Table Of Content

""II88 BBaattttllee 00||SSeeaattttllee--EEll ||''BBll''SSlllllllliiII|| lllliilliillllllllllllll ""II ww//SShh eevveerryy cciittyy ccoouulldd bbee lliikkee SSeeaattttllee..”” MMiicchhaaeell MMoooorree,, DDiirreeccttoorr GGeenneerraall ooff WWoorrlldd TTrraaddee OOrrggaanniissaattiioonn WWhhaattffoolllloowwssiisstthheeppeerrssoonnaall aaccccoouunnttooffffoouurrBBrriittiisshh eeccoo--aannaarrcchhiissttss‘‘eexxppeerriieenncceessiinn SSeeaattttlleeoovveerrtthheeppeerriioodd2200""‘‘NNoovveemmbbeerr--55""‘‘DDeecceemmbbeerr11999999.. OOuurrvviissiitt,,wwhhiicchh ccooiinncciiddeeddwwiitthhtthheeTThhiirrdd MMiinniisstteerriiaallCCoonnffeerreenncceeoofftthheeWWoorrllddTTrraaddeeOOrrggaanniissaattiioonn "" TThhiissrrssaammaazziinnggjj’’IIssaayyttoooonneeooffmmyyccoommrraaddeess,, ""hhaasstthheerreeeevveerrbbeeeenn ((WWTTOO)),, wwaassoonneeoofftthhee mmoosstteexxcciittiinngg aanndd iinnssppiirriinnggttiimmeessooffoouurrlliivveess.. WWee lleeaarrnneeddssoo aannyytthhiinngglliikkeetthhiiss??”” mmuucchhaannddaarreekkeeeennttoosshhaarreeoouurreexxppeerriieenncceess.. HHoowweevveerr,, tthhiissaaccccoouunntthhaassnnoo ""llVVoottssiinncceeSSppaaiinnjj’’sshheerreepplliieess,,aannaammuussiinnggaannddhheeaarrtteenniinngg pprreetteenncceeaattccoommpprreehheennssiivveenneessss,, iittssppuurrppoosseebbeeiinngg mmoorreettooiinnffoorrmmtthhaannttooaannaallyyssee.. eexxaaggggeerraattiioonn.. AAggrroouuppoofffifiiieennddssccoommeeuuppttoouussaannddwweeeennggaaggeeiinnaajjuubbiillaanntt AAlltthhoouugghh mmuucchh hhaassbbeeeenn mmaaddeeoofftthheessiiggnniiffiiccaanncceeoofftthheeeevveennttssiinn SSeeaattttllee,, bbootthh bbyy ccoonnvveerrssaattiioonn.. tthheeccoorrppoorraattee mmeeddiiaa,, aanndd rraaddiiccaalljjoouurrnnaallss,, nneewwsssshheeeettssaanndd mmaaggaazziinneess,, lliittttlleehhaass ""WWeejjuussttnneeeeddttoossttaarrttooccccuuppyyiinnggssoommeebbuuiillddiinnggss,,””ssaayyssaannootthheerr bbeeeennwwrriitttteennaabboouuttwwhhaattaaccttuuaallllyyttooookkppllaacceetthheerree.. HHoowwtthheeddaayywwaasspprreeppaarreeddffoorr,, mmeemmbbeerrooffmmyyaaffffiinniittyyggrroouupp,, ““wwee’’vveeggootttthheessttrreeeettsstthhaattwwoouullddsseeeemm hhoowwtthheeeevveennttwwaassppuubblliicciisseedd,, hhoowwtthheeCCoonnffeerreenncceeCCeennttrreewwaasssshhuuttddoowwnn,, hhooww tthheenneexxttoorrddeerrooffbbuussiinneessss..”” pprriissoonneerrsswweerreessuuppppoorrtteeddaannddhhoowwtthheetteeaarrggaasswwaassddeeaallttwwiitthh rreemmaaiinn uunnaannsswweerreedd ""YYeeaahh,,bbuuttrriigghhttnnoowwwwee’’rreejjuussttffuucckkiinngghhuunnggrryy””ssaayyssaannootthheerrmmeemmbbeerr qquueessttiioonnss iinn mmaannyy ppeeooppllee’’ssmmiinnddss.. ooffmmyyaafifiiinniittyyggrroouupp.. ""TThheennyyoouusshhoouullddjjuussttggoottttootthheeggrroocceerryyssttoorree,,””IIcchhiimmeeiinn,, ""jjuussttggooiinn WWeehhooppeetthhaattwwhhaattffoolllloowwsswwiillll hheellppttoopprroovviiddeeaann iinnssiigghhttiinnttoo wwhhaatthhaappppeenneeddiinn aannddttaakkeewwhhaattyyoouuwwaanntt.. IImmeeaannaalllltthhaattmmoonneeyyaannddpprrooppeerrttyybbuu//llsshhiittrrss SSeeaattttllee aanndd wwhhyy.. WWee aallssoo aaiimm ttoo hhiigghhlliigghhtt ssoommee oofftthhee ddiissccuussssiioonnssaanndd ddeebbaatteess iitt oovveerrnnoowwrrllssnnttiitt??”” hhaassccrreeaatteedd iinntthhee UUSS.. UUmmmmmm......QQuuoottee ffrroomm AAmmeerriiccaann ffaannzziinnee eennttiittlleedd EEvveerryyddaayy RReevvoolluuttiioonn ddeessccrriibbiinngg aa ccoonnvveerrssaattiioonn tthhaatt ttooookk ppllaaccee oonn NNoovveemmbbeerr 3300 IIffyyoouuwwoouulldd lliikkeettoooorrddeerrmmoorreeccooppiieessoofftthhiissppaammpphhlleett,, hheellpp uussddiissttrriibbuuttee iitt,, aasskk qquueessttiioonnss,, mmaakkee ccoommmmeennttss oorrsseenndd uusswwaaddss ooffccaasshh yyoouu ccaann ee--mmaaiill uuss aatt:: rriioott__ttoouurriissttss@@ddiissiinnffoo..ccoommoorrwwrriitteettoo:: RRiioottTToouurriissttssccllooWWiillddffiirreeCCoolllleeccttiivvee,, PP00 BBooxx33224499,, BBrriigghhttoonn,, EEaassttSSuusssseexx,, BBNN11 44SSNN.. FFiirrssttpprriinntteeddttoobbeeddiissttrriibbuutteeddaattMMaayyDDaayy22000000ccoonnffeerreenncceeLLoonnddoonn,, UUKK.. SSeeccoonnddeeddiittiioonnpprriinntteeddJJuullyy22000000 Direct Action Network Theglobaldayofactionon Nov30thwasthethird internationallyco-ordinatedaction