Sunday 24th June
Skip Navigation | HOME | UK Indymedia | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us
Richard S | 24.06.2007 18:49 | Iraq
Richard S
Homepage:
http://www.mancsagainsttanks.org
25.06.2007 09:50
Paul O'Hanlon
e-mail:
o_hanlon@hotmail.com
25.06.2007 12:50
knightrose
e-mail:
manchester@af-north.org
Homepage:
http://www.af-north.org
25.06.2007 16:38
missutopia
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza
2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival
April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006
Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003
Networking Newsletter also have a comprehensive list of local events.
Networking Newletter
Manchester IMC keep this caledar of events
which you can add to yourself.
Manc IMC Event calendar
www.indymedia.org
Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video
Africa
Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia
Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela
Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney
South Asia
india
United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester
West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine
Topics
biotech
Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech
Comments
Hide the following 20 comments
Images?
24.06.2007 22:41
AOL Hater
STEWARDS
25.06.2007 13:23
NORTHERN ANARCHIST
Arrest
25.06.2007 18:24
papers pending
stewards the new police!
25.06.2007 19:45
on our own
samba
25.06.2007 20:01
well, i say when the STWC wants you out, you know you are doing the right thing!
Sorry, STWC, but you can't control me ;-)
Sambista
stewarding
26.06.2007 00:22
I dont like the way STWC negotiates with the police as it is and saw up-front how a "leading" member took instructions from the police and passed them on to the front bunch of stewards.
We were told to pursuade anyone to move on who was sitting down etc. I just thought "I wont be doing that". In the event I didnt have to because I was up front the whole time.
On the other hand, other people on the march told me that alot of people didnt get the point of where and why the sit-down had taken place. You cant assume that people who just turn up on a march will telepathically know what is going on and why, or expect them to get on board if they dont know. Anarchy shouldnt be haphazard in these situations.
I think we perhaps could and should have charged the front bunch of police (there werent that many) near the bridgewater to attempt a blockade, it would certainly have got more meeja coverage and alarmed the labourscum a bit. But that sort of thing needs major planning and consensus. The vast majority of marchers arent expecting that sort of thing, arent prepared for it and might well not be willing to support it (right or wrong) Given that most marchers would never turn up to a meeting, join an affinity group or whatever and given that STWC is dominated by the SWP - it is hard to concieve how a SUCCESSFUL bit of mass DA could be arranged.
I got into a row with some SWPers because I at least wanted the arrests announced on stage. I said Id heard the of this word "solidarity". As I understand it, STWC did give some support to arrestees however, they can confirm or refute that.
In short, I shant be stewarding again - I felt used like an underling of an underling of the state.
Demos like this need huge organisation but there is a difference between telling the police (or not) what we intend to do and being told.
For better or worse STWC has the capacity to organise these large demos. Other people are welcome to have a try at the mass nationwide publicity, sourcing the money and speakers etc. but I doubt any other organisation could do it to that scale. If the STWC was disbanded thered have to be a similar organisation take its place and that too would run the risk of being SWP dominated. Sometimes the best way to stop SWP dominating these groups (Campaign Against Climate Change is another class example) is to try and balance up the numbers in steering groups. Might be a naive strategy I'll warrant. I have a lot of mixed feelings about all of this. Yesterday was nothing new I guess - you can always count on the "revolutionary vanguard" of the SWP to side with police over anarchists. SWP hate DA or anything beyond their control, its no secret.
taffboy
e-mail:
taffboy72@hotmail.com
demo/sit down
26.06.2007 10:40
If the STWC wants us out because we want the War to stop then this is more than just ironic. The STWC should be welcoming diverse groups that have no hidden agendas- we just wish for the war to end, and for people to be equal to express themselves and protest. It seems to me, the STWC demos will be getting smaller and smaller as they become oppressive.
a sambista with love and rage
Unrealistic
26.06.2007 16:08
What gets me is that some people think that a small break away samba led march and sit down is direct action, it aint. The current state of the movement requires militants to engage with people on the demonstration not removing ourselves from the mass action. Some of you may have alot of anger and confidence to take confrontational action but the reality is, your an insignificant minority unless you attempt to work within the movement building the confidence of the movement to take such action.
