Black Bloc section for TUC March 26th

The best thing a 'black bloc' can do is stay smallish but significant enough for the police to keep it their focus of control so that others in multicolours can get on with making trouble as they see fit or otherwise to actually talk and discuss with people ie. to act as an effective diversion.

Of course this wouldn't suit those who's main (perhaps unstated) purpose of organising the black bloc is essentially one of self promotion and propaganda, to put on a spectacular display of visual militancy in competition with rival leftist groups or who otherwise still harbour illusions in their abillity 'to lead' the assembled masses in an assault on visual symbols of the establishment.

Sorry but it's hard sometimes not to be cynical on this overworked subject.

Given that the black bloc is a tactic, and tactics are for achieving goals, what goals that we have would be best achieved by using a black bloc? In fact, what goals do we have for the march in general?

Perhaps we could have a less sexy but much more useful handing out free sheets bloc.

There's a pink n black block organised by the Queer Resistance

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181582421881050&ref=ts

It's been pointed to already, but the police will be straight on it just as the march gets moving and we won't be able to do much about it as there won't be enough people to get involved in it.

Most of the 'action' will probably happen after the official A-B march. So as suggested handing out literature during the march and work on making it have more of a carnival feel to it, then latching on to this 'Stay 4 1 Day' thingy that seems to be getting quite popular, to encourage people to do more (whatever that may be).

I've spoken about Black Blocs on here before but since the student demo's my feelings towards them have change. I don't really think theres any point to organiseing a black bloc on the 26th. Things that would be effective would include: a radical workers bloc as seen on other demo's, promoting and agitating for more direct action and moving away from the A-B march formula, meeting up and organising with people interested in direct action before hand and on the day and ultimately being prepared.

A black bloc won't be effective because it will simply create a division in the march between those in the black bloc and those who don't really like the black bloc tactic or understand it. Secondly and more importantly (in my mind) if the black bloc is of any noticable size the police and the stewards will focus all their attention on it and you'll just get kettled or have no chance in taking part in direct action.

Thirdly it's important I think to make clear how absent and unecessary black blocs have been at the recent student demo's. This has helped radicalise more students because rather then seeing some strange and intimidating group of people engaged in direct action they have simply seen other students and workers who share their anger and this has helped to promote direct action in the students anti-cuts groups.

By all means be prepared to mask up to avoid FIT teams and so on but coming dressed all in black and grouping together will just alienate those around you and I believe would probably make the chances of something more exciting happening smaller.

I agree with you.

Needs to be pointed out that London Met are bottle necking traffic across London. Coaches outside London are going to be arriving in West London/Wembley and the hope of converging in one central place is deliberately going to be very difficult for us.

If people want to do action on the day, there is the UK Uncut action map that as been circulated around.

You really would have thought that black bloc call outs would be a thing of the past, in the UK, after the Tory Conference Convergence, which, from the, only appeared to make the a-b slower for a small section of the demonstration.

We've seen a move away from these call-outs on the recent student demos, with the mandering stylings of UKuncut and people working on the basis of "not only do we desire to change our lives immediately, it is by the criterion by which we are seeking up accomplices'- Fire to the Prisons. Basically if people want to bloc up, they will find people there with similar desires.

expect super aggressive stewarding.

at the student demo on the day of the fees vote, they surrounded the block as it was marching and linked arms, specifically trying to prevent any free movement, chanting crappy things like 'Keep the march going!'. literally they were doing the polices work; they formed a line between the protesters and the police.

PLEASE don't form an easily kettle-able black block.

I agree with Ellar; masking up and wearing low-key but not necessarily black clothing and moving amongst the crowds in small affinity groups is a MUCH more effective form of action. its a better way to radicalise people, and you can move to hotspots of action much more easily without being snatched.

Ellar: I've PM'ed you. Please reply.