DAN was formed in the summer of 1999 at the annual conference of called forby Peoples Global Action (see contacts). Following the successes of May Art and Revolution. Sponsors included organisations such as Global 1998whenglobalactionscoincidedwiththeG8summitin Birmingham, andJunethe Exchange, Rain Forest Action Network, Ruckus Society and Seattle 18th (whentheyagaincoincidedwiththeG8meeting,thistimeinCologne,Germany), Earth First! The networks original aim was “to mobilise [their] aproposalwasputoutforathirddayofactionon Nov30th.Thiswasadirectresponse communities to creatively resist the WTO and organise large scale totheannouncementthattheWorldTradeOrganisationwouldbemeetingin Seattle street theatre and a mass non violent direct action to shut down the at this time. The meeting aimed to set an agenda forthe new Millennium Round of WTO Ministerial". As a result local DAN groups set up throughout the negotiationsintendedtofurthertradeliberalisation. West Coast in the months preceding the day of action. Post N30 DAN continues to “fight capital dictated government" by fomenting “a Seattlewaschosen as an ideal cityto hosttheWTOconference: hometo corporationssuchas Microsoftand Boeing itisboth affluentandthriving. Itwasalso broad based peoples movement". ahighlyconvenientlocationforthe USactivistcommunitywiththe highest ThevastmajorityofSeattle residentsknewthattheWTOwascoming, andalthough concentrationofNorthAmericanactivistsbeing located inthe PacificNorth-West. manycouldn't really saywhy, mostseemed tothink itwas bad. What had originally been hailed asamarvellousbusinessopportunityforthecitywasfastbecominga lnthe months leading uptothe30"‘variouseventstookplace intownsall alongthe pariah. Afewdaysbeforethe30ththe Seattle Timesheadlinewas“Who’sideawas WestCoast.Thousandsofpeopleattendedteach-inswheretalksweregivenon thisanyway?”. ltalso printed an article claimingthe policewereexpecting 5to6 topicsincludingglobalisation,freetradeandtheroleoftheWTO.Thesewere officerstobe killedduringthe Ministerial. largelysponsored bygroupssuchasGlobal Exchangeand PeopleforFairTrade.A groupcalledArtand Revolutionwhousestreettheatreanddancetoconveytheir Planningfordirectactiononthe30thwasprimarilyco-ordinatedbyDAN; although ideaswentontouraroundthe USAandCanada.The RuckusSociety, agroupthat othergroups liketheSierraClub (sortofequivalenttoGreenpeace/FoEinthe UK), specialises in training people in skills requiredforhigh tech actions, such as theAFL-CIO, oneofthebiggestunionsin NorthAmerica, andstudentbodies climbing, alsowentontour. Hundredsofpeopleattendednon-violentdirectaction plannedtheirowndemonstrationsfortheday. (NVDA)trainingsthatwere heldforthosewishingtoparticipateinthe massaction beingorganisedbytheDirectAction Network(DAN)forthe30'“(seebelow). Throughaprocessofconsultation betweenthegroups DANwascomposedof,aset ofguidelinesforactionon Novemberthe30thwasdrawn up.Theseprovedtobea Additionallyahugeamountofpublicitywasgenerated.Thousandsofflyersweresent majorsourceofdivisionamongactivists.Thiswasespeciallytrueoftheguideline outacrossNorthAmericaandthe restoftheworldurgingactiviststocometoSeattle. . i concerningabstentionfrom Themediahypeditas‘thenextbigthing’;uneditedarticleswrittenbyactivistsappeared properlydamage. Many inlocalpapersandsomeofthefreeleft-wingSeattleweekliespublished\lVTOsurvival activistsfeltangrythatthey guides and urged the people of Seattle to take to the streets on the 30th. A spoof wereexpectedtocomplywith paper called Seattle Post Intelligence based on one of the main local papers the guidelinestheyhad not SeattlePostlntelligencerwasprinted. IntheStatesnewspapersaresoldfrom boxes participatedincreating. DAN on the streets - you putyour money in, open the box and take your paperout. This urgedpeoplewhowantedto meansyouhaveaccesstoallthepapersinthebox.Thespoofpaperwasdesignedso destroy propertyto do iton a it wrapped around the real paper. All the newspaper boxes contained copies ofthe differentdayoftheMinisterial. Seattle PostIntelligenceafew days beforethe 30th. In the weeks leading uptothe However,manyothersargued Ministerial, Seattle’sshopwindowswereplasteredwithpostersencouragingworkers to call in sickand come andjoin in one ofthe demonstrations. .9.’ becausesquatting inthe US is illegal andtrespassisacriminal offence.The thatNovemberthe30thhad beencalledasaglobaldayofaction beforeDAN had majorityofpeoplestayed insomeoftherentedwarehousesorwith local residents. evenformed, andthat DANwas in nopositiontodictatetheformsofactionthat Thewholeconvergencewasextremelywellorganised. couldtake place in Seattle. Within DANtherewasconsiderablediscussion regardingtheuseof‘peacepolice’.Thesewouldbepeopleattendingthe Theconvergencebeganonthe20thofNovember.Themainfocuswaspractical demonstrationswhose rolewouldbetolookforpeoplewithinthecrowdscausing preparationfortheblockadesonthe30th.The10daysprovidedanopportunityto ‘trouble’and isolateorremovethem ifnecessary. ltwaseventuallydecidedthat meetnewpeopleandtoeitherjoinanaffinitygrouporformanewonetoworkwith therewould benoofficial ‘peacepolice’butthatworkshopsand DANspaces duringtheconference. Eachdaytherewereseveral NVDAtrainings, eachone generallywouldbeusedasaplatformtoencouragepeopletotalktoandprevent lastingthreehours.Twoorthree‘trainers’ ledtheseworkshops.Therewereother anyonefromcarryingoutproperlydamageiftheysawitoccurringduringthe workshopsaboutblockades, climbing,firstaid,communicationand radiosand conference. severalotherpractical issues.Therewerealsoacoupleofworkshopsonthebasics oftheWTOand ‘pacifismaspathology’butgenerallyveryfewtheoretical OrganisationoftheDAN actionwastakenon bythe‘scenariogroup’whoheld workshops. regular,completelyopen planning meetings. Alldecisionsweretakenby consensus.Thesedecisionsthenwenttoanorganisingcollectivemadeupof Therewerealso legal briefingsgiven severaltimesaday. These lastedforaround3 representativesfromallthesponsoringorganisations, subgroups(e.g.food, hours and wentthrough role-plays of arrest scenarios, from the point of arrest until fundraisingandmedia)andlocalgroupsinvolved.Thesemeetingswerealsototally releasefromjail. lntheUSitisusualthatonmassactionstherearemassarrests.Jail open butdecisionswerelimitedtothespokespeople. Onlywhendecisionshad solidaritywasdevisedasamethodofdealingwiththis. beenagreed uponbytheorganisingcollectivecouldtheybeactedupon. Thestatedaim ofthe DAN actionwasto“shutdowntheWTO”. ltwasdecidedthat Objectives of Jail Solidarity possiblytheonlyfeasiblewayofdoingthiswould betoattempttopreventthe3000- - Tominimisethepotential repercussionsfeltbythoseresistingtheWTOby 5000delegatesfromgainingentryintotheConventionCentrebeforetheMinisterial demandingthatallarresteesonlybechargedwithan“infraction”.Thiswould started.AseriesofroadblockadeswereplannedsothattheentireConference betheequivalenttoa parkingoffenceandwould notshowuponacriminal Centre, which issituated in Seattle'scentral shopping district, would becutoffand record.Thehopewasthattheonlypenaltyarresteeswould havetoincur made inaccessible.These blockadeswould be in conjunctionwith, and assisted by, would be“timeserved". aprocessionthatwouldstartfromtwodifferentpoints inthecity. - Topreventanyofthearresteesfrom beingsingledoutas“organisers”, internationalsorasbeingguiltyofmoreseriousoffences. TheothermajortaskthatDAN undertookwasholdingaten-dayconvergenceprior - Tomaintain bothcollectiveidentityandcollectivestrengthinasituation toN30. Severalwarehouseswerehired,someforaccommodation,othersforprop designedtoevokefeelingsofisolationandvulnerability. making. Oneofthesebuildings,420DennyStreet, waswherethemaineventsof theconvergencetookplace.Thisspacealsoservedasawelcomingand reception pointforthehundredsofpeoplestreaming intoSeattletoshutdowntheWTO. Food Jailsolidaritytrainingsessionsand legal briefingsexplained howthiscould be NotBombswhoservefreefood indozensofcitiesacross NorthAmerica, provided achieved.The planwasforallofthosearrestedtoclaimthe righttosilence.This foodfordonations,threetimesaday,throughouttheconvergence. Everyonewho wasto be extendedtoa refusal byprisonerstodisclosetheirnames, addresses arrivedwasaskedtoregister,givingtheirnameandaddresstobeputonadatabase anddatesofbirth.Thosewhofeltconfidentenoughtodosowerealsoencouraged thatwouldbe usedtoinformpeopleaboutfutureevents. Peoplewerealsogivena to remainentirelysilentsoastodisguisewhich ofthearresteeswere non-US directaction packet.ThispackclearlysetouttheplanforNovember30th and citizens. Each person expecting to riskarrestwore astickerexplaining “lam included informationonwhattodoifarrested, howtodealwithpoliceandthemedia choosingtoremainsilent. IwantalawyerfromtheDANlegaldefenceteam”with anddetailsofjail solidarity. Housingwasalsoallocated. Somesquatswereopened. theDAN phonenumberbelow. However,thesewerequitesmallasmanypeoplewerenotpreparedtostayinthem L‘- In additioneacharresteewastodemandthe righttoaspeedytrial inthe hopethat itwould be possibleto clog upthejudicial system tothe extentthat itwould be impossibletotryall ofthosearrested.Thedemandsweretobegiventothepolice viathe legaldefenceteam. Aseriesoftacticsdesignedtocausefurtherdisruption wereplannedtobeused ifthedemandswerenotmet. Fromgoing limpand refusing to move, to making as much noise as possible and-as a last resort-going on hun-erstrike. Although the DAN space was an excellent training, networking and resource centre, it was not without its problems. The urgent need to train over a thousand people with different levels ofdirect action experience in a short amount oftime meantthat there was no room or tolerance for discussion of tactics or philosophies. Lines were quite clearly drawn between ‘experts in charge’ and punters being taught the ‘right’ way to groups and other relevant issues. Although decisions taken at the spokescouncil participate in direct action. The following quote is one person's experience of the DAN meeting were limited to the spokespeople they were totally open and attended by space written atthe time: manypeople. “420 is an anarchist’s nightmare. We are herdedfrom square footto square foot, screamedatbyself-appointeddespots. Someone spreadsa rumourthat Themethodsoforganisationwereverydifferenttothosegenerallyusedinthe UKfor the space was paidforby Microsoftand Boeing which Iassume isajoke massactions.Thelevelofopennessconcemingplansfortheblockadeswasincredible. though forthe momentIcan well believe it. A few ofus attendaJail There were huge maps on the walls showing pie slice locations and which affinity Solidarity workshop - we lastforhalfofit: the firsthalfis more along the groupswereblockadingwhere. Peopleorganisingpartsoftheactionwouldstandup lines ofan NVDA workshop (andin the eventofjailsolidarity, theprisoner andintroducethemselvesstatingwhattheirrolewas.Thepresswereallowedintothe supportonlyspeaks of‘non-violentprisoners’excluding supportforthose 420spacealthoughtheyweretold nottophotographanyonewithouttheirpermission. charged with felonies such as maliciousmischiefanddamage toproperty). However,therewerestill manypeople, pressandothenrvise, photographingboththe We are told thatis it "wrong"to push back atpolice lines - that we mustsit down andlinkarms; we are told topointatsomeone being targettedby the mapsoftheblockadelocationsandthepeopleattendingtheconvergence. police and chant “Om”so thepolice will think we'reputting a spellon them! We suggestalternative de-arresting techniques andget told to sitdown and One of the major actions that took place prior to the 30th was the squatting of a shut up (one trainerlaterapologises forthis). Iam angry, frustratedand warehouseincentralSeattle(situatednextdoortothepolicecommandcentreforthe disempowered. Pacifism as Pathologysuddenlymeans a whole lotmore to Ministeriall). Duetothe US lawsmentioned earlierthiswasquitea big event.Those me in this context, in the context from which it came.” occupyingthebuilding,whichhadbeenemptyforseveralyears,weredemandingforit be turned into a homeless shelter, a glaringly absent feature in Seattle. The police The other main purpose of the 420 space was to organise the blockade. The area responsetotheoccupationwastocutelectricityandwatersupplies. However,despite aroundtheConferenceCentrewasdividedupinto 13‘pieslices’.Anyonewhowanted this and several falseeviction alerts, the building remained squattedthroughoutthe totakepartintheblockadewasaskedtochooseapieceofpiewiththeirestablished conference. ornewlyformedaffinitygroup. Severalaffinitygroupsclaimedeachsliceofpieand these‘affinitygroupclusters’blockadedtheintersection nearesttotheConference Onthedaybeforethe30ththerewasademonstration held bytheSierraClubin Centreintheareatheirslicecovered. Ifforcedto retreatduetopoliceactionsthey centralSeattle.Thethemewas EnvironmentDayandseveralthousandpeople fell backtothe