Anarchist March?

[BurnedFlagz]

I may be organizing one soon. Any tips? Should we just march in the streets with our signs and flags and shout and yell? We don't have enough force for a destructive black bloc and I don't want to just stand around with signs. How should this go down?

[ellipsis]

Unless you have numbers, You will probably be pushed to the sidewalk by the police. see if you can obtain or make a mobile sounds system, play upbeat music. get a bullhorn at the very least. I would suggest a snake march, meaning that you don't go on a straight line or route but rather make lots of erratic turns and loop backs so the cops can't keep up, very effective.

[BurnedFlagz]

Unless you have numbers, You will probably be pushed to the sidewalk by the police. see if you can obtain or make a mobile sounds system, play upbeat music. get a bullhorn at the very least. I would suggest a snake march, meaning that you don't go on a straight line or route but rather make lots of erratic turns and loop backs so the cops can't keep up, very effective.

Can we get arrested for a snake march? And by erratic turns do you mean cutting across the streets, across intersections, just being generally everywhere without marching straight forward? We will have 7 or 8 people at most.. Not a huge radical presence in my town unfortunately.

[Ele'ill]

I may be organizing one soon. Any tips? Should we just march in the streets with our signs and flags and shout and yell? We don't have enough force for a destructive black bloc and I don't want to just stand around with signs. How should this go down?

I don't really like what 'black bloc' has become in conversation because it has turned unrealistically into a magical cult thing, taking the place of direct action/sabotage, and instead of just an individual or group of people (in black for practical purposes at night) engaging in direct action as a direct tactic or for fun and out of anger, it has turned into a quantitative quota based game.

I don't know what city you live in and if that city is as prepared for civil unrest as other cities are but if you announce a location/time for your march expect there to be bike cops at the location to make arrests before the march begins and riot cops a few blocks away. As said you all will be pushed onto the side walk although with you saying you only have about 8 people I would suggest not making your march a public call out.

the upside to this is that your city may not have bike cops or rapid response riot cops so you may just end up marching with flags and banners or whatever through neighborhoods yelling, eventually with a police cruiser or two trolling behind the march announcing for everyone to get onto the sidewalk or disperse (and that's all they will do for hours or however long the march lasts)



location,, time, purpose all matter a lot here

[ellipsis]

No, not quite so erratic, just unpredictable, going around the block, doubling back on the way that you came, etc.

[BurnedFlagz]

I don't really like what 'black bloc' has become in conversation because it has turned unrealistically into a magical cult thing, taking the place of direct action/sabotage, and instead of just an individual or group of people (in black for practical purposes at night) engaging in direct action as a direct tactic or for fun and out of anger, it has turned into a quantitative quota based game.

I don't know what city you live in and if that city is as prepared for civil unrest as other cities are but if you announce a location/time for your march expect there to be bike cops at the location to make arrests before the march begins and riot cops a few blocks away. As said you all will be pushed onto the side walk although with you saying you only have about 8 people I would suggest not making your march a public call out.

the upside to this is that your city may not have bike cops or rapid response riot cops so you may just end up marching with flags and banners or whatever through neighborhoods yelling, eventually with a police cruiser or two trolling behind the march announcing for everyone to get onto the sidewalk or disperse (and that's all they will do for hours or however long the march lasts)



location,, time, purpose all matter a lot here

So with our numbers we shouldn't announce it and should just stick to the side walks? Any other tips or advice for small groups? We are definitely trying to limit the number of arrests and ideally of course have none at all but on the other hand still draw attention.

[bcbm]

where in wisconsin? depending on location you could probably draw more than 7 or 8 people. milwaukee has a decent sized (relatively speaking) anarchist presence and apparently there are some that aren't total hippy wingnuts in madison now as well


but anyway if you do end up with that small i don't think a march makes a lot of sense... hard to block much with that few people and will just look kind of silly and probably feel really disempowering for the participants. i would recommend something public and fun, have a table and some music in a place with lots of foot traffic (hard in this weather but) and just pass out fliers on a current issue and try to talk to people. running around masked up with eight people is goofball stuff

[BurnedFlagz]

where in wisconsin? depending on location you could probably draw more than 7 or 8 people. milwaukee has a decent sized (relatively speaking) anarchist presence and apparently there are some that aren't total hippy wingnuts in madison now as well


but anyway if you do end up with that small i don't think a march makes a lot of sense... hard to block much with that few people and will just look kind of silly and probably feel really disempowering for the participants. i would recommend something public and fun, have a table and some music in a place with lots of foot traffic (hard in this weather but) and just pass out fliers on a current issue and try to talk to people. running around masked up with eight people is goofball stuff

I'm really set on a march. :/ i fucking hate where I live.. But it is close to Milwaukee.. now i'm thinking of changing locations.. do you have any info on how to find any other anarchists in Milwaukee? That could help a lot.

