We should not criminalize the Black Bloc or accuse anarchists, for what happened in Genoa has very little to do with their tactics, and there is ever more evidence that the top trashers were cops in disguise.

I was in Genoa, and I came back worn out, angry, disappointed, feverish, with the ligaments of my knees destroyed and completely out of voice, and I say: do not go hunting anarchists, do not criminalize the international Black Bloc. It is our duty to draw distinctions between the Black Bloc and what happened in Genoa. It is our duty not to charge with being a carabiniere in disguise anyone who took direct action in Genoa. Pogroms and paranoid conspiracy theories do not belong to our culture.
Last friday in Genoa were some German anarchists of the Schwartze Block. They hit such precise targets as banks and big corporate offices. They had no intention to attack other demonstrators. On Saturday a Dutch journalist of Vrij Neederland magazine met them while they were packing and maybe going back to Germany. They told him they were pissed-off because of what other "men in black" had done. In fact what went on saturday had very little to do with the BB's modus operandi: the BB has a method. One may disagree with them, and yet they have a method and go their own way without interfering with other forms of action. On the contrary, in Genoa the carabinieri escorted the trashers all day long, and never charged them, not because they were too fast and informal, as someone commented. No, they had all the time to go inside banks, trash them accurately and set them on fire, an operation which requires more than a quarter of an hour. In the meanwhile, the carabinieri hanged on in the street, _waiting for them_. When the trashers went out, the magical mystery tour went on. The carabinieri quietly accompanied the trashers to the places where many other people (belonging to the GSF) were demonstrating in other ways, as if they were walking their dogs. There are hundreds of testimonies. All along the path the men in black attacked small shops, set fire to cars that certainly didn't belong to millionaires, destroyed very little gas stations and so on. Then they were unchained in the square where hundreds of members of the Lilliput network were doing a sit-in. The carabinieri followed them and beat up women and children, boy scouts, peaceful demonstrators.
Then carabinieri and trashers left again and went to the convergence center in Piazza Kennedy. The carabinieri assaulted the place, then the merry party directed to Brignole station and bumped into the demonstration by the civil disobedience bloc, which was still far from the Red Zone. The carabinieri charged the demons. In the meanwhile, some of those fake Black Blocsters broke into the ranks of the white overalls and assaulted some comrades. A very big comrade from Venice-based squat "Rivolta" was knocked down by a guy that surely was a very well trained martial artist. After that, the carabinieri kept attacking the demo for seven hours, while people were trying to go back to Carlini Stadium. The last attack took place less than 600 yards from the camping. The men in black had completely disappeared.
This has nothing to do with the praxis of the Black Bloc. In fact many people saw these fake black blocsters coming out of carabinieri vans, putting on the balaklava and starting to raise hell, trashers discussing plans with marshalls, carabinieri giving crowbars to fake black blocsters etc.
The press is reporting these stories, and the national TV is showing shocking footage.
On June 19th, after Gothenburg, the White Overalls of Bologna and the Wu Ming collective put into circulation a document titled "Stop the Encirclement of the Black Bloc". Here it is:
-------------
"The Black Bloc is no bullshit. It should not be trivially associated with vandalism and irrational devastation. It is an informal network of affinity groups, mostly - but not exclusively - anarchist ones, and it extends all over North America and continental Europe. They've been active for years, elaborate strategies and tactics and are willing to transform them in relation to contexts, alliances and aims. It should be clear that so far the Black Bloc hasn't manifested itself in Italy.
As the recent history of the movement proves, the Black Bloc are not static and can adopt different tactis and seek "cross-fertilization" like they did in Quebec City during the anti-FTAA mobilisation. In those days they acted in full respect of the town and its inhabitants, and concentrated all efforts in tearing down the "Wall of Shame". They even chose to use symbols and practices devised by the white overalls (pads, shields, position holding etc.) and co-operated with other affinity groups in the street.
In Gothenburg the Black Bloc talked with the white overalls and decided to take action in a common frame including more peaceful protesters. Troubles started when the vast majority of spokespersons and coordinators were "preventively" arrested during the thursday night raid. The morning after, the cops cut in half the demo and isolated a section of it, which was labelled as "Black Bloc". These demonstrators could only defend themselves by throwing stones, and a few shop windows were broken [...] The peak of police violence was reached at an apparently peaceful moment: on friday night, when the cops surrounded a park where hundreds of youth had organized a rave party. They attacked the ravers, which tried to resist unbecomingly [well, you can't always be stylish], then the police fired. Certainly the rave was not organized by the Black Bloc.
Black Blocsters are political activists, we may disagree with their praxis and theory, but we don't deem them as brainless Pavlov dogs foaming at the sight of truncheons.
Moreover, they are more fanciful than people think: a few months Black Blocsters split off a demo in Buffalo, entered a destitute neighborhood and picked up garbage. When journalists asked what the fuck they were doing, they answered: "You wrote that we would trash the town, we decided to pick up the trash!".
We're witnessing a very serious attempt at criminalizing this section of the movement. We refuse to save our ass to the detriment of the Black Bloc, we regarde them as a fully legitimate part of the movement and refuse any distinction between "good protesters" and "bad protesters".
White Overalls of Bologna / Wu Ming"