nextjunction. attended. Inashowofwhatwastofollowoverthe nextfewdays,trafficdrewtoa haltaspeopletookoverthestreetsandconvergedaroundtheConferenceCentre. Each evening at the convergence there was a spokescouncil meeting. Here, Bylateafternoonthecrowdhaddispersedandlastminutepreparationsforthe representatives from eachaffinity group would discuss developments, their plans, followingdaycontinued. whethertheiraffinitygroupneeded morepeople,ortheirclusterneededmoreaffinity contactand abletocometotheaidofaffinitygroupsthatneededsupport. People whohadn'tjoinedanaffinitygroupwereencouragedtodosoevenatthislate stage. Someofthetripodsand blockading equipmentwasconfiscated bypolice, andonly onetripod made ittoitsdestination.Theideahad beenthattheequipmentwould behidden undergiantpuppets, carried inshoppingtrolleys. Theprocessionsmovedoff, andtheatmospherewasrelaxed,withanextremely low-keypolicepresence.Theaffinitygroupsbrokeoffastheprocessionsarrived neartheConventionCentre, andsetuptheirblockadeseitherusingsheernumbers “Whyconfineourselvestothelimitedtacbcsofpassiveresistanceandabstention ofpeople, somewitharmslockedtogetherthrough ‘lock-on’tubes, sit-down frompropertydamage? Weshouldusetacticswhichwillfurtherourstruggleand blockades, andtheonewiththetripod. helousrealiseourgoals—withoutfet/shrsmgeitherpac/fismorviolence. Wemust notgointoaction, orin-action, onNovember30”’ withapreconceivedsetofideas abouthowwemustbehave. Ratherweshouldbeflex/ble,spontaneousandfreeto seizeopportunitiesastheyar/lse!” Extractfrom leaflet produced by British activists in Seattle responding to the action guideline concerning property damage and attempting to provide an alternative viewpoint to the prevailing attitude in the DAN space ThedayofNovember30"‘beganwiththe DirectAction Networkaction,whichwas advertisedasstartingat7am.Thereweretwoadvertised meetingplaces,oneeither sideofthe Motorwaythatactsasa(un)natural barriersplitting,Seattlefrom Eastto West. Manyoftheaffinitygroupsthatweredoingthe blockadeswereusingthe processionsasacovertosetup, otheraffinitygroups had gonetotheir‘pie-slices’ Theonlyblockading groupthatactuallyfailedwastheonethatwastryingto already. Some blockadeswere apparentlyset upasearlyas6am, although it is blockade Interstate5 (I-5),themotorwaythatactuallyrunsunderneaththe hardto knowwhatisaccurate. 1' ConventionCentre. Theearlymorningcommuterbuseswerebrimmingwithpeoplechantingand TheConventionCentrewastotallyringed bytheblockadinggroups,andeverywhere singing, all makingtheirwaytothe meetingpoints.Thisprovidedan interesting therewerestrandeddelegateswalkingthewholewayaroundtheCentrebeing opportunitytotalktothoseon theirwaytowork. Itwasclearthatthe population of turnedawaybyprotestersateveryentrance. Somegotirate,oneevenpullingagun SeattlehadalreadyhadarapideducationonwhattheV\lTOwasand howitaffected onthe protesters, anotherusing pepperspray. Somegroupshadalsochosentotry them,andmostpeople hadalreadyformedan opinionon it. and keepthedelegates intheirhotels by lockingontothe hotel doorsto keepthem shut Atthemeeting points, still inthedark, peopleweregoing aroundand pointingout thevariouscolour-codedflagsamongstthecrowd.Theywerecodedforhighandlow Somegroupstriedtobuildbarricadeswithdumpsters(skips), buttheseeffortswere arrestability, andsomeofthemwerefortheaffinitygroupsthathadchosenwhere largelythwartedbyun_dercovercopsworkinginthecrowd. theywouldblockade,whileotherswereforthe ‘flyingsquads’,whowould bein radio TheareaaroundtheCentrewasacriticalmassofpeople. Everywheretherewere Propertydestruction isn'taviolent activity unless it destroys lives orcauses pain. Private amazingthingsgoingon.Therewasananarchistsambaband, andwhereverthey (especiallycorporate) property isthus infinitely moreviolentthan anyactiontaken against it. went, several hundredwenttoo, dancingtothe music, sotheytookpeopletoareas Personal property isdistinguished from private property. Theformer is based upon use-each thatneededsupport.Thereweretheradicalcheerleaders, pom-pomsandall,theatre having whats/he needs. The premiseofprivate property isthatwe havesomething someone performances,andgiantpuppets. else needs. Thosewhoaccrue more ofwhatothers need (orwant) canwield greatercontrol over others (and what others perceive as