You say you came to Brighton looking for "Direct Action" (whatever that means) and were appalled that the police prevented this.

My suggestion is this:- fuck off back where you came from and take your kindergarten amateur "politics" with you.

The issues that the "anti-globalization" movement are trying to address are far too important to be sidetracked by infantile wankers like you who get a buzz out of breaking a few McDonalds windows, and think that by that kind of daftness they are changing the world.

peace

i just find it so amusing how aggressively you so-called "pacifists" attack anyone in the movement who has a different approach to things. i have seen this shit too many times, you people preach for peace and love at home and dismiss anyone who thinks that what is really ineffective is sitting on our asses chanting the same old slogans as "infantile wankers" and then are ready to verbally and phisically abuse [from seattle to genoa this always happened] in the streets the people who you condemn as violent. this "holier than thou" approach is self-righteous and only creates division among the movement. for the record by Direct Action i wasn`t talking about smashing a Mcdonalds and i think i cleared it out that violence was not the right reaction. i was talking about reclaiming a space that`s ours, a creative resistance through which we can actually be heard and seen but if you think the 2-line coverage we got in the media is enough i just wish i got be as easily amused as you. but maybe you "pacifists" are just too scared to actually break the law and are happy to follow the orders the state and the police are giving you. anyway the "infantile wanker" here was trying to get a discussion going on here between people with different views but the close-minded people like you might as well stay out of it.

peace

I agree with my headline. :-)

Don't let the fucking pacifists liberals who voted
in this fucking administer of oppression blair to
dictate what people do on actions!

well - i think naomi's opinion is a little bit suspect - and kon's reaction just a little bit ott

Although you say in your original post you do not want "senseless violence", your concept of "Direct Action" involves "going against the law if you have to".

It so happens that the state pays people to stop other people "going against the law". These people are called policemen.

I simply do not believe, along with most ant-globalist people at the moment (due in part to the special situation post 9-11), that confronting the police is sensible.

In the end it's an insult to the major planetary issues that we are supposed to be trying to deal with. It trivialises them.

So I stand by my main point. You are an infantile wanker and you should fuck off and take your pathetic hooligan desires with you.

PS I am not a pacifist - but I do believe that peace is a good idea. Do you?

naomi, you seem to believe that going against the law involves necessarily violence. i think it`s time you people wake up and realise that under the terrorism act it`s free-speech that is at risk. the wombles group was arrested BEFORE the demonstration started because the police probably suspected they were gonna bomb the meeting or something. so this time it`s wombles because they`re wearing white overalls, next time it could be me just for what i`ve got written on my t-shirt. i`m not gonna stand and my watch as my rights are taken away. take reclaim the streets: a big unauthorised party in the middle of the streets, in the centre of capitalism: that is against the law, but is violent? is it wrong just because it`s against the law? did you know that a totally pacifist movement like reclaim the streets is consideredby the FBI, along with many other anti-capitalist groups, a terrorist organisation? wearing a PKK t-shirt: i support the struggle of the kurds against oppression in turkey and I may want to show my support wearing a t-shirt, but under the terrorism act that could get me arrested. is that violent? no, but it`s against the law. is that going to stop you doing it? is it wrong simply because it`s against the law? do i have to remember you that the people we are fighting against are the same people who make these laws?! i AM going to go against the law if i believe it`s right and that does NOT necessarily involve violence and i`m tired of people like you who on hand what to fight the system and on the other just go along with it in everything it tells you to do. and about the situation changin after 9-11, yeah it has changed, for the worst, in the sense that it`s the perfect excuse to move in with even more oppressive laws. you people are the weakest part of the movement. and soon you`ll realise it`s too late to go back.

The two main scary things I came away with from the Brighton demo/unity-march was that the riot police charged into the crowd right at the start in the park while everyone was waiting to start the march and arrested people straight off, also I have NEVER seen so many concentrated police surveillance cameras filming everyone -you could see them so clearly because they has those large orange coloured waterproof cases on their cameras. At the end of the march, standing in one place, I could count six different cameras filming the crowd.

If the weather had been dry a sit down protest may have been good...

Does anybody have any web links for what little corporate media coverage of the protest in Brighton there may have been? So far I've seen absolutely none.

Also, as a member of the Mayday 2001 Oxford Circus elite (an exclusive little gathering at the heart of London's west end, hard to get in, even harder to get out) I'm curious as to the exact extent of police powers under the law regarding demos at the moment - does anyone know of a net address where these are briefly summarised for the benefit of protesters?

Obviously the situation looks set to deteriorate rapidly as regards both police conduct 'on the ground' and the law itself, so I'm wondering whether 'direct action' advocates will find themselves operating increasingly separately from NGOs,and others who insist on their critical contribution to the 'movement' against corporate globalisation but already (post Genoa) seem to be retreating from large scale mass demos.