[ellipsis]

There is a collective called the cream city collective, i am not sure what their public function is if any, but thats what i have heard. it might be a good place to start

[BurnedFlagz]

There is a collective called the cream city collective, i am not sure what their public function is if any, but thats what i have heard. it might be a good place to start

Hung out with a few cats from the CCC unfortunately the collective space was shut down and I have no way of contacting anybody from there

[ellipsis]

maybe check the space listing in sling shot?

[bcbm]

I'm really set on a march. :/ i fucking hate where I live.. But it is close to Milwaukee.. now i'm thinking of changing locations.. do you have any info on how to find any other anarchists in Milwaukee? That could help a lot.

gotta start somewhere :) check your pms

[Pawn Power]

This seems like a classic case of tactics before vision/goal.

[BIXX]

This seems like a classic case of tactics before vision/goal.

This; what is it you want to accomplish? You may not need a real march. I can actually almost guarantee that you wouldn't need a march. I know you are set on the march, but for now you might wanna just hold off on that.

On a side note, are you sure you want it to be an exclusively anarchist march? Why do you want it that way? Cause if you were to allow communists and whatnot into your march, it couldn't hurt your numbers. I couldn't see it raising you to a full on march, but it would be something.

[Ele'ill]

So with our numbers we shouldn't announce it and should just stick to the side walks? Any other tips or advice for small groups? We are definitely trying to limit the number of arrests and ideally of course have none at all but on the other hand still draw attention.

Small groups usually do other stuff because they don't have the numbers to hold the street and everyone gets hurt and arrested pretty quick (it may work out because only one or two patrol cars may show up as a rear escort that will continuously have to reroute do to newspaper boxes and trash being pushed into the street.) You can do a lot of other things to draw attention with 8 people.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Yeah, don't get me wrong, marches are good fun, especially when they're rowdy, but it might take some build-up.
Like, before holding an "Anarchist March" what about holding an anarchist teach-in? What about spending some time on picket lines with striking workers? What about publishing a broadsheet (like, an 11x17 photocopied "newspaper") and distributing a few thousand on public transit? Etc. Once those things are done, you can start organizing a march, which, realistically, probably means doing all of those things all over again with a specific goal of building up to a march.
Of course, over the course of these things - through discussion and feedback - you might find that a march isn't what people are looking for. Maybe a rally? A blockade? An ice cream social? Looting? Who fucking knows? Nobody if they don't put their nose to the grindstone and do some investigation first.

[TheRedAnarchist23]

Once, when I was younger, I saw a poster on a bus stop announcing an "anti-capitalist demonstration", it was evidently anarchist. The next day I see on the news that it resulted in the formation of a group of 15 anarchists. The police saw the group of anarchists and decided to mess with them.
Some of them were arrested, I don't remember how many because my memory is not that good.

This just serves to show you that people will answer your call, no matter how few they are.

[Pawn Power]

Once, when I was younger, I saw a poster on a bus stop announcing an "anti-capitalist demonstration", it was evidently anarchist. The next day I see on the news that it resulted in the formation of a group of 15 anarchists. The police saw the group of anarchists and decided to mess with them.
Some of them were arrested, I don't remember how many because my memory is not that good.

This just serves to show you that people will answer your call, no matter how few they are.

People will answer the call for a public pillow fight (thousands actually). The point is, what are you trying to accomplish? What is your objective?

[Parvati]

Maybe you can try to call an AntiCapitalist Demo for MayDay, which is a reason (and a tradition we want to claim back), even if you're just a small group, it's a beginning. I've done different demos with few people, sometimes get pushed on the side walk by the police, sometimes not, it really depends. But you should do it if you think it's a good idea. Publicize the event for sure, if you don't nobody will know what you're trying to to (except if you live in a really small town, but anyway, you should publicize it). Use tracts and posters to make some popular education on the side, discuss with new people, etc.

[Ele'ill]

People will answer the call for a public pillow fight (thousands actually). The point is, what are you trying to accomplish? What is your objective?


(public pillow fights don't confront or challenge the status quo, angry people engaging in action against the state does)

[ellipsis]

(public pillow fights don't confront or challenge the status quo, angry people engaging in action against the state does)

But but but... The spectacle!

[Ele'ill]

What?

[Total]

In my experience you can have a nice action with just a few people, if you're counting on about 8 people then a march might not be the best way go.

The question came up above, what do you want to accomplish? Do you want to inform people? disrupt 'everyday capitalism'? Make your pressence known so others can join? Is it a protest against or for something?

Different means, different tactics

If you want to inform people, maybe a stand isn't such a bad idea. Handing out food never hurts. This is a good way to get in contact with people passing by. And while they're eating you can have a talk and hand them some flyers or something to think about.

Protesting or disrupting can be done by something that looks like a march. With just a few people, a banner and a lot of noise you can do a quick round through a commercial district or something, causing a little chaos the shoppers didn't expect. Again, hand out information, tell them why you're there. You could also considder hanging the banner somewhere at the end of the action, or make that the action. If you want to do something like this, consider your target and don't stick around to long.

[ellipsis]

What?

Haven't u read derida?

I just ragging on situationalism.

