hoods?

[Black Sheep]

Ok,many of you anarchists ( i presume) go to riots and rallies wearing hoods.

What is the purpose of this,keeping in mind that you cannot know and control who enters your bloc (undercover cops,provocateurs etc) ?
In peaceful riots it is redundant, right?

[cleef]

without trying to sound patronizing i assumed it was simply a concealment of your identity :confused: i dont think it is pointless even in a peaceful protest because your picture could still be taken and you would be put onto a watch list.

[Catbus]

The main purpose of hoods, masks, bandanas, and so on is protection. Not only do they cover your face (so that you can't be identified later from a picture taken of you, or any other means that the pigs use to identify us), but a bandana soaked in vineger can help lessen the impacts of tear gas. Really, any type of face protection can help. Granted, tear gas sucks either way, but having uncovered orfices makes it all the worse.

As for infiltration, that can happen and theres not much to do about it. If someone that looks out of place or new joins the bloc, maybe ask them to smash a window or light a fire. If they're a pig then they probably won't.

Here's a good thread on spotting pigs.
http://www.revleft.com/vb/spot-and-out-t65558/index.html

Edit: Everyone looking the same also makes it harder for a single person to be singled out, and adds to total autonomy.

[apathy maybe]

Actually, staying anonymous at protests, whether they are violent or not, is always a good idea. There is no point making the filth's job any easier.

If they know who turns up regularly (and they do film protests), they can target these people. (For example.)

[F9]

i dont wear hood tbh, but just a scarf!:p
Thats done from me at least, just for "protecting" myself and my face from being all around the news, and in cop files!Moreover there are fascists which you need to hide your face too, if theres a danger of them coming after you!
But as of my knowledge not only Anarchists hide their faces with hoods etc, basically tbh last time in a protest where there were some clashes with cops, Anarchists where mostly "unhooded" and the rest of the people either with a scarf or a lot other things that can hide identification!
I think the purpose is to hide your "face" from state!And this can happen in peaceful riots too!
Before some time, (17N) in a completely peaceful protest for the events, undercover cops just appeared there and with the "mask" of media reporter, they were taking continously pictures, but only of the Anarchists who were there!
Now i know what you mean by control of who enters your bloc, but i think is pretty sily being a leftist and deny someone the enter to the bloc just because he might be a provocateur, or an undercover cop!Besides a lot of the protests start by random people who dont know each other, so even "unmasked" the problem would exist, not all thousands of protesters know each other!

Fuserg9:star:

[zider]

and as well as the filth, who wants to see their face plastered over redwatch!

[Black Sheep]

Now i know what you mean by control of who enters your bloc, but i think is pretty sily being a leftist and deny someone the enter to the bloc just because he might be a provocateur, or an undercover cop!Besides a lot of the protests start by random people who dont know each other, so even "unmasked" the problem would exist, not all thousands of protesters know each other!
Yeah but anyone is welcome at the gathering to join your bloc,before the riot starts.
how can you know who is about to enter your bloc during violent incidents?

[F9]

Yeah but anyone is welcome at the gathering to join your bloc,before the riot starts.
how can you know who is about to enter your bloc during violent incidents?

You simply cant!You attack cops, cops are tear gassing you attacking you, run you away etc, a provocateur can easily enter at this confusing moments where nobody knows each other from confusion!
However this is hardly a reason to stop wearing the hoods, i prefer one asshole or provocateur to enter my riot, than my face goes all around cops with a warrant to get me in!The provocateur can be stopped, the second one cant!
We simply need to be a little more careful and watch people who are going to do an action we disagree(burn a small kiosk etc) and stop him before he does or if he has already done it get him aside and ask why he did it, if he has no valid reason and gets to be a cop or a provocateur, we can tried him in our ways !

Fuserg9:star:

[Hit The North]

I pull up my hood on demos when it rains. I actually have a red pac-a-mac. I look like the midget in Don't Look Now when I'm scurrying from the police horses.

[Black Sheep]

You simply cant!You attack cops, cops are tear gassing you attacking you, run you away etc, a provocateur can easily enter at this confusing moments where nobody knows each other from confusion!
However this is hardly a reason to stop wearing the hoods, i prefer one asshole or provocateur to enter my riot, than my face goes all around cops with a warrant to get me in!The provocateur can be stopped, the second one cant!
We simply need to be a little more careful and watch people who are going to do an action we disagree(burn a small kiosk etc) and stop him before he does or if he has already done it get him aside and ask why he did it, if he has no valid reason and gets to be a cop or a provocateur, we can tried him in our ways !

So,one way is to stop protesting like that, guard your bloc and seal it when the riot starts.
And take off the hoods.IF one of you gets prosecuted,you will have the solidarity of all the others and they will ask pressure to stop the prosecution of your struggle.:)

[Catbus]

So,one way is to stop protesting like that, guard your bloc and seal it when the riot starts.
And take off the hoods.IF one of you gets prosecuted,you will have the solidarity of all the others and they will ask pressure to stop the prosecution of your struggle.:)

Are you being sarcastic? It's not quite that simple. First, it would be impossible to seal a bloc. It would be a waste of effort to try to keep out every person that wants to join in. Use the RNC 8 as an example to what happens when people are arrested (though their arrest was for a different reason), you can't just ask prosecution to stop.