Also, is one of the reasons that Gloablise Resistance are apparently dominating the 'movement' in the UK because anti-globo 'veterans' (RTS etc) are no longer making the running/ the media prefers the former (and the NGOs and charities)to many of the 'movement's original core players? (compare J18 with Brighton on Sunday - its not just the policing thats intensified, so has the formalisation and pre-structuring of the protests... is this (just) a bad thing? is there any sign that media profile and swp/GR-ascension is accompanied by a greater attendance from unaffiliated 'members of the public' and (gasp) workers (apart from media workers))? The swp have a way of hooking in working class presence at these demos thru the unions, but what about non-unionised workers - they hit the streets in Genoa (pissed off with living in a city under siege, a fascist state, etc no doubt)- but are there any signs of the anti-globo actions in the UK outgrowing 'civil society', old left and (often) middle class anarchist constituencies alone? (I'm not trying to put down people for being middle class, but obviously the lack of working class involvement is a crucial problem - and I'm not a Trotskyist)
Anyway, just to move things along a bit and in case anyone can or would like to answer any of these questions, I'd be interested to hear what people think.
Thanks,
Ben

I must agree that Naomi should stick in her little world, which she obviously considers herself queen of, and keep marching with her twatty little paper selling friends.
We do need some group direct action, or personal mischief. I advocate the personal side of things, as getting into a big S60 cordon achieves nothing. Break away from the crowd, and make your point heard loud and clear.

I feel that the way police are using what is effectively a section 60 at protests at the moment will be continued by them until the cases go through court for the corralling that occured at Mayday. It is clear police will use whatever law is their to assist the lawmakers in maintaining control. Therefore what may be more effective than joining a big group is to pre plan with smaller affinity groups and do your thing. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly the smaller group will attract smaller police numbers, they can make decisions quicker and move about quicker and if there are enough small groups then they can stretch the police more. Just some ideas.
Naomi, I didn't notice violence being mentioned in the original article and you said most of the anti-capitalist...violence...McDonalds...don't need it etc well please I would prefer you to speak for yourself not the movement and damage to property is at worst vandalism not violence, don't let the mainstream press get to you. Keep up the resistance and lets be more excepting.

In the event of an S60 order being issued, these are the important things to remember:

The police have the power to search you for weapons (and dangerous instruments). They have no other powers under S60. They can only detain you "for as long as necessary to carry out a search".
They have no legal power to force you to give them your name and address. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES give it to them: it will be kept on file for SEVEN years. When asked, say "NO COMMENT".
They have no legal power to force you to have your photograph taken. Do not allow them to do this. This too will be kept on file for SEVEN years. Keep your head turned away, or put your hand in front of your face.
They have no legal power to ask you to remove any item of clothing in public view, OTHER THAN that which is concealing your identity. Any facial masking can be confiscated., If you are asked to remove coats/jumpers etc, REFUSE OUTRIGHT.
They have no legal power to search wallets, purses, inside small pockets etc. This is an S60 search, for weapons only. If they ask to search wallets, purses, inside small pockets etc, REFUSE OUTRIGHT.
If you have a bag they will search that, but again for weapons only. Any other items, documents, potentially incriminating articles are OFF LIMITS. Do not allow them to examine any of your personal possessions (cash cards, student cards, diaries, organisers etc). This is not part of S60. Under Article 8 of the UK Human Rights Act 1998 your privacy is assured. Make sure they know this. They can only confiscate weapons and facial masking.
They have the power to use "reasonable force" but ONLY if you do not submit to a search. No other force can be used for any other purpose.
They must tell you their name, number, station they're based at the reason for the search. Ask them for this. Not only will it piss them, off but if they don't provide this information the search will be illegal.
Remember: in an S60 situation, you are accused of nothing and you have done nothing wrong. DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, however insignificant or polite. SAY "NO COMMENT" to everything.

Most of all, DON'T BE SCARED BY THEM! They know the law, and now so do you. USE IT!

and for info about the terrorism act and the enormous powers it gives to the state and to the police check out this site:

 http://go.to/TA2000

long live the resistance!

Just wanted to reply to what Ben was saying about the working classes. It is an interesting point that much of the what you might call the working classes (although it's scarcely a WORKING class anymore) do not seem to be too interested in spending time and effort protesting at expanding global capitalism. I'm not trying to be an expert on this subject, because I am clearly not, but popular support for this cause, I believe is absolutely essential if you are to make any progress at all. There is a massive lack of information about what the consequences of global capitalism are, and I don't really know myself. It just seems that the government is going to walk all over protestors until more people are mobilised into supporting your cause.
Hope no-one takes offence at this and starts labelling me a Fascist or a Trotskyite or something, it's just an opinion.

Thanks very much - that's exactly what I was looking for.
By the way, I know you're based in Brighton but if you can make it up to London tomorrow night I've organised a discusison about the possibilities for resisting the new 'war on terror' (and for other kinds of political action) in the new perpetual 'state of emergency'that Blair, Bush and co are rolling out/ intensifying. The details are in the Indymedia Calendar section (it's called 'Enduring Freedom') - no party members involved in setting it up tho everyone is welcome whatever their shade of opposition. Anyone else who thinks this sounds interesting, please come along.
Thanks again for the info!!!
Ben

I recon Kon4m and Naomi should both chill-out. I think you both need to realise that even if you have different oppinions about how you should resist globalisation/capitalism and a represive government, you are both actually on the same side!