My opinion is not even an opinion, for it is fully supported by testimonies and video documentation: last friday six or seven infiltrated carabinieri channeled and directed the (just, albeit blind) anger of hundreds of anarchist kids who should have known better. The same thing may have taken place saturday. Reluctantly, we decided to keep people with clubs or stones out of our demo. We certainly rejected several real provocators who called us "cops" and probably were cops themselves. Most likely we happened to beat up the occasional wrong guy, who knows? If that happened we're very sorry, but we had to defend our affinity group and prevent infiltrations and aggressions. A Black Blocster told my fellow comrade Wu Ming 5: "You like to give orders, uh? You communist!". Well, that hurts. I can assure you that we DO NOT like to give orders.
Instead of starting a witch hunt, we should keep in mind that not all anarchists are black blocsters and not all black blocsters are cops in disguise. On the other hand, it is necessary to re-think a tactic that can be infiltrated and deviated so easily. This is up to the people who adopt that tactic, but it also concernes those who suffer the consequences of such permeability.

thank you for working to set things straight.

have y'all thought of creating some sort of custom t-shirts or something else not so easily imitated? You could keep changing your color scheme with each demonstration.... special make-up and a code word? lol

don't let those bastards do that again!!!!!!

Thank you Wu, as an anarchist who has particpated in Bloc actions in the US as well as Prague, your statements come at a very appropriate time. I was not in Genoa, but ive been following the preceedings closely and police infiltration of the Bloc is the only possible answer for why our friends there have been so slandered. Your article mentions Germans, and the Autonomen that i have met are of the highest integrity, that i find it hard to believe that tey would engage in the destruction of lower-class autos and small business, or endangering non-violent protesters at that.

The Black Bloc has become more and more succesful in its engagements with capital and the state, so it makes sense that the police would put infiltration and marginalization at the top of their priorities. The police used Block Bloc haven as an excuse to raid the GSF centres. I just hope that the rest of the anti-globalization movement will realize that the Bloc does not wish to alienate itself and cause a division within the ranks, for that would play into the hands of the State. The Bloc believes in a 'diversity of tactics', and would never do anything that would hurt our own class or endanger the rest of the movement.

I was a particpant at Quebec's FTAA protest, and the cooperation between the Bloc and the young Ya Basta! movement in North America was wonderful. There were few White Overrals from US that were able to make it past the Canadian border, and even fewer materials that are necessary for them to carry out their protest. Some of us within the Bloc had extra material availalbe, and even a linoleum banner that we let them use. During the action on the streets, much coordinating happened between the Bloc and the White Overalls. During the protest, we brought down the 'wall of shame' (perimeter fence) 8 times, through cooperation between anarchist and Ya Basta!.

The important part of this article is the last part: it's necessary to re-think a tactic that can be infiltrated and deviated so easily.

It is not too much to agree that we will:
-work to stop the pillaging of the earth and the exploitation of the masses
-demonstrate that a freer, more egalitarian and just system of direct democracy is possible
-allow the state/capitalist system to waste its energy on police and corrupt itself with oligarchic sycophant corporate media, which is weakening the system's legitimacy
-continue to maintain and expand independent media
-continue to organize in our own communities to reshape schools and city halls into non-authoritarian structures for democratic, participatory discussion, critical learning, and collective decision making
-stand in solidarity with all poor and working people of the world
-defend the earth
AND
that we will do so without attempting to kill anybody!

