Background: Lessons Learned
Personal Reflections and Opinions on S26
Anon. Nov 2000
One of the most important aspects of the way the Prague demonstration was organised was the accommodation of diversity it offered.After everyone gathered at a central location (a square in the middle of the city) and a brief march around the square, the crowd made its way as one in the direction of the IMF Conference Centre.
As pre-arranged, the Blue Bloc split off first, this command being given by the raising of blue flags. About half a mile later, the next to split were the Yellow Bloc, made up of Italian direct action group Ya Basta and their supporters. This led to Pink Bloc to carry on its colourful way, attempting a third route to the Conference Centre.
Each Bloc had a distinct tone and tactical approach. Blue Bloc was essentially what is these days referred to as a "Black" Bloc, ie, it was made up of people who had no hesitation in the use of projectile reasoning in order to reach the Centre. this included, on the day, Molotov cocktails, stones, and the construction of burning barricades. Politically, the Blue Bloc was largely made up of Anarchists and Antifa, the German militant anti-fascists.
The Yellow Bloc was led by 1,000 Ya Basta activists. These people wear padded overalls, helmets and carry sticks and rubber shields and, while not averse to fighting cops, have certain policies regarding the nature of such conflicts. No missile are to be thrown at the police, and Ya Basta call the shots as to when to advance and retreat.
Ya Basta made it clear that this was their Bloc, and while anyone was free to support them, it was to be on their terms. Despite concerted efforts from some Trotskyite elements (more on this later), Yellow Bloc remained in Ya Basta's capable hands.
This three-pronged approach meant that no single tactical idea dominated the mood of the day,and allowed people taking part to decide their own level and type of involvement. This must also have caused a real headache for the police, stretching their resources intellectually as well as physically. By intellectually I mean that the police response to our diversity needed to be just as diverse, which is at best difficult for an organisation as monolithic as the police force. Bringing out water cannon and concussion grenades on people chucking Molotovs is one thing: doing the same against a pink-coloured Samba band lays the authorities wide open to accusations of heavy-handedness. As it turned out on the day, the Czech police fought a fierce, if wholly predictable battle with the Blue Bloc, attacked the Pink Bloc with unexpected gusto, and were mots restrained with the Yellow Bloc. On analysis, this may have been due to the logistics of the Yellow Bloc's intended route: a narrow bridge blocked by tanks, armoured personnel carriers and thousands of riot police. They probably didn't need to use CS gas or baton charges - just sit there until the march dispersed. The professionalism and obvious organisational skills of Ya Basta may also have been a factor in the police reluctance to face down the Yellow Bloc.
This approach to demo organising is something we could learn a lot from here in the UK. Our movement is highly diverse, with people form across the social spectrum getting involved. So, therefore, should our events be organised in a way that accommodates and respects this diversity. Let the "fluffies" be fluffy, let the "spikeys" be spikey, and let's make room for everything else in between, physically as well as tactically.
To affinity and beyond
On a personal level, one of the most inspiring aspects of my time in Prague was my participation in an Affinity Group. I'm an active hunt sab and have been for years, so the idea of being part of a small-knit group of people who know and trust each other intimately with a common objective in mind was nothing new, except for it's context.
An affinity group is basically a group of people who come together for a demo/action for reasons of security and practicality. An affinity group can act as an autonomous unit within an event with a set of agreed-upon objectives in mind that complement/reflect the aim of the event in question. Our affinity group was formed during the S26 Collective meetings but it wasn't until we were on the coach over that bonds grew strong, and in the three days spent in Prague before the 26th we developed into a solid buzzing unit. This was greatly helped by the fact that we all shared the same accommodation in Prague. Late night discussions in the pub (12p a pint!) led to early-morning skill-sharing sessions where we practiced self-defence, de-arresting techniques, approaches to economic sabotage on the day, and physically moving as a tight unit. By the 26th, we had built a confident, enthusiastic group. Each member had a specific role within the unit. We had medics, saboteurs, look-outs, a de-arresting squad and a team coordinator, all agreed on democratically. Some of the roles demanded specialist knowledge and resources. The medics went on basic First Aid sessions being run at the Convergence Centre (the activists meeting/training place in Prague, set up for S26). Other roles were discussed and clarified over and over so we all knew our jobs within the group. The boost in confidence this basic grounding gives is priceless, especially when operating in unfamiliar territory.