In my opinion, acts of violence or vandalism only make you as bad as them (an eye for an eye and all that). While this might not be the "grown-up" reponse, it's a human response. And while you might not be able to respect those who choose violence/vandalism, I think that as you can understand why it's done (lets face it, those McDonalds windows *are* tempting!) you should treat these people with patience and compasion.

If your prefered response is to cause no trouble (ie, go along with the repression) then you've at least turned up and made your voice/opinion heard, which still means you've picked a side and played a part.

I think there's room to sit in the middle though. Stand up for your rights, and stand up for what you think is right. Dont attack the police, but do defend yourself if you're attacked by them. Etc.

Back to Brighton though: I was fairly unhappy about the fact that we marched to the Labour Party Conference, shouted for an hour and then went home again. This doesn't seem to me to be much of a protest! I'd have happily sacked off the march altogether and spent the whole day outside the conference. I was told by someone that this was the SWP "over-liaising" with the police. But for the same reasons as above, you cant condemn the SWP cause at least they brought lots of people from across the country to Brighton.

Wasn't it wet though? :o/

This is in response to Terry & Ben,

The issue of the working class disilusionment and and disinterest in protest and politics in general is a major issue. In other countries where anti-global campaings are gathering pace the key element has been the overwhelming support and participation from the working class.
The situation in the UK is very different from these other countries and therefore requires a different approach. The working class need to be encouraged to come together within their communities, to engage with their own local issues first. The UK two tier education system and restructuring of working class areas has helped to perpetuate the trend that people don't live together in 'communities' any more.
The UK state education system is nothing to be proud of, ranking 12th in Europe. It's no wonder that our UK workers have little knowledge and interest in the anti-global cause.
I too mean no offense to anyone. I'm from a working class background myself and its from this stand point that I realise only too well the effect of the British class system.
I would like to see a true broad cross section of the population stand up for their rights. Black, white, asian, muslim, rich, poor etc etc. We have to come together to make a difference.

Before I start this I just want to make clear that I am in total support of big protests, the more the better. I am not advocating an alternative, rather an addition.

I think that we are all agreed that protests are going to become more and more Orwellian as time goes on and as we gain more support. After all the issues we are protesting about are only going to become more pressing as time goes on, causing Them in control, more of a reason to shut us up. Hence more police, more cameras, more laws and less room for us to manouver.

However we don't just need to contain our protests to protests. The companies that cause a lot of our headaches are always there for a bit of action. Starbucks, Nike, Gap, McDonalds are always open. I know that its not just stores that make up the beast that is Global Capitalism, but then parliament is often open for business too.

What I am proposing is that we boulster up our attack, to become a more constant pain in the neck. Everytime you walk past a Starbucks pop in and ask them about their humane coffee, and then ask why they use inhumane coffee for their Frappawhatevertheircalled, take some clothes up to the counter in Nike or Gap and pester them infront of the label whores in the queue behind you about sweatshop labour etc. Better still sneak up at night and chalk a massive slogan outside their shop. Their are a million and one ways of getting our message across, and they speak directly to people funding the beast. It doesn't cost any money barely takes any time and its lots and lots of fun. PLUS there are no police lines, no video cameras and no state repression, and you can always just leg it afterwards.

Vive La Resistance!

Second try, so shorter...
Of course the old bill are going to arrest/intimidate anyone who's out theire doing direct action- or indeed anyone who's out there to have an impact... That is indeed
what they're paid for.
It's somewhat different to find the Socia;ist Wankers- sorry
Globalise Resistance -helping police arrest people in white
overalls by moving other demonstrators away from the direct
actionist bloc...if indeed they didn't set the police on
the das themselves. Not at all unlikely given their requests to Gatecrash Labour to stay away and their announced view that, post S11 , it's important to kiss the State's arse in case repression gets worse.....
We expects pacifists to rip masks of people's faces and set the police on them. The SWP claims to be a revolutionary
socialist organisation. I know they are kissing George Mombiot and the reformists arses, but....turning into Seattle style peace police....
Like the pacifists SWP think they own the anti-
globalisation movement. And they're more than willing to hijack other peoples groups (Stop the War coalition) actions
(the May Day Oxford Circus action they grabbed the space early and sat inside a S60 for several hours like the sheep they are). And indeed the anti-globalisation movement-
which they didn't go near till after the J18 invasion of the City of London......
Direct action is about you and me getting off our arses
and just doing what's necessary- effectively. We can each
and all of us figure out what that means. We don't need leaders to tell us.... And we certainly don't nee their fucking Party...
No wonder they hate us. No wonder, every time they get power, their heroes shoot us....!!