AUT: Re: Re: [barricada] Account and Analysis of Inauguration Day RAAB

["Chris Wright" <cwright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

600?  This is the first report I have heard of over 150.  As a participant
in the demonstrations, not even the Black Block folks I spoke too claimed
more than 150 people.  This seems a bit like cheerleading, when, from what I
could see roaming over the events for 8 hours over a 20 block area, the
Black Block/RAAB had virtually no impact and happened to be saved by the
demonstrators they had scorned as 'reformists'.

I am not trying to be quarrelous, so much as I did not see anything to
justify this appraisal by barricada.  In fact, it seemed quite apparent that
they had no significant political impact and were rather more rescued by the
lucky intervention of two other marches.  And the threat that if the
Washington streets had not been so wide, they would have really stuck it to
the Washington Post seems like boasting and bravado.  The idea that 100 or
600 people could stick it to capital reflects a pretty shallow estimation of
what overthrowing capital will take.

Given the discussions I have heard from the post-J20 meeting of 'anarchists,
autonomous Marxists, and marxist-humanists', there is a strong sentiment
against politics, against theory, and for just 'fucking shit up'.  I know
several people from Chicago and New York who participated and they are all
quite anti-intellectual and anti-theory.  They don't need theory, as they
see it.  As I see it, that means a return to liberalism, just 'liberals with
bombs' (in this case, paint bombs, which makes it even more ridiculous).
The abscence of a political perspective, or even the deisre for a conscious
political perspective is nothing to boast about.  At the same time, not
everyone in the raab has that attitude, and as I said, that is just some of
the people i know and talked to.  I do know of at least one anarchist who
stood up at the conference and challenged the "just fuck shit up" approach,
a young guy from the east coast.  So, I don't want to over generalize so
much as raise the problem of a bad tendency.  If prodded, i would give a
rather nasty assessment of the social underpinnings of this kind of politcs,
but I am probably coming off as hostile enough.

Anyway, that is short and a bit harsh, I suppose.  But the review seemed
sufficiently triumphalist to merit it.

I guess this is my day to be sour, eh?
Cheers,
Chris
----- Original Message -----
From: "commie zero zero" <commie00@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <barricada@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, February 02, 2001 3:58 PM
Subject: AUT: Re: [barricada] Account and Analysis of Inauguration Day RAAB


