Black bloc march in Edinburgh

solidarity | 02.07.2005 13:37 | G8 2005

Today, leaving the riotous sounds of the Infernal Noise Brigade amid the leftist speeches and liberal catcalls of the initial Make Poverty History meet-up at the Meadows, the black bloc of the larger anti-capitalist bloc that had earlier left Edinburgh Student's Union began a spontaneous march from the Meadows.

Leaving the park from a Northern gate, the bloc, numbering something in the region of 300 began to march towards the University campus. Blocked off by police, and, failing to push through police lines, the bloc retreated down a side alley and began to advance up a parallel road.
This was to be repeated a number of times, with panicked police retreating up roads only to be reinforced by a few vanloads of police and secure the road. Throughout all this the protestors maintained an incredible cohesion as a bloc, moving steadily (perhaps at times too steadily) and with great solidarity.
However, the cops finally outmaneavered us. As we advanced down an alley, the police baton charged around the corner, and drove us back into a more passive line forming behind us. Now trapped, a number began to seek routes of escape, and a few - perhaps, by now, many - legged it up an alley and out onto the main road.

Reports are now coming in that the bloc has moved to Home Park Square.

--Updates as the action progresses.

solidarity

Comments

Hide the following 11 comments

update

02.07.2005 15:17

14.16

the BBC is reporting that the black block is still corraled in a side street very close to the Meadows and has shown aerial footage of it

kropotkin

Hmm

03.07.2005 17:04

Hmm maybe action by small groups of people will never win huh? :)

Dave

pics-

03.07.2005 20:05

pics-

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pics-

03.07.2005 20:25

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DIRECT ACTION IS THE ONLY THING THIS REPRESSIVE STATE WILL EVEY UNDERSTAND

03.07.2005 20:55

further to the above comment.... obviously action by only a small amount of people is never going to be fully effective but I think we should be saluting these people who are prepared to face the brutality of todays military cops and make a stand against the repression world wide... the J18 shit in london of the days before britain became a total police state with widespread repression of civil rights surely did more than simple marching with a few drums being the only form of protest.... I just hope the black block, wombles and all those other at the FRONTLINE of direct action keep on the work... if only there were more like them perhaps we WOULD change this crazy unfair and corrupt world.

the yahoo

.

03.07.2005 21:08

black blocs will only reverberate as agent procateur shite

03.07.2005 23:01

Dont let your anger be used
However shite this society is, your anger and trashing will only be used to impose further restrictions on the masses
Remember how Class War was usurped by the intelligence agencies?
Chill, and don't be a tool

dh are you working for the state?

04.07.2005 07:43

You seem to be lacking in current events idiot. Shayler has been backing down about agents in Class War so stop spreading shite you prick or show us the evidence.

Johnty White

Good

04.07.2005 16:42

I'm glad the police corralled the Black Bloc members, quite frankly. All they've ever done is alienate large numbers of people who disagree with their tactics, and then lambast those who feel that alienation. I think the much-criticised "mainstream" protester should make it altogether much clearer how unwelcome these idiots are on demonstrations.

Black Bloc - breaking capitalism one window at a time! AKA egotistical, self-serving nonsense.

John

Blac Bloc are brave

04.07.2005 19:01

Matilda Mole

Further to your comment, (above, john?) no, the Blac Bloc are not an egotistical group of idiots, but the opposite: idealists in their teens, who have dared demonstrate in this country the way they use to demonstrate in other European countries, where legitimate anger and legitimate violence are not so repressed and bottled up (to be sold back to you later as a good obedient consumer and a good obedient marcher). Being a pacifist, anyway, : too much is too much : they had poor marchers of Make Poverty History waiting in queue for hours before allowing them to start marching... but this was a great solidarity action of dissent, not an action of civil obedience!

You English people are really odd sometimes...

observer

But that is exactly my point...

05.07.2005 09:36

A bunch of idealistic teens does not a movement make. All that does is confirm the findings of my own research, which is that the Blocs are simply reacting against something insde of themselves (the discomfort that comes from confronting the fact that they live among the most privileged 5% of the world's population) rather than developing a good understanding of the contours and topography of the evolution of capital in the global South. All of which makes their actions ultimately self-obsessed. How can that possibly be classed as "heroic"??? It's just as much a temporary fetish as the much-maligned white wristband, no?

John