needs/desires), thereby increasing profit to themselves. Theplansforthecommunicationswerecomplexandinvolvedalotofexpensiveradio Advocatesof“freetrade"wantto push Uwis processto its logical conclusion: a few indushy equipment. USactivistsdon'tgenerally use mobile phonesastheyarecostlyand monopolistswith ultimate control overeveryoneelse. Advocatesof“fairtrade"wantto mitigate therearenoanonymousones.Therewasacommunicationcentre, called‘Comm this processvia govemment regulationswhich superficially impose‘humanitarian standards’. We one’andeachaffinitygroupwould havethenecessaryequipmenttocommunicate despise both positions. Private property -capitalism - ls intrinsicallyviolentand repressive. It cannot be reformed or mitigated. with ‘Commone’.Theyalsohadcheapwalkie-talkie radiostotalktoeachother. The ideawasthat‘Commone’would relaymessagestowhoeverneededtohearthem. Destroying private property destroys the thin veneer of legitimacy surrounding property rights and exorcisesthe destructive social relationships contained therein. Limited exchangevalue Notsurprisingly,firstthingon November30"‘, ‘Commone’wastotallyblockedand becomes expanded use value: storefronts becomevents to let fresh air intothe oppressive atmosphereofa retailoutlet, a newspaperboxisatoolto reclaim publicspacewith, a dumpster completelyineffectiveallday. Everyoneresortedtousingthecheapwalkietalkies, obstructs n'oting cops - isa sourceofheatand light, a building facade records ideasfora better andcommunicationworked reallywell. Peoplewouldhearthemessagethatsupport world. wasneededsomewhere, relaythemessagetothecrowd, andgetpeoplethere. AfterN30, peoplewill neverseeashopwindowora hammerthesamewayagain. The potential usesofan entire cityscape haveincreased athousand-fold. Along with the broken windows are Peoplewereoutonbikeswithwalkie-talkieslettingeveryoneknowwhatwasgoingon the broken spellscast bya corporate hegemonyto lull usintoforgetfulnessofall theviolence indifferentareas.This wasareallysuccessful methodofcommunication. committed inthe nameofprivatepropertyrightsand ofallthe potential ofa societywithoutthem. Brokenwindowscan be boarded upand replaced buttheshattering ofassumptionswill hopefully Therewasalsopirate radiobroadcasting allday. Oneofthestationswas persistforsometime. broadcastingfromatree inanearbynational park,and itcarriedonallweek.Another AgainstCapital&State, theAOWECollective(N30BlackBlocCommuniqueDec41999) was broadcasting livefrom abike in Seattle, butdidn'tlast long before itgotbusted. Byabout9am, theblockadeswerestill holding strong. Aroundthis point, the police startedto resortto more extreme methods. Atthistimell theactions had been within the DANguidelinesandtherehadbeen nopropertydamage. Withouteventhe excuseofprovocation,thepoliceattacked. TheyattemptedtoclearthoseintersectionsprovidingaccesstotheConvention Centre, usingteargas, peppersprayandrubberbulletsonthepeopleblockading. Therewerestoriesofpeoplewith both armslockedon -totallyhelplessand vulnerable-beingteargassed.Thecopsthen movedin, liftedofftheirgasmasks, peppersprayedthem intheface, puttheirmasksbackon andthen beatthemwith batons. Thepeopleontheblockadesheldupamazingly.Theblockadesheldduringthe inthe420wheretheconvergencehadbeenheld.Themedicswerewellprepared gassing, whilethosewithout masks calmlywalked away. As soon astheteargas andextremelyvisible. wasclearing,thepeoplewouldbeback.Theamountthatpeopleenduredwas incredible,andthestrengthandbraverywasunbelievable. Atabout 11am, with the blockadesstill going strong, a blackblocwasfonned, so calledbecausegenerallythoseinvolvedwearblackwithmasksforthesakeof anonymity.Thiswasabout 100peoplewhotookon-asapro-activeactivity, notas "As a movement ofpeople we were unstoppable. The negotiators of areactiontopoliceviolence-thetaskofengaginginpropertydamage.Theymoved corporatepowerandprofitorientatedpolicy were leftbankruptbya throughthestreetsofSeattledestroyingvariouscorporatestore-fronts,copcars, movementofpeople who representeda radical coalition ofactivrsts that andsprayinganti-capitalistandanti-WTOmessagesonwalls. Amongthe came from around the worldandmountedan unprecedentedcampaign corporationstargetedwereFidelityInvestment,TheBankofAmerica, USBancorp, ofres/lstance.”Chris Crass (US activist) KeyBank, Washington