Clarification

Chris Knight and Indymedia | 15.04.2009 12:06

Can someone from Indymedia please clarify or make a statement of some sort as to whether Chris Knight has or ever had ANYTHING to do with Indymedia?

Those who were at the memorial for Ian Thomlinson the other day would have heard Chris Knight say that he helped set up Indymedia and that he works closely with Indymedia blah blah and then we heard his reformist comments "don't hate the police, be the police, don't hate the government, be the government." I feel that a statement of some sort needs to come from Indymedia regarding this and if it is not correct what Chris Knight said then Chris Knight needs to retract his words.

Chris Knight and Indymedia

Comments

Hide the following 10 comments

Cry

15.04.2009 12:22

You have to laugh or you might cry!

omfg!

15.04.2009 13:10

this guy seriously needs a good slap...

anti-knight

in an anarchist society we all ARE the police and the government

15.04.2009 13:33

Don't know about not hating the police and the government, but in an anarchist society we all ARE the police and the government.

People will still do bad things, and boring things like rubbish collection etc. will probably still need to happen, so it will be up to us to sort it out instead of a hierarchical organisation like at present.

anon

disagree

15.04.2009 14:28

The comment "we are all the police" brings up images of people spying on each other, is that really the type of society you want to live in? As an anarchist i am deeply against this comment and this comment is definitely not ANARCHIST! I agree with the original poster, Knight needs to account for this comment as in no way should we work or be associated with someone who believes in a “police force” whether we are the police ourselves or not. He is just a careerist, end off!. I was also at the memorial and I have to say that his comment that he is basically responsible for the creation of Indymedia grated me big time, when I know this to be FALSE!

Anarchist

didnt he say

15.04.2009 15:01

he had been involved with indymedia, not he'd started it up?

also there

Confusing

15.04.2009 15:27

I agree with anon's last sentence. But to describe this as BEING the police or BEING the government is just confusing and misrepresents anarchist ideas. Surely what we're trying to do is create different types of social relationships in which we can deal with our problems without policing or government. Those are merely crude, ineffective, coercive and brutal devices which both reflect the current system of social relations and try to preserve it.

Chris Knight has been on an overblown, embarrassing and unaccountable ego-trip over the last few months. One George Galloway is more than enough, without a home grown ego-maniac springing up nearer to us.

Knock it on the head, Chris. If you can't think a bit more deeply before opening gob, then keep gob shut, eh? Alternatively, if you really think anarchy means "being the police" or "being the government" I'm afraid you're away with the authoritarian faeries.

another anarch

I was

15.04.2009 16:30

also there. To be fair i don't think Chris Knight is anarchist and what he said was not in reference to anarchism. I assume he is a socialist which may explain some of his weird views. However, what he said may sit ok with some people but for anarchists what he said is a major NO NO! I must say, i would also like to know what his relationship is with IM? Because, to be associated with people who think it is ok to "be the police" then i think that is something we need to worry about.

Maletesta

WARNING: Only anarchists beyond this point

15.04.2009 18:01

I didn't know you had to be an anarchist to work with Indymedia. I'm not an anarchist, but I love Indymedia.

Radical Reformist

Gadfly

15.04.2009 18:16

OK, I guess the truth is that Chris Knight is a political gadfly with situationist tendencies, but he has alighted on anarchist circles in the past.

I doubt if he's had any more involvement with IM than maybe going to a meeting or two at the outset. Collective working and hard graft at the nitty-gritty of making something happen consistently are not really his thing.

Yes, it would be good to have clarification, but there's a lot to do right now, so let's not waste too much time or energy on Chris Knight.

another anarch

chumbawamba not anarchists? shock! "We can and will police ourselves"

15.04.2009 19:33

Oh dear, and I've so often enjoyed singing along to Chumb@wamba! Especially their second album "Never Mind The Ballots", where in the final track "Here's To The Rest Of Your Life" they fade out by singing over and over again:

"We can and will police ourselves"

whoops!

We can and will run the factories and mills
We can and will educate ourselves
We can and will work the fields
We can and will police ourselves
We can and will run the factories and mills
We can and will educate ourselves
We can and will work the fields
We can and will police ourselves
We can and will create and build

chumba lyrics