"The broader left has not yet grasped the significance of the Greek unrest in the unfolding major crisis of capitalism."

Neither have I grasped it - please explain.

Thanks!

IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO IN GREECE IT IS POSSIBLE IN THE WHOLE OF EUROPE

For more than a week the Greek youth, anarchists, communists and trade unionists have been protesting and rioting on the streets of Greek cities.

Greek trade unions have warned that 100,000 could lose their jobs over the Christmas period alone, with more redundancies expected when the world economic crisis is really beginning to effect Greece. This will inevitably create more unrest.

A show of force on the part of the workers and the Greek youth could have a positive effect on politics in Greece and Europe. If the uprising continued it could give massive encouragement to social movements and workers’ organisations across Europe. Already, European youth have begun to realise they can challenge the social and economic status quo, which had led to small riots across mainland Europe.

Why else did Greek authorities receive help in the form of tear gas from Germany and Israel? Why else are German special police force instructors helping the Greek coppers? ...A ghost is haunting Europe.

How can you not see the signicifance of this to us? This could very easly have been you being shot by the cops. Its the cops as agents of the state that are the enemy, and you can rest assured that they will be the last to loose thier jobs, after all how can you repress a whole angry population without them? Of course, at the end of the day he is just a kid, that most of us didn't know, but he still should of been alive, and would of been without the cops and the mandate they have from the state: to beat us torture us, spy on us, and well.... shoot us.

He is no different then anyone else around the world who have been killed by the violent arm of the state!
In the end of the day, he is a symbol, not the only issue of this discontent, but he is a powerful symbol for the need to crash stop this everywhere!

Fuck the police and armies everywhere!

What is this "cauldron-tactic"?

cauldron tactic = "kettle" tactic I would presume, aka "pigpen" (pigs extrajudicially mass-arresting a crowd of protesters and keeping them in the street behind police lines, as at London Mayday). A patent human rights violation, it's pretty amazing it's permitted.

Still not entirely sure how to beat the tactic - it's designed to retaliate against the mobility of black blocs - I have a feeling the white overall tactic (which hasn't been tried in Germany to my knowledge) was developed to deal with it, being mainly a way of pushing one's way out of this kind of police blockade.

Undemocratic police disperse German solidarity demo,proves how scared they are of us sparking more public support. German solidarity there definetely havent been crushed though, it was just a dispersal. Its sad that in the UK more solidarity didnt happen, there have been Embassy takeovers-blockades, as a movement though we have come across badly sometimes to the public.
The social movements need to express that we after social & economic direct democracy from provinces to the international level, the words anarchism & communism have lost alot of their meaning. Democracy still has positive meaning & most people do not like being ruled by corporations. Representative democracy has failed, it allows for capitalism to manipulate it
We could do with getting rid of our hoodies as much as possible on demos & just wear smart bomber jackets& even designer jackets or fancy dress, appearance does matter, the space hijackers are a good model. Even though its riot police bosses who kettle, cauldron & mostly start the riots our image at the moment is abit shit. In Greece activists look alot smarter & dont go on just protet about the environment they have more links with poverty issues relevant there. Also the libertarian left need to start effectively paper selling, at moment only SWP does this though Ian Bone & class war are a far better recent example who also worked with their readership more effectively in what could be described as even worse times.
Our social movements have had surges in numbers, but we havent maintained them, a political party that truelly fights for direct democracy is necessary. Labour has been takenover, the Uk Greens are interested in direct democracy as are some independents & some members in all the political parties, except the BNP.

 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/smaller-parties-bang-drum-for-fishing-hospitals-and-more-people-power-595269.html
"The Bristolian Party, based on a satirical magazine, is contested 12 out of the 24 seats on Bristol City Council on a manifesto that includes moving homeless families into the flats at the centre of the Cheriegate affair. Its website bills the party as "the only party that is based in Bristol and doesn't have its HQ in London or take orders directly from party leaders in London". One candidate, Julien Weston, said: "We don't have a party line. We are a non-aligned group of independents in favour of devolving more power to a local level."

Merry xmas & a happy revolution for the new year, we should make less excuses, be more upbeat & show less images of defeat,we are popular when we stand up for itself & the people& has been shown in Greece when the state kills activists many people are willing to help defend us.

From the photo there are hundreds of people masked up dressed in black. For what purpose? So they can smash stuff up and attack the police no doubt and then you're suprised the police take action. Dressing in black and smashing stuff up may look cool but it's mindless aggression and achieves nothing but helping the state to portray the left as loonies. If you've got anger problems, pound a pillow in your bedroom.

There are two seperate questions to be addressed here on the issue of Black Blocs:

1 - Why wear black?
Safety, and solidarity.

If everyone looks the same, it becomes extremely difficult to identify people. This means that the police won't follow you home from a demo, tap your phone, keep you under surveillance, search your home, fit you up, or any of the variety of nasty things they can potentially do.

Also, if you're commiting crimes on a demo, by being in a Black Bloc you become effectively anonymous - it becomes very hard for the police to know who you are, and even if you are arrested, it becomes tricky to prove that you actually did anything - after all it could have been anyone!

And if you're not going to commit crimes, then wearing black allows you to form a smokescreen to protect those who are - if only one person is blocked-up, it has very little effect!

It also has significant visual and cultural benefits.

2 - Why use violence?
a) Because the police are going to anyway
b) Because violence against the mechanisms of state power is a great way to gain the support of the working classes
c) Because non-violence DOES NOT WORK. Historically speaking, major political gains are generally won either by direct application of violence, or by having a large non-violent movement with a strong violent fringe - for example, look up the native american fishing rights struggles in the 60s...

Besides, the Black Bloc saved my ass and a lot of other people's during the Rostock Riots, and I think a lot of people owe them a debt of gratitude for that.

"If I can't dress as a ninja and ruck with the cops, I don't want to be in your revolution."