[Ele'ill]

I'm aware of the spectacle I'm still unsure how to read your joke :<

[ellipsis]

I was agreeing with you by making fun of the opposing viewpoint, situationalisn

[Riveraxis]

In my area our anarchist group is pretty small, like yours.
There are about 6 people who regularly attend their meetings and come out to all the events.
And there's a good 10-15 more who will occasionally support.

They've tried to throw marches but they always turn into a "stand" instead. I find they're more successful this way, given their numbers. Generally they'll post up somewhere, wave their black flag and chant, and plenty of people will come up and talk to them about what they're doing. Many moreso than while they were marching.
That's how I found them, in fact.

They say that Mayday is the best day for radicalizing people. They hold a Mayday event every year and say that 100-200 people could show up this year. That is very significant for my city. But not all of these people are going to be anarchists. The point- our point, at least- is not to start a movement or make a definitive stand.

Above all else, the point is to demonstrate our power. Not to the bourgeois, or the cops. But to all the would-be revolutionaries themselves who feel that striking is a waste of time and nothing will ever get accomplished. We must show them that the general strike is an effective means of self defense that we are perfectly capable of utilizing. That we neglect far too often!

Once people begin to understand that... It won't be so hard to gather a rally.

[Ele'ill]

In my area our anarchist group is pretty small, like yours.
There are about 6 people who regularly attend their meetings and come out to all the events.
And there's a good 10-15 more who will occasionally support.

They've tried to throw marches but they always turn into a "stand" instead. I find they're more successful this way, given their numbers. Generally they'll post up somewhere, wave their black flag and chant, and plenty of people will come up and talk to them about what they're doing. Many moreso than while they were marching.
That's how I found them, in fact.

They say that Mayday is the best day for radicalizing people. They hold a Mayday event every year and say that 100-200 people could show up this year. That is very significant for my city. But not all of these people are going to be anarchists. The point- our point, at least- is not to start a movement or make a definitive stand.

Above all else, the point is to demonstrate our power. Not to the bourgeois, or the cops. But to all the would-be revolutionaries themselves who feel that striking is a waste of time and nothing will ever get accomplished. We must show them that the general strike is an effective means of self defense that we are perfectly capable of utilizing. That we neglect far too often!

Once people begin to understand that... It won't be so hard to gather a rally.

you'll be waiting forever for the illusive perfect number and perfect movement to engage in the perfectly planned mass clash. It will never happen, don't wait.

[Pawn Power]

(public pillow fights don't confront or challenge the status quo, angry people engaging in action against the state does)

Seems pretty directionless to me.

[BIXX]

We could have public pillow fights to seem relatable to the community :laugh:

[Riveraxis]

you'll be waiting forever for the illusive perfect number and perfect movement to engage in the perfectly planned mass clash. It will never happen, don't wait.

Wasn't waiting on one.
I was suggesting that *if* we could demonstrate the power of the general strike and our potential to halt production, it would inspire a lot of confidence in people to carry on the movement.
Our group has about 8 people, I don't know what you're talking about.
Unless you mean to say that we should not encourage people to participate in Mayday because "The conditions will never be right" or whatever. That is hardly the point. Nothing happens spontaneously, you have to build support...

[Ele'ill]

Wasn't waiting on one.
I was suggesting that *if* we could demonstrate the power of the general strike and our potential to halt production, it would inspire a lot of confidence in people to carry on the movement.
Our group has about 8 people, I don't know what you're talking about.
Unless you mean to say that we should not encourage people to participate in Mayday because "The conditions will never be right" or whatever. That is hardly the point. Nothing happens spontaneously, you have to build support...

what I meant was that in light of you trying to decide if a march or smaller action was ok, that 8 people is enough, don't wait, you don't need a movement to legitimize your anger or your potential to act. Movement building in shit conditions for it results in fragile movements far removed from radical roots, completely about deescalation in order for the movement to survive in abyssal incoherency. I don't think you want a 'general strike' to look like a rally for the democrats.

[Riveraxis]

Oh, I getcha.
That's a good point.

My idea is just to work towards bigger and bigger events. I think you can call on non-revolutionary and non-anarchist types for mayday because mayday is a holiday for any proletariat- not just the revolutionary ones.
As far as building a movement, I think you're right and hadn't considered it that way. An opportunist movement is sometimes worse than no movement at all, because it's a waste of energy. Our general aim when we go out and do /whatever/ is to build awareness, not really support. We don't expect most people to join the anarchist circle. But we do want them- if they're willing to listen- to hear what we have to say. It may inspire better thoughts or it may amount to nothing but the information isn't going to get out there any other way. Every once in awhile- like when I met them- we meet another radical who really wants to help us out and that's awesome. But sometimes it is hard to keep morale up, which is why there are only 8 fully committed members.

But back to the OP:
Maybe consider whether you want this event to be public or not. You can get your message across publicly- but your only means will be your words. And a lot of people will pass you by.
If you design a banner and drop it somewhere huge at 4 in the morning, a lot more people could see it.
This is not to say you can't do both. Just utilize all your options.
This thread:
http://www.revleft.com/vb/diy-crimethinc-t35152/index.html
is chalk full of useful ideas.