret Service is also playing a lead role in planning convention security.

“How we do that specifically, I’m not going to go into,” she said.

Law enforcement sources said that in recent weeks, federal agents have begun interviewing people in the New York City area they believe might know about any plots to cause mayhem at the convention, and have used surveillance against possible suspects.

The intelligence unit of the New York Police Department has been closely monitoring Web sites run by self-described anarchists. It also has sought to infiltrate protest groups with young, scruffy-looking officers posing as activists.



if you see someone acting violently or encouraging violence or any illegal action, even property destruction, especially if they don't seem to be with a good-sized group of friends/cohorts and your affinity group does not recognize any of them, get the f*%k out of that area as quickly as you can, as you and the people around you are likely being set up for mass arrest or a good ol' fashioned police whoopin'...



200 Black Bloc surrounded at 7th & Market about to get arrested
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2003/03/21/15870861.php



of course, it could always be those protest warrior jokers who got run out of crawford (video at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2005/08/29/17631941.php) or those green football assholes. either way, don't play the fool, and don't trust the wrong person like these folks now regret: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/01/18/40662.php

I get these event announcements from Working Assets, and they said in advance that they disagree with a lot of ANSWER's politics and demands, but that they were going to hold their noses and go to the protest. That's what I do.

I was there, taking pictures, and i thought it was kind of alienating to not see any anarchist groups aside from the IWW there. In fact, I hardly saw any anarchists at all. These demos are kind of like family reunions or something- they're boring, but it's nice to know there are other people who are a bit like you out there. And to all come together and not necessarily have to interact, but to just be in the same space, just once in a while.

And I'll add that the Bookfair shouldn't have tried to compete with anti-war events. Schedule the Fair the week before or the week after. Either participate in the anti-war events before the fair to build momentum or interest in the fair, or hold the fair and make a call to arms, so to speak, before the big anniversary.

Next year will be the fifth anniversary and the only way to seriously turn up the heat on ththe warmongers is more and larger events like the Chevron headquarters action and the Heads Up Collective march on the 19th. Of course, events like those can and should happen any time of the year, but historic dates are a good time to grab more people's attention. Why miss an opportunity to show the more staid anti-war groups or those with sectarian diffences that anarchists have a constructive, creative, and fun role to play in fighting the war machine?