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blockades on Thursday morning

noel | 08.12.2000 14:16

report on the blockades of Thursday morning and currentr news

We met at 7am at Gare Riquier to go to blockade the conference, a decision had been taken the prevoius night that those militants that were prepared to confront the police would take the east side of the conference, whilst the others would take the west side.

I was in the group that would confront, so around 1500-2000 of us marched toward the Acropolis building down avenue de la republique, intially it seemed that the police lines were suprisingly weak, though of course we knew many reinforcements lay waiting where we couldn`t see. A few barriers were dismantled and charged, but the rest of the march were still coming up the road and so people retreated to wait for reinforcements, as we reached the streets that led to the entrance, police opened fire with teargas, this was really strong, and hurt like hell!!! The march split into sections, they included basque country activists, international socialists, LCR communists, ATTAC, anarchists and others these kept overlapping as we retreated and composed ourselves for another attempt to break the police lines, this continued for around 2 hours we were gassed many times and percussion grenades were used to.

Apparently comrades on the east side were also teargassed althought they didnot attempt to break police lines;

A decisicion was then taken to retreat and march through the centre of Nice, which we did chanting as we went through the streets the CRS followed and gassed us again. Slowly we made our way up to the sports centre where the night before we had, had a rally, we arrived there and various speakers spoke of the action and various chants happened, one of my favorties was the french one- ``Tous ensemble, tous ensemble - oui, oui!`

We then went to leave as we knew the fascists were to march across the other side of town, as we went down the road several buses of CRS riot police were getting ready, they then attacked the sports hall and teargassed it, this then lead to various events of which I only know second hand, but I know that demonstrators attempted to negotiate with police, and were fired on with teargas again, a water cannon was brought in and cars were overturned in an attempt to protect people.

Currently there are small (300 or so) demonstrations at
square garibaldi against the police violence and repression. Graffiti is being washed off the buildings as several banks were attacked and daubed with anti-capitalist slogans as were many sexist advertisements and jewellery shops.

noel
- e-mail: noel@desiderium.org

Comments

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nice

11.12.2000 10:04

The march on the 6th Dec in Nice showed mass union support, it is this support we, as the anti globisation movment needed to gain for the demonstration the next day.

The considerably smaller numbers gave the police a licence to violently gas us and although we certaintly showed strengh and disipiline as a group, larger numbers would have enabled us to acheive our aim of surrounding and entering the eu summit.

Hopefully we can mobilise a lot bigger for the G8 conference in July.

gaeatodd
mail e-mail: gaeatodd@hotmail.com


une autre monde c'est possible!

11.12.2000 17:29

Couldn't agree more with the above comment, although we had the COBRAS (portugese??) union and the spanish CGT on the blockades and probably around 3-4000 (I slightly underestimated our numbers checking the video!!) it was not enough, particularly with police that are prepared to attack without provocation.

If only 20% of the wednesday demo had stayed we could have done it, it was massive I know the reports in the papers say 70 000 but I watched it go past me for 3 hours it was well over 100 000, and I'm sure lots of the workers on the demo would have been up for it- there slogans were not that different if it all from the thursday morning ones.

Anyway forward to Genoa or Barcelona or Davos....etc..etc..!!!

noel
mail e-mail: noel@desiderium.org


..Le monde responde..Resistance!!

12.12.2000 12:00

Yeah I have to agree. The Unions on the wednesday march quickly took up the slogans and chants of the anti-capitalist movement and on talkin to them it was obvious many of them would have liked to attend the thursday blockade. The main reason for their non attendence was that they had come to Nice on union sponsored buses and trains and would have had no way to get home. That said i know of at least two French trade unionists who did stop on and come to the blockade. Personally I think the Union bureaucrats planned it this way from the start as a few told me their union had told them not to get involved with the anti-capitalists. A few of the British trade unionists did go on the blockade though, they were there minus their banners and mainly as members of the Socialist Workers Party or others. Anyway, onwards to Mayday!!

Ferdi
mail e-mail: ferdi1917@aol.com


unions on D7

13.12.2000 19:02

There were "Unison" banners there, although the people who were carrying them were SWP members. The International Socialist contingent had a Unison banner at its back which became its front when it was retreating.

olie
mail e-mail: oliebrice@hotmail.com