> a great report!! it's awesome and very inspiring to
> see such a detailed and thourgh going analysis of the
> raab actions in dc.
>
> i would also like to apologize for the lack of
> assistance from prole revolt. it has been an intensely
> tumultuous time for us the last few months... between
> trying to feel our way thru nefac secretariat work,
> members moving far away, etc. we have not been able to
> be as effective, etc. as we'd wish to be.
>
> all of that said, i have a few criticisms to make of
> the various content of the report.
>
> the first is the latent populism expressed in using
> the phrasse "the people" as opposed to taking the
> opportunity to show that the state is our class enemy.
> that we are not some amorphous "people", but the
> working class. this is esp important when we consider
> that the autonomist marxist end of left-libertarian
> thought has pointed out very successfully that the
> "working class" has become recomposed to include not
> only white and blue collar workers & the unemployed,
> but also students, homemakers, peasents, etc. and
> that, basically, there is no longer any such thing as
> a middle class.
>
> the next is the notion that "the state" is what is
> wrong with society. the state is but the collective
> will and voice of the ruling class. their current
> means of control. the real problem is: capitalism. the
> system as a whole, which includes, but is not limited
> to, the state.
>
> and finally: it is important to point out the
> ideological baggage carried thruout this article. that
> is: the article keeps dicussing "anarchism", and such,
> neglecting the fact that the composition of the raab
> was more broadly left-libertarian (including
> autonomists, libertarian marxists, etc.). it's
> pointless to go on talking about making common ground
> with people outside of the left-libertarian sphere, if
> it is not recognized that the left-libertarian
> theoretical practices are not dominated by anarchISM,
> and that the basic politics delineated in the call for
> the raab are far reaching, and well beyond any
> specific ideological grouping within left-libertarian
> thought.
>
> anywho... this critique is made in a comradely
> fashion, and i hope it is received thus.
>
> soli!!!
>
> --- Barricada Collective
> <barricadacollective@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Analysis Follows After Account of Day's Actions
> >
> >
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > The Revolutionary Anti-Authoritarian Bloc in
> > Washington, January 20
> >
> >       Over 600 people took part in the Revolutionary
> > Anti-Authoritarian Bloc
> > in Washington DC on Saturday, January 20th,
> > inauguration day, marching for
> > over one hour through the streets of Washington
> > before embarking on a day of
> > direct action against the state, including the
> > smashing of a parade route
> > checkpoint.
> >
> > The impressive and energetic march, which attempted
> > to re-create the German
> > Autonome Antifa style of marching by organizing
> > itself into tight lines of
> > affinity groups and surrounding itself with banners
> > reading, amongst others,
> > Class War...For a Classless, Stateless
> > Society...Autonomous Resistance,
> > Not Chaos, Not Violence...Freedom, and Whoever
> > They Elect, We are
> > Ungovernable, initially headed towards the
> > Presidential parade route.  A
> > police checkpoint was passed without incident and
> > the RAAB then marched one
> > block parallel to the parade route.  However, given
> > that there were still
> > several hours until the parade began, it was decided
> > to move on.
> >
> > The RAAB then headed back in the direction of the
> > initial starting point,
> > but this time with the intention of exposing the
> > role of the corporate media
> > in sustaining the dictatorship of capital called
> > representative democracy.
> > To this end the RAAB headed to the central offices
> > of the Washington Post.
> > Once there several people decorated the front of the
> > Post building with
> > anarchist symbols and paint bombs, while the
> > hundreds behind them chanted,
> > Fuck the Corporate Media.  This action was merely
> > a warning to the
> > Washington Post and all other media outlets that
> > choose to defame social
> > movements, anarchists and other revolutionaries in
> > particular, and
> > constantly show themselves to be the enemies of the
> > people.  Had it not been
> > for the need to keep moving due to police presence
> > and the dissuasive set-up
> > of Washingtons wide streets, they would be
> > lamenting a lot more than some
> > graffiti.  Next time they may not be so lucky.
> >
> > It was however decided to move on as the bicycle
> > scouts tracking police
> > movements informed those handling communications for
> > the bloc that police
> > units were beginning to assemble and follow the
> > bloc.  In response to this
> > people began to drag newspaper boxes and
> > construction fences into the
> > streets as they passed in order to halt the advance
> > of the police.
> >
> > At approximately 11 am a line of police managed to
> > assemble in front of the
> > bloc at 14th and I despite the efforts of the
> > scouts.  However, the bloc
> > decided, possibly mistakenly (for analysis read The
> > DC RAAB: Self Criticism
> > and Self Congratulation), that it was not necessary
> > at this point to engage
> > the police as they could be avoided by simply
> > heading up the intersecting
> > street.  Once arrived at the parallel street, 14th
> > and K, the bloc was again
> > stopped by a line of police and this time
> > surrounded.  A brief scuffle
> > ensued during which an unsuccessful half-hearted
> > attempt to break through
> > the still quite thin police lines was made.
> > Meanwhile, a group of about 60
> > entered an alley and attempted, again
> > unsuccessfully, to maneuver a dumpster
> > into the street in order to use it as a battering
> > ram against the line of
> > police.  However, the dumpster proved to be too
> > heavy and difficult to
> > maneuver, never making it out of the alley.
> >
> > The end result of this was that about 250 members
> > of the bloc were
> > encircled by police, while those who had managed to
> > escape, either through
> > the alley or by breaking through police lines (which
> > about 30 managed to do)
> > were dispersed around the surrounding area.  Most
> > people immediately began
> > heading towards the first designated re-assembly
> > point, the Navy memorial.
> > However, word soon came in through the
> > communications people that the
> > International Action Center march, along with NOW
> > and the Justice Action
> > Movement,  was headed in the direction of the
> > trapped RAAB marchers.
> > Finally, as word spread about the situation it was
> > the police themselves
> > that found themselves being slowly surrounded by
> > demonstrators and unable to
> > move those surrounded into the arrest busses already
> > on the scene.
> >
> > In the meantime those in the RAAB who had not been
> > surrounded were able to
> > re-assemble in the park across the street from the
> > police corral, which was
> > now five lines thick.  In order to attempt to put
> > more pressure on police to
> > release the trapped demonstrators several charges
> > against the police were
> > carried out in order to take the street, block
> > traffic, and further surround
> > police.  However, the police lines held and the
> > furthest the bloc and allies
> > made it was halfway across the street.  In the
> > meantime a RAAB member
> > perched atop a streetlight set fire to an American
> > flag and showed those
> > trapped that they were not alone by raising the
> > black flag.  Police then
> > tried to arrest him but he escaped by jumping into
> > the crowd.
> >
> > At approximately 12 pm police succumbed to the
> > pressure of the thousands of
> > protestors and released all the trapped RAAB
> > members, as well as those who
> > had joined them in solidarity.  The RAAB then
> > quickly re-assembled, now
> > lower on numbers and banners, but no longer isolated
> > and now as part of a
> > larger march.
> >
> > As the march progressed the bloc decided to not
> > repeat the errors of the
> > morning and better arm itself in case of a future
> > confrontation with police.
> >   Therefore, when passing by a construction site
> > members of the bloc took a
> > large, and heavy, construction wagon and began
> > filling it with cones,
> > plastic barrels, and large wooden poles.  In order
> > to avoid having all this
> > confiscated the wagon was placed in the middle of
> > the bloc and surrounded by
> > banners and people on all sides.
> >
> > Several blocks later the march arrived at one of
> > the controversial police
> > checkpoints leading to the parade route.  However,
> > scouts informed the bloc
> > that there was a weaker checkpoint only one block
> > further down, so it was
> > decided to head there.  Once arrived members of the
> > RAAB began asking the
> > crowd assembled in front of the police barricade to
> > move out of the way as
> > it had been decided to show the police, in no
> > uncertain terms, that the RAAB
> > had no intentions of submitting itself to searches,
> > or any other of the
> > polices wishes.
> >
> > Once the road was cleared of all bystanders and
> > only a metal barricade,
> > some policemen, and some secret service agents stood
> > between the RAAB and
> > access to the parade route, the banner in the front
> > was moved out of the way
> > and the bloc charged.  In once of the several
> > inspiring moments of the day
> > police and secret service scattered for their lives
> > and the metal barricades
> > of the state were toppled by the power and
> > determination of the RAAB as
> > hundreds of anarchists and revolutionaries, not 30
> > as the corporate press
> > reported,  as well as newly empowered and emboldened
> > reformists, surged past
> > the no longer existent checkpoint.  However, in the
> > rush to pass the
> > checkpoint the bloc lost some of its compactness,
> > leading
> === message truncated ===
>
>
> =====
> commie00
> ---------------------------------
> http://www.geocities.com/commie00
> ---------------------------------
>
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