Mutual Bank,Old Navy, BananaRepublic,TheGap, NikeTown, Levi's, McDonalds, Starbucks, WarnerBrothers,and PlanetHollywood. Theblackblocsworkedfluidlythroughouttheday, breakingupand re-forming, alwaysremainingmobile.Theybuddiedupandlookedoutforeachother. Atabout 10am,theopeningceremonywascancelled, andonly200-300ofthe3000- Undercoverpoliceposingas‘peacepolice’ (otherprotestors)targetedtheblack 5,000delegateshadgainedentry. Rumoursstartedcirculatingthatthepolicewere blocandsomepeoplewerearrested.Whenthishappened,thebuddiesofthose trying toclearintersectionstogetdelegates out, not in! It's impossibletosaywhat who had beenarrestedtriedtode-arrestthem. Attheendoftheday, onlyhalfa wasreallygoingoninsidetheConventionCentre, butneedlesstosay, even ifthere dozenorsopeoplefromtheblackblochadbeenarrested. werestilltalksgoingon,theeventsonlyoneortwohundredyardsawaycertainly couldn'thaveprovidedacomfortableworkingenvironment. Thecrowd’sreactiontotheblackblocwasextremelynegative. Peoplewere physicallyprotectingcorporatestoreslikeNikeTown,andtherewerealsoincidents Thepolicecontinuedtogasandshootatthecrowdwith rubberbullets. Theonly where‘peacepolice’ physicallyattackedthoseengagedin propertydestruction. retaliationgenerallyoffered bythecrowdwasthethrowing backofthegascanisters, Subsequentmediamisrepresentation(surprise, surprise)ofthedayand ineffectiveagainstthecopswearing gas masks, butmoreanattempttogetthegas spectacularisationoftheblackblocwaslargelyresponsibleforthebacklash outoftheimmediatearea.Therewerecloudsofteargasalloverthecity.Thefamiliar againsttheiractions. However, peoplefromtheblackblocdidattempttocounter stingingsensationintheeyesandburningthroatwould hitsuddenly, evenwhen thisandsometookpartin interviewswiththepressexplainingtheiractionsand walkingdownarelativelyquietstreetthatwasn’tbeinggassed. relatingthemtothewiderfightagainstcapital. Thepolicewerealsofiringconcussion bombs, whichatfirstsight, appeartobelive Oneoftheothereventstakingplace in Seattlewasthe labourmarch. A35,000 ammunition.Theyfirethem intheairandtheyexplodewith an incrediblyloud boom. strongcrowdfromtheAFL-CIO, oneofthebiggestunionsinthe US, tooktothe Theyaredesignedtopanicthecrowdandclearthearea.Theyarealsodangerous, streetsintheafternoon.Thoseonwhatcould becalledthe‘frontline’ nearthe and iftheyexplode nexttoyourhead can killyou. policeandConventionCentre,gotmessagestotheunionleaders, askingthemto bringthemarchdowntowntohelpsupporttheblockades.Themarchwas Thecrowdstayedincrediblycalmthroughout. Whengassed, peopledidn'trun,just marshalledalongtheentireroute,andwhenitapproacheddowntown,themarshals walkedcalmlyaway.Therewerechants like“keep moving, staycalm",which helped turnedtheworkersback,takingitawayfromwheresupportwasneeded.Afew stopapanickedatmospheresetting in.Thelevelsofpreparednessforthedaywere groupsinthemarch, someofthesteelworkers, longshoremenandtheIndustrial impressive.Alotofpeoplehadgasmasks, bicarbonateofsodaandwaterforwashing WorkersoftheWorld (IWW) brokeawayfromthemain bodyofthe marchand outteargas, masksand eyegoggles. Peoplecarried nail clippersfortheplastic headeddowntowntoaidtheblockades. quick-cuffsthatthe police use in mass arrests. Medics on bikescycled around the crowds lookingforpeoplethatneededhelp, andamedicalcentrehad beensetup Meanwhile, upanddowntheWestCoast,thelongshoremendocltworkershadgone on strike, closing portsfrom Canadato Mexico, one ofthe mostsignificantyetleast heardofeventsduringtheministerial. Thedaycontinuedwiththepoliceforcingsomeoftheblockadesawayfromthe ‘Ms the evening darkens, a few ofus break ConventionCentre.Therewerestillthousandsandthousandsofpeopledowntown, awayfrom thegroup ofBrits trudging home, andastateofemergencywascalledatabout4pm.Therewouldbea7pmcurfew, the to make the most ofthe lasthourbefore National Guard (similartotheTerritorial Army)wason itsway, and bynowithad been curfew...With rocksin ourhandsandspray made an offenceto buy, sell, orpossess agas mask, punishable by upto 6 months cansin ourpockets, we converge on a truly imprisonment. offensive department store...A man comes up to us looksatthe miniblackblocand Therewasa lull in the useofteargasforalittlewhile. Apparentlythiswasduetothe says "Hey. cool.” We laugh. "Hang on, are factthattheyhad