On the day itself, the benefits of even a little training were obvious. Our tight marching formation (3 rows of 4, with linked arms) ensured no-one got lost in the crowd. Our confidence in ourselves and each other led us to forming a line with Ya Basta. Our overall goal as an affinity group was to act as support to Ya Basta, and this we achieved effectively, acting as one of the four lines in Ya Basta's formation. We were prepared for CS/tear gas and police baton charges, neither of which actually happened in our immediate area. Because of this, our skills and strength as a group weren't as stretched as they could have been. Nevertheless, I cannot underestimate the value of affinity grouping. If we seriously intend to tackle some of the most organised and resourceful institutions on this planet, in the shape of the IMF, World Bank, media, police, government etc., then we seriously need to organise ourselves, irrespective of whether our direct action is going to be peaceful or otherwise.
The revolution will not be Bolshevised...
To begin with, I would like to emphasise I'm not interested in sectarianism between various factions within our movement, nor do I wish to belittle others merely because their beliefs differ to mine. I am firmly of the opinion that if our movement is to move in the right direction then we have to give each other space to disagree, on a practical as well as a theoretical level. What I loathe is people attempting to force their opinion on others, regardless of how good these opinions may seem. It is an unfortunate aspect of many left-wing groups that they will attempt to control events at a demonstration to suit their own ends, and seem quite prepared to use people as cannon-fodder while they lead from the back. Both these things I saw occur in Prague.
As I have already mentioned, the Yellow Bloc was organised by, and principally for, Ya Basta and supporters of Ya Basta. A tightly organised movement, Ya Basta acts as something like a huge affinity group, taking responsibility for an aspect of the events they attend. In the case of S26, it had been arranged (openly and publicly) well in advance that Ya Basta were to attempt to take the bridge leading directly to the Conference Centre. Operating under certain policies (ie, no missile throwing), they welcome supporters and media, on the understanding that it's Ya Basta who co-ordinate the day. As it's Ya Basta activists who are on the front line, this seems to me to be reasonable and to be respected. Anyone seriously disagreeing with their choice of manoeuvres on the day was free to leave for one of the other Blocs.
It was with disgust, then, that I saw members of Trotskyite groups (many of whom had taken the coach over with us and whom I had chatted to) behind Ya Basta physically pushing unaffiliated people forward at random, snarling at them to go to the front line. The people who they ere picking on were not dressed for a riot situation and clearly did not wish to move forward, nor was this the desire of Ya Basta at that time. Members of the affinity group that I was with proceeded t explain that what Ya Basta wanted was space between the front line and the lines behind it to allow room for retreat in case of CS gas attack. All the Trots seemed to care about was shoving people forward, causing a real crush at one stage. They cared nothing for the danger they were putting people in and it was telling that for all their cries of "Move forward", all of them remained at the back. This forced Ya Basta to form and extra line behind the front line to stop people being unwittingly pushed forward into the ranks of those doing the fighting with the Police. The Trots backed off and disappeared when we as an affinity group, and others, told them to clear off.
Individually, many of these people are OK and I'll have a certain amount in common with them. As organisations, these groups tend to jump on the bandwagon of popular movements and attempt to manipulate them to their own ends. Notice the way their few members bring along hundreds of placards with a slogan and their party's name on them. They hand these out to people who have no connection to their party to give the impression that they are numerically strong.
We mustn't forget that these people's agenda is to take control of the state, not to destroy it. They are Governments-in-waiting, however noble they claim their Government would be.
I have written this pamphlet with the intention of adding to the pool of information already available on what happened in Prague. it is not meant to advocate one political ideology or agenda, but is a personal reflection on the events leading up to S26 and on the day itself.
Never let it be forgotten that we, responsible citizens of this planet that is our home, forced the meeting of one of the most organised and richest institutions in the world to close a day early. We have focussed world attention on issues of global importance and we appear to be gaining momentum. Of this we can be proud.
I am proud to have met and worked with the people who formed my affinity group, and hope that this is only the beginning of what could become a beautiful and unstoppable force for change.
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