-----Original Message-----
From: Halfacree K.H.
Sent: 03 May 2001 14:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: Rioting
Well said Chris...
As someone who was held in that circle for 6.25 hours I saw and felt the
degree of anger against the police rise as the time went on. I am not
trying to elicit sympathy here but it was not nice weather and being unable
either to sit down or to go to the toilet - both of which I wanted to do
VERY much - whilst being constantly informed by loudspeaker (we heard the
first time, its not like we went anywhere!) that we would be allowed to
leave eventually but would we crush up even more in the centre.... And as
for the nonsense spouted by the press et al before the event....
Still, it hasn't put me off demonstrating one iota, and the people made
angry yesterday will be there again soon I'm sure.
Too much to do to contribute much more here - so its category 1 for me,
Hilary - but keep up the exchanges....
keith
-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Wilbert [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
<mailto:[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]>
Sent: 03 May 2001 13:33
To: [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Rioting
Forgive me, but the comments of GrahamG may seem a little
patronising
and dismissive of people who are seeking to develop forms of
'alternative politics' - however inadequately some may see this as
being. The media has been full of people winging on about how
protestors have no coherent politics - capped of course by Tony
Blair's
accusation of these protesters as having 'spurious' politics. But of
course many of these people do have fairly coherent politics, at
least
in as much as any of us have such a thing. What such comments seem
to
imply is that "we have not heard the media report anything from you
that we feel is coherent therefore you are misguided at best,
dangerous
at worst".
As for violence, the comments of Peter Shirlow ARE very relevant
here,
there has been much debate within many so called 'anti-capitalist'
groups about the ways the movements are being represented, how
stories
are being planted in the media to portray protesters as 'terrorists'
(indeed what a long and sordid history there is of this) and what to
do
about this.
Events prior to may day suffered incredible intimidation from the
police, including harassment and surveillance at that symbolic
bastion
of democracy - Hyde Park Corner - in the case of the
self-styled 'Wombles'. Since then, some may remember, there have
been
many, many stories in the papers of specialist firearms teams being
drafted in to deal with rioters armed with machetes, etc. etc.
Aiming
partly to 'deter legitimate protesters' as the Deputy Commissioner
of
the Metropole Police admitted on monday (see Indymedia.com on this
and
other aspects of the build up).
Do not forget about those people also imprisoned within the police
cordon for six odd hours, as another section 60 order (of the Public
Order Act) was imposed (third time in a row for such protests) and
the
effect this had on the people in there and around the meeting.
To then just start accusing protestors for engaging in violence is
too
easy, it forgets context both before and on the day, and does what
the
media does which is focus all the blame on the protesters for being
violent .
On Tue, 1 May 2001 16:56:07 +0100 Graham Gardner <[log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]> >
wrote:
> Criminalisation by state and media are clearly an important issue,
but I
> feel I have to say that those protestors who engage in violent
acts are
> also very centrally to blame; the idea that they are passive
bodies upon
> which the brand 'criminal' is inscripted is hard to swallow. I
think if
> they were more constructive in terms of alternatives to our
present
> hegemonic politics, and didn't just keep stating the equivalent of
"smash
> evil capitalism and grow all your own veg.", they might get more
widespread
> sympathy.
>
> GG
>
>
> At 03:10 PM 5/1/01 +0100, you wrote:
> >There are several issues around what the May Day violence
> >represents. A good deal of which is well known to those of us who
> >live in Northeren Ireland. Although I am against violence I find
the
> >interpretations of and response to violence, by the State, quiet
> >alarming.
> >
> >Without doubt the state and media organisation have done more
> >than enough to enusre that members of the demonstration are
> >criminilalised. There is a whole history of this from Northern
Ireland
> >through to the Miners Strike and the Poll Tax demonstrations. The
> >central aim of felon setting is to dilute the rationale of
opposition to
> >the 'crimes' committed by the State and global capitalism. A good
> >tactic in ideological confrontration is to let violence occur in
order to
> >permit felon setting and of course deny the right tolegitimate
> >protest.
> >
> >A more alarming issue is that the police have been armed with
> >rubber bullets. Given that their use in Northern Ireland led to
tens of
> >deaths, especially among children, over the past 30 odd years is
in
> >itself testimony to their misuse. But the fact that they are now
> >being issued as a means of crowd control seems to suggest a
> >futher decline in democratic accountability within the UK.
> >
> >At the end of the day more people will remember attacks upon
> >McDonalds before they even think about the impact of global
> >economics upon fellow societies. I wonder why that is? Any
> >answers Tony Blair?
> >
> >
> >
> >Dr Pete Shirlow
> >Senior Lecturer
> >School of Environmental Studies
> >University of Ulster, Coleraine
> >BT52 1SA
> >Northern Ireland
> >
> >Tel: +44 028 7032 4687
> >Fax: +44 028 7032 4911
> >
> >
> Graham Gardner
> Institute of Geography & Earth Sciences
> University of Wales
> Aberystwyth
> Ceredigion
> SY23 3DB
> Wales
> UK
>
> Tel: 0044 (0)1970 622606
> Fax: 0044 (0)1970 622659
> E-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
----------------------
Christopher Wilbert
Anglia Polytechnic University
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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