[F9]

So,one way is to stop protesting like that, guard your bloc and seal it when the riot starts.

Proposal:rejected:p
Why change our way pf protesting?Why adjust(simvivazomaste) with what the state wants us to be?Peaceful and remoted(apomonomeni)?
Ok, guard the bloc, of course, we dont want attacks, but seal it?Hell no, thats what "k"ke doing, and its stupidity!Imagine if a cop runs a comrade from a bloc on next street, and he reach ours bloc, wouldnt we open to him and close the cop out?What about people who might after seeing us, or listening to what we have to say, or believing in our actions, suddenly want to enter our bloc?We deny their entrance, because they should "like" us 15 minutes before when the riot started?No, i dont think so!
I am totally against the "sealing" of blocs!



[And take off the hoods.IF one of you gets prosecuted,you will have the solidarity of all the others and they will ask pressure to stop the prosecution of your struggle.:)

Yeah i might got solidarity, but i am getting and to fucking prison!We dont want "heroes" that go in jail, we want comrades next to us in the streets!And plus for me is the fields issue where (tromonomo) you can get in jail for NOTHING, just for standing next to your team, just for a fucking flare, or candle (fotovolida:p)!So i got used and from football fields to just hide my identity with the first "chance", when i see cameras turned on me, or stupid laws that can sent me in jail for doing nothing!

ps:there are some () in the post, there are greeks, just because we speek the same language with bulk sheep and it was better to explain and in greek some words which were "difficult".

Fuserg9:star:

[Black Sheep]

Peaceful and remoted(apomonomeni)?Huh?Riots are for expressing public frustration and disagreement.Do you actually think that you are 'hurting' the state by being violent against cops and public buildings?Or banks?

Ok, guard the bloc,Never happens though.

Hell no, thats what "k"ke doing, and its stupidity!Imagine if a cop runs a comrade from a bloc on next street, and he reach ours bloc, wouldnt we open to him and close the cop out?What about people who might after seeing us, or listening to what we have to say, or believing in our actions, suddenly want to enter our bloc?We deny their entrance, because they should "like" us 15 minutes before when the riot started?No, i dont think so!
I am totally against the "sealing" of blocs!Yeah but if ALL blocs were sealed, a single nose wouldn't bleed.Accusing sealed blocs for not letting other protesters in who were on an unguarded bloc is the stupid thing.
Sealed blocs are for not taking chances in jeopardizing your bloc's safety.

[Dóchas]

how do you open and close blocs during a riot/protest...sorry iv never been in a black bloc before

[Black Sheep]

The blac blocs as far as i know arent sealed,not even guarded.

You seal a bloc by making a perimeter of tough protesters equipped with thick wooden sticks (with flags of course), i dont know the exact words..
i.e.Here in action:

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1406/618010753641od8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/618010753641od8.jpg/1/w512.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img152/618010753641od8.jpg/1/)

They make a wall on the bloc during violent events (provocateurs'/fash's/riot police's assault) and/or beat them away ocassionally.

They protect the old/young people of the bloc from getting beaten up/arrested and generally protect the integrity of the bloc.

*not supposed to start a flame war* and occasionally to beat away anarchists attacking the 'evil communists' bloc'

[Dóchas]

ok so basicly if someone wants to get into the bloc they have to go through its tough crunchy exterior to get to the soft squishy interior?

[Black Sheep]

lol
the interior is not necesarilly soft.But if a 14 year old kid wants to join your bloc,you certainly wont ask it to guard it.

[Dóchas]

ye that was off the top of my head i thought it was pretty good...about the 14 year old ye i totaly agree you got to have some seasoned veterans on the outside

[Wanted Man]

I'm not a big fan of the practice, but I can imagine why activists may decide to cover their faces. The repression apparatus gets more refined and advanced. Especially at big actions that are seen as 'direct threats', there's always the big police van with cameras all over it, recording everything that happens. It can be used at any time. In many countries, if they replay the tape and see you throwing shit, they can always 'snatch' you from the street later.

In the end, though, covering is a band-aid, rather than a long-term solution. A huge popular gathering, where the people approach with an open visor, is eventually stronger than a small group of masked people. But it's easy to talk like that. If I were confronted with the repression mechanisms at, say, the RNC, I can imagine why people take these measures. I remember seeing one picture from the RNC that was really impressive, of one riot cop in full armour, in the night, with some light, rifle in hand. It really looked like scary Robocop shit. I can't imagine it'd be much fun standing there in a thin shirt and showing your face.

bulk sheep: great picture, and of course, it's great if a demonstration can defend itself like that. What action is it from?