You may moan about the events being SWP dominated, but leaving the main march really doesn't help that does it, and atleast the SWP are realistic of what can be achieved on these demonstrations in the current period. (im in SolFed BTW)
Chris S
e-mail:
chris_strafford@hotmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.bsyndicalist.blogspot.com
realistic, who's reality?
26.06.2007 17:56
first of all we are NOT confrontational. The confrontational people were the ones being aggressive, not us.
Second, we never labelled what we did as "direct action"- we are not that big-headed. we simply did what spontaneously felt "right" to us.
As calling us insignificant...franlky, i do not agree. Insignificant are the people who always follow others. Insignificant are the people who stay with the masses. Insignificant are the people who do an A to B march to gain a vote. Insignificant are the people who belive the media and are so brainwashed to belive that everyone else is insignificant.
(Good luck with the movement - let me remind you the war is still on? Has the "movement" worked?)
sambista with rage
re: sambista with rage
26.06.2007 18:55
being insignificant is staying part of the masses? wtf? those people are the only people who can change this society. Banging a drum and sitting on the floor is not going to change anything apart from giving the filth some more overtime, those people who march A to B are normal everyday people (not the SWP) for the most part, people who are against the war, if you think they are insignificant your deluded. ffs come back to reality, the movement has mobilised over 2 million people against the war, granted it lacked militant direct action, but thats why we have to work within that movement, swelling its ranks and building confidence, if you are unwilling to do that, if your happy banging your drums and going on a little sit down away from the demo because it felt "right" (whatever that means) then you will always remain an insignificant minority, which is about as much use to the anti war movement as a chocalate tea pot is for making tea.
Chris S
e-mail:
chris_strafford@hotmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.bsyndicalist.blogspot.com
Chris S, a wonderful example
26.06.2007 22:13
Unfortunately Chris S has once again missed the point. If Chris S thinks that a little sit down is "confronational" then maybe he should visit Iraq or Palestine.
As for "normal" people, are you implying we are ab-normal just because we had a mind of our own and did not obey you? Or is it that if anyone does something different than what YOU want should be oppressed or removed?
(expecting your aggro message)
love
sambista
sambista
WTF MF
26.06.2007 22:18
out of interest are you SWP?
Chris P
noticeable
26.06.2007 22:37
And why are you so arsed if a group of people decided to bang drums?
why is it your business?
the finger
not again!
26.06.2007 23:02
good stuff
peace
some facts
27.06.2007 10:46
Maybe, stewards should start thinking of solidarity and unification and not to be so aggressive to the "normal" people who in fact wanted to sit down.
a normal person
Cant see the article
27.06.2007 18:27
Joe Hill
......
27.06.2007 19:24
I expect no one to obey me, i will put forward my arguments, take them or leave them.
a sit down protest does provoke confrontation, you would need to be stupid not to see that.
Im not implying that your abnormal, im defending them because you consider them insignificant because they dont have your amazing politcal conciousness. I would not like to see anyone removed from stop the war events, i think the samba band is good on demos.
------------------------------------------
re: Chris P
your not normal are you? you think your better than the majority of people?
and im not SWP, if you read the whole exchange you would see im a member of solidarity federation which is an anarcho syndicalist organisation.
--------------------------------------------
What im arguing for is for the anarchist left to participate more in the mass movement, and to engage that movement to work towards something better. If your not happy with the state of the anti war movement, sectioning yourselves off aint going to make the movement any better.
Chris S
e-mail:
chris_strafford@hotmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.bysndicalist.blogspot.com
Sit down not seperate
27.06.2007 21:49
Dave
io was there
27.06.2007 22:45
..and the only one who continues to separate the sit-down to the demo is you.
io
stewards policing
27.06.2007 22:52
(ps you still smell like an ex-SWP)
some1