In the light of the events of the March 2nd demonstration I think we need to build a new strategy for the next anti-war demo, keeping in mind the needs and desires of those who want to engage in Direct Action and Civil Disobedience. Many people within the movement believe that simply walking and yelling (actually there wasn’t even much screaming to be heard!) in the streets is ineffective and unhelpful to the ultimate cause, which is to STOP the war, especially considering the non-existent media coverage the demonstrations get. It actually gives those in power the possibility to say: “look how democratic we are, we allow dissent” because they don’t feel threatened by it. I speak in the name of those who believe that we have to bring the struggle to the next level. It must be clear that this is not a violence vs. non-violence issue: it is a question of finding new creative ways to resist and to fight, and actually stopping the system from the working, to gain attention for our cause. The same way that I, as an anarchist, respect those who choose completely legal ways of dissent, at the same time the rest of the movement has to respect those who choose other forms of resistance, instead of just labeling any form of protest other than peaceful marches as “violent”. Obviously it’s crucial that everyone knows what they are getting in to and that no one from the peaceful march gets involved against its own will. So how can this be done? I believe the best way would be to form a Direct Action block that at one point brakes off from the main march to follow its own route and its own objectives. Through a democratic process we could agree what route to follow and which targets to hit. For example it could be decided that we “attack” the US embassy. The block, which should stay united at all times, could then brake off from the march and try and brake through police lines or whatever. The block doesn’t need to limit itself to one action, that’s the beauty of it: one section could blockade the road, another one could engage in property destruction etc. The whole point is that the block will be united in its broad aims and ready to accept the consequences. Under no circumstances should the rest of the march be put to risk. I think we should get together all the groups and individuals who want to join the block and the get involved in a dialogue with the Stop the War Coalition so they can then take action accordingly. How much we should actually say is an important point, as to what extent we should act as an autonomous group: from the moment the STWC organizes the march with the police if we are completely open about our aims we could be met with excessive police repression. A surprise element could play at our advantage but could endanger the rest of the march. This is a point to discuss. I hope to start an open, democratic discussion about the creation of a Direct Action block for the next anti-war march.

In Solidarity,

kon4m