runout.Thepolice usedchartered planesandflewacrossthe yougirls?...Waaaayyycool./I” " countryrestocking. Canisterswerefound imprintedwith“usewithin4yearsofthis B B Gurlsroch, British activist date”, and 1977printedonthem. Thegassingsoon resumed, andthelevelsthe policewereusingescalated. Byabout 6pm, as itwas getting dark, the policestartedtoclearthestreets. They marched forward, using rubberbulletsandgastoclearthestreetsinfrontofthem. Thedarkandthefrequentexplosionofconcussionbombsaddedtothewarzone atmosphere. Thenumbersofpeopleonthestreetshaddramaticallydecreased. Somepeople "Seatt/e is a warzone. stayedto resistthecurfew.Thefeelingsofcontrolwe hadfeltformostoftheday Thepolice have rapidlydisappeared.ThelargenumbersofSeattlekidsoutonthestreetbecame declared waron moreapparentasnumbersdecreased,andtheycontinuedtaggingwallsanddoing T everyone who dares to theoddbitoflooting.Therewasalsostillagroupofseveralhundredprotestersthat varyfrom the routines wereslowlybeing pushedoutofdowntownbythecops. ofproduction and consumption. The lines TheywereeventuallypushedintoaneighbourhoodcalledCapitol Hill,anddespite I have neverbeen so thefactthatit'sa residential area, policecontinued indiscriminatelygassing I clearlydrawn” everybody, including lotsofresidents.This resulted inthepoliticisingofmanylocal people.Thegassingcarriedonlateintothenight, withastand-offbetweenthe policeandacollectionofboth protestersandlocal residentswhowereenragedthat thepoliceweredoingthis intheirhome. "Everything thathas happenedhere in Seattle...has crystallized things. Thrs rs real. The needforaction rs constant... Thepolice state is here Byabout2am, downtown was still amilitaryzone, with deserted streetsexceptfor andeverywhererightnow."Quotesfi'om Everyday Revolution, anAmerican linesofNational Guard andcops. Mostofthosewhohadstayed in Capitol Hill had fanzine driftedoffhomeforthenight. Seattlesleptinanticipationofanotherday'sprotests. _ _ I.?r _7______0_57 ,;i STRE_E___‘__fi$?. ’.. . I— \__,jQ-————_5_- _E— " T———P-— _O_ __ LIC_ E'7"’?*_.__ _ ’——; __fi 41. a\‘“\ Qu\R $TFEE1'5' I‘/A oue Poucel YDOWN WHOSE Pol-'65? / _,.. vll-losE STREETS?’ one P91-‘PE QUR REET 055$, -4 ‘ “ob ' , <3. A _5'l'REE'T'~$_/ ;/,., C I ‘NR i OUR s+REET$.’ W . ” .- e >»~~"7‘ Nothing to J0 WIU‘ me’ I ¢ ' c Meanwhile, heateddebateoccurredasprotestersarmedwithbrooms, bucketsand MYS 2. 3 IINII 4 bleach proceededtosweepupthebrokenglassandtoerasethepowerfulslogans ofdissentfromthewallsofSeattle. Declarationsofvictory, callstofurtheraction, tagsbylocal kidswerescrubbedoffand later, someonewasstoppedshortof Ataround7amon December15‘, peoplebegandriftingbackintodowntownSeattle, removing“FreeMumia"fromthejailwall. Thesecleaners(whopromoted‘graffitiby againwiththeintentionofpreventingtheWTOfrom meeting. chalk’ ratherthan hard-wearingspraypaint) arguedthatmuchofitwas“justtags”, failingto understandthattagging issimplyanotherwayofexpressingsocial Thefirstarrestswerequicktooccurtoan unfortunatefewdozenwhoarrivedinthe disenfranchisement. Theyseemedequallyunawarethatbycleaning upthecity no-gozoneonlyafewminutesbeforethecurfewended.Asnumbersgrewacrowdof theywerebehavingasapologistsforwhatwasandcontinuedtobeanamazing severalhundredbegantomaketheirwaytowardstheConventionCentre.Ataround showofresistance. 8:30amthecrowdwasusheredintoanempty, pedestrianisedtownsquarewherethe firstmassarreststookplace. Thecrowdsatdownand peoplechanted, sangand Asthe daydrewtoaclose morearreststookplace. A2000-3000strong rallyheld wavedbannersastheywerearrestedone-by-oneandloaded intobusestobe bythe(fairly) militantSteelworkers’ Union endedamidstshoutsof“Downtown transportedeitherto Seattlejail orSand Pointmilitarybasewhichhad been specially Now!”byanassortmentofworkers, environmentalistsandanarchosboredofthe preparedtoaccommodatethehundredsofanticipatedarrestees.Virtuallyno speechesbeinggivenbythe Unionhierarchy.AprocessiontowardstheConvention resistancetoarrestwas put upbyanyofthoseoccupyingthesquare.The natureof Centre,theWestin Hotel (whereClintonandthe restoftheU.S.delegationwere theprotestwasdistinctlyintheveinofsymbolicandnon-violentcivildisobedience. resident)andthenewlydeclaredno-protestzonesoonemerged. Havingmoved onlyafewblocksawayfromwherethe rallyhadbeen heldthecopslaunchedtear