The overwhelming majority of us agree that a better world will not be born of killing.
The state/capitalist system has a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence IN THE MINDS of "average" (non politically aware) people. Most of us agree that the state's violence is certainly no more legitimate than that of those labeled "terrorist," and many of us don't see any violence as legitimate. Strategically, violence on our part will greatly decrease our legitimacy in the eyes of many people, and scare-off many more who are sympathetic to us. While there may be many reasons to justify a violent war -- such as the immediate and preventable suffering of millions to the indifference of a selfish ruling and middle class -- and violent revolution definitely has the potential to overthrow the present system, IT DOES MORE HARM THAN GOOD.

As Steven Biko reminded South African activists, the real battle is in the minds of the masses. Our main task is not to physically destroy the system which exploits us, but to convince enough people to join us in a new way of living together. With authority comes responsibility. Anarchists like me who don't believe in rulers must be responsible enough to think ahead and consider what effects our actions will have on others.

The fact is, people in this movement are responsible, and put to shame the Los Angeles Times reporter who wrote Sunday that "anarchists, by definition, are not organized." I think it is smart to avoid sounding paranoid, but we must work to expose the infiltration by police provocateurs and all the familiar COINTELPRO practices of the state.

Peace, Love and Anarchy,
actionseed

The Black Bloc has a tactic of weeding out infiltrators and tourists already. They do so by linking arms and forming lines of affinty groups, so that each line in the Bloc is an affinity group, and clusters march together in columns. While the Bloc is usually pretty goos at weeding out infiltrators, i dont think they knew how extensive the infiltratoin was. As in some cases, entire groups of carabinieri were disguised as Black Bloc. But im sure that Bloc actions in the future will be more cautious, as we are far more able to adjust our tactics than the state.

Uniforms and code words would be too easy to overcome (the police have better communications than us) make it too hard for newcomers and people who just want to join in.

I guess the only answer to infiltration is to have very specific rules, and assume that anyone who breaks those rules is a cop-nazi-thug type not worthy of the black flag.

Enforcement is another thing. Probably most suspicious types could be weeded out with a few questions about subjects well known by radicals, but not by police etc. Individuals should have more leeway than groups. Sentence could be being spraypainted and told to go experiment with autofellatio or whatever. What is most important for the BB to gain the trust of others is to do this enforcement ITSELF.

It is always hard to find a balance between order and authoritarianism. For example, In Quebec city lots of folks showed up with beer, though the rules stated no alcohol. So many of them were obviously locals though, (nike shirts etc.) so nobody complained. Show up with martinis though...

Read Jack London's Iron heel written about 1913. (it is available on 144 disk) And do not be so innocent. Learn and organise and ask whether such Fascist Police can be part of Europe. Unless it is the Europe Hitler planned.

did the paramilitary blackblockers have women in their group? In the protests I have been in most Affinity groups have women in their ranks. As a woman, I often in the streets look to women(not exclusively, but first) for help assistance, and safety. were their women in these fake bloc
groups?

ever think that maybe infiltrators and undercover officials come in both sexes?
THINK ABOUT IT...

From the video footage, what I assume was "fake" black bloc, they always appeared to be large males. Not neccessarily overweight, but just big, like someone who trains for combat for a living.

And not all of them were dressed in black. They'd all have masks or helmets on though.

Real black blocs at least have a diversity in sexes, so if you spot a small roaming group of super-fit all males (or maybe one or two women), then you know...

Having some sort of membership (tshirt) system is unrealistic. Changing colors will not work because many people will just show up by word of mouth, and not via calls on the Internet.

Ending the black bloc is also unrealistic for the same reason.

