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There was no 'Anthrax Bloc'

lkjjg | 03.06.2003 12:44

Embarrassing!

The second bloc (ie: not the pink and silver bloc) that took to the streets in Lausanne on Sunday 2nd June was NOT ever refered to as the 'Anthrax Bloc', but the 'Antracit Bloc'. Antracit is the German word for a very dark blue/grey colour that isn't quite black.

I guess the presumption by indymedia uk was that at an international anti-capitalist event all the blocs would have English names, and that some clever sole, not part of the bloc, chose to report on the issue, thought they overheared the name correctly and spread it across the internet. A bit embarrassing really. The Swiss, Dutch, German and French indymedia sites don't seem to have made the same mistake. Maybe their indymedia activists were actually involved in the militant bloc, or atleast bothered to ask the bloc what they were called!

lkjjg

Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

your pedantry is embarrasing

03.06.2003 12:53

Ahem, well, did you ever consider that the word was perhaps simply misheared, and that anyone can mishear words, especially when they are not words from their own toungue? Its good to know if there was a mistake, and to correct it, but geez, whats burning you?

I have seen this bloc referred to as dark blue and grey on other british posts, so I presume that although most people understood correctly, one innocent person made a mistake which then caught on, because lets face it the idea of an anthrax bloc is pretty cool - are you jealous you diddnt think of it yourself?

Damn petty if you ask me! Theres more important things to report than a mispronounced word, so why not report on them?

Paynes gray (a watercolour pigment)


Innocent mistakes

03.06.2003 13:33

Dear lkjjg,

Thanks for correcting the name of the Antracit bloc, but I'm with paynes gray on this one. When I looked at this story I thought I was going to read about some sort of gross misreporting, and that this bloc literally did not exist.

And anyone can make a mistake - you yourself misspelt 'soul' in your article - which with your spelling literally means that the bottom of somebodys foot misreported the name of the bloc. Anyone can make a mistake!

Fushia Pink


DO people understand what indymedia is?

03.06.2003 13:41

Look lkjjg, if anything is embarassing is your posting!

Your comments refer to a posting done NOT by indymedia but by British activists fro the WOMBLES. Indymedia is an Open posting forum, so we DO not make the "mistakes" in the articles in the newswire. Its actually easy to understand ... the newswire (right hand side column) is NOT the editorial policy of indymedia-uk or its activists/volunteers its open to everyone who does not contravine the editorial guidelines (visible from a link in the top of front page). Come on lkjjg even a big mouth like you could understand that!

Your statement of " I guess the presumption by indymedia uk was that at an international anti-capitalist event all the blocs would have English names" is out of order mate. You don't know anyone from inc-uk, so why you are talking so much crap?

I do actually wonder if you are and activist at all and even if you have been in or around Geneva for the anti-g8 demos. On the other hand if you have, did you actually understand what was it all about? I mean ... if for you its more important the name of blocs/tactics rather than what they do and speak politically, then you should think hard and try to grow politically.

imcista


obvious police infiltration

03.06.2003 15:38

Now I've got your attention - maybe it was a 'clever sole'. These shoe-related anarchists will stop at nothing!

phats


thanks for correction

03.06.2003 15:54

in the geneva dispatch, both words turned up. first anthracit, then anthrax. somehow people started to refer to the block as anthrax block. many of the people who were reporting from the streets, taking calls, confirming, generating reports, sending them to the appropriate chatrooms etc were actually neither german nor english, so i don't know what your clever irony refers to.
anyway, thanks for the clarification. Would have been good if you'd come up with it a bit earlier.

1 of imcuk

imcukista


A bit over the top.

03.06.2003 15:56

So the first comment was a bit over the top. But actually in the IMC main editorial section the Antracit Bloc is refered to as the Antrax Bloc a few times,

"9:30 Lausanne Pink and Anthrax bloc have joined up [Photos]. Police uses water canons and heavy teargas against both. The crowd retreats slowly, still dancing. Some people dressed in black are setting up baricades"

Maybe it could be changed 'cos its wrong and makes the Bloc look a bit stupid.

v


Sorry

03.06.2003 16:23

Re-read my comment. Was totally ott and unnecessary. Sorry. I guess a hard weakend got to me. I was over tired and upset and frustrated by a lot of the very false rumours going around on indymedia and responded in a counterproductive and inappropraite way.

Sorry again to uk indymedia and well doen for the good work over Evian. Everyone makes mistakes. Especially me.

lkjjg


Sorry

03.06.2003 16:23

Re-read my comment. Was totally ott and unnecessary. Sorry. I guess a hard weakend got to me. I was over tired and upset and frustrated by a lot of the very false rumours going around on indymedia and responded in a counterproductive and inappropraite way.

Sorry again to uk indymedia and well doen for the good work over Evian. Everyone makes mistakes. Especially me.

lkjjg


Anthrax is now Anthracite

03.06.2003 18:47

Ok lkjjg ... in situations like this stress levels run high... we've been working non stop for days trying to make sense of whats going on in the streets, so true, we sometimes make mistakes too. My posting above was quite harsh too so i should apologise, but i had not realised we mentioned "anthrax" bloc in our middle column. I have now changed it to Anthracite.
In solidarity

imcista