The best that can be done is to disassociate beforehand and during against acts that we oppose. We share a common view that local businesses should not be trashed, make that clear. We respect the few little possessions the working class have worked their asses off to obtain, make that clear. We respect diversity in tactics and safety of those who are actively not involved in police confrontations, make that clear. We do not believe in committing acts of aggression for the purposes of terrorizing and establishing power of harmless individuals, so make this very clear. It cannot be stressed enough. Everyone must know where we stand, so if shit goes down like in Genoa, we aren't caught explaining to people who have already formed strong opinions against us, that many of the actions that they associate with us, are overwhelmingly suspicious (to us, those who have been actively involved in this tactic in the past).

We may expect too much when we say THEY should be more aware of police infiltration. Well, they aren't, so we need to do something else to reach these people (and eventually the public at large) before the authorities squash our resistance by dividing us all.

Where can i find some of those videos & photos ?

Some comments here have described the Black Bloc as if it is an organization of anarchists. It is not. The Black Bloc is a tactic commonly used by militant anarchists during demonstrations. When formed correctly, a black bloc should be very good at keeping out infiltrators and such. That is partly the reason for the Black Bloc in the first place.

http://www.anarchistfaq.org

-

barcelona.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=3193&group=webcast

I agree. We must not succumb to division and infighting.

Ciao Roberto avevo un grande bisogno di leggere ciò che hai scritto.Ti invito a leggere una mio commento(intitolato"una semplice analisi personale")all'articolo "intervista Black Block" che si dovrebbe trovare a pag 4 adesso e ti invito a commentarlo a tua volta.Sarei molto felice se tu lo facessi.

in genoa i saw white overals(who were obviously not pigs) attack black bloc for attempting to blockade the road as we were forced to retreat back up the hill to carlini. i saw communists attack black bloc, breaking one english kid's nose.these were not the actions of infultrators, but of frightened people, who felt that we(the greater we) had lost control of the demonstation.i have been on many demonstrations, and have seen countless acts of stupidity, that can compromise the integrity of the movement.on the whole even the most hardcore of the so called black bloc would consider themselves gentle people. in the heat of what often quickly turns into battle, we all make mistakes. i personally thought at the time that it was a mistake to fire the banks as there were people living above them. our affinity group made the disision to defend the larger crowd by returning politza property, namely tear gas canisters. this still did not stop members of the communist bloc trying to unmask us, or photograph us when we were forced to unmask due to choking from the tear gas we were protecting them from. again i do not beleive them to be pigs, although they certainly behaved like they were(many of these said people were old men and women)the internation stage of our movement is in it's infancy,and all acting as one is our goal perhaps, we are gettig closer.allowing ourselves to be divided is what the greedy people want. we must allow each other to make mistakes and to learn from them.in our affinity group we have on pigs.anyone within that umberella acting inappropriatly, would be dealt with, as would anyone else arround us at the time.anarcy is self policing. together we will overcome..by all means nessesary

I spent 2 hours closely watching so called "bb" in action in the streets west of Piazza Manin on 20th July.
They were young male germans and english speakers, no italians. No female. They took orders from black-guys on motorbikes. They got molotov from a kind of jeep and a truck, running up and down. (how they get trou police-blokades?)
for 2 hours I was there, and it was full of digos (plain-clothes italian political police: I can riconnise them easly...) watching too. No riot-police ever arrived while cars were burning...
200 m below pink, and boyscout and nuns were beaten and gassed by police.
Strange indeed, isn'it?
"BBs" were serious, no screams, no noise, just destruction. Very calm. Some of them had tactical cloth, very expansive, pretty new....
And what about that "band" with drums and black flags? Totally nazi! It was evident even to blind ones. I have never seen in all my life any anarchist MARCHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
If they are anarchists then I am Mr. Bush....

A part from what i sow, just 1 note on "destruction": to hit a city like Genova, where everyone was loving us it was simply stupidity, if done for political reasons. But I think most of them did it just because they simply obey orders...
I don't have a car, no driving licence, no bank account. This is revolution.
I want to see theese "revolutionaries" in their 30s: they will drive mercedes going to their bank...REVOLUTION STARTS WITH YOUR OWN BEHAVIOR. WAKE UP!

Few stupid camerades + a huge number of nazi and cops devasted Genova. Their deeds were payed by the whole movement (there) and will be payed by italian anarchists in the next months....sadly enough........

Blacks: next time try be honest: start burning your own car, please.

Né dio né stato né servi né padroni!
Anarchy is cooperation!!!
toni