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Anarchist communists protest the G8 at Gleneagles, Scotland

category ireland / britain | anarchist movement | feature author Friday July 01, 2005 00:45author by Andrew - Anarkismo Report this post to the editors

What was on, analysis, eyewitness reports and video

From 6th - 8th July 2005, the G8 will attempt to hold their annual summit at the luxurious Gleneagles resort in Scotland. As with every recent meeting of the rich and powerful, thousands of people will take to the streets in resistance. Among them will be anarchist communists involved with Anarkismo.net.

Here we are carrying eyewitness reports from the protests, photos and audio interviews. We also provide a number of background articles on the G8, neoliberalism and the summit protests.

Please add you own reports and comments

Anarchist communists protest the G8 at Gleneagles


From 6th - 8th July 2005, the G8 will attempt to hold their annual summit at the luxurious Gleneagles resort in Scotland. As with every recent meeting of the rich and powerful, thousands of people will take to the streets in resistance. Among them will be anarchist communists involved with Anarkismo.net.

Here we intend to carry eyewitness reports from the protests, photos and audio interviews. We also provide a number of background articles on the G8, neoliberalism and the summit protests.

Please add you own reports and comments

Internet Review: Dissent Network Against the G8
The Dissent! Network was formed to provide a networking tool to co-ordinate radical resistance to the upcoming G8 (the 7 richest countries in the world plus Russia) Summit in Scotland. The network was founded in the autumn of 2003

Reports from Scotland

The Dissent camp site after the London bombings
Most of us had barely been asleep an hour, when at three o'clock the alarm went off. I woke to the sound of people shouting 'get out of your tent, the police are here'. Our delegates were sent to the front gate while the rest of us waited. They came back with the word that twenty police vans had arrived but they had said that they would not enter the camp. A small group of watchers stayed awake, the rest of us went back to our cold beds

News from todays (Weds 6th) blockade of the G8
With the G8 blockade now underway we will be adding whatever news we get here. Please add your own as well

Detailed account of the Stirling Black bloc at the G8
While groups were streaming out of the site, about two-hundred people were meeting to determine whether or not to have a large mass march leaving the camp, and if so, how it would be organized. This is how the suicide march came about, Suicide was not a word chosen hastily. How could it be possible for such a group to actually make it to the distant M9, the major highway connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh to Gleneagles, before being stopped and contained by a ten thousand strong police force assigned to the protests?

Audio - report from 3 Irish people back at camp
Interview with 3 people just returned to the camp from the blocades about what went on - quality is quite poor - interviews seperated by tone

Protest at Irish Consulate In Edinburgh in support of Rossport 5
A solidarity action calling for the release of the Rossport Five [jailed at the behest of Shell for blockading the construction of a gas pipeline in the west of Ireland] took place today outside the Irish Consulate in Edinburgh. In an action planned from the Irish Barrio and spread through the spokes council system, a bus load of Dissent participants left the camp at 7.30am and picketed the consualte.

Tuesdays report from the Irish Dissent camp at the G8 protests
A report on yesterdays police riot in Edinburgh followed by details of what is going on in the campsite in preparation for the Gleneagles blockade. The author is a writer for Anarkismo.net

Carnival for Full Enjoyment contained by Police; locals attack them later on in the evening (G8 4/7)
Police clamp down on "Carnival for Full Enjoyment". Slight over-reaction in the press - all handbag stuff really, no property damage. Not much debate at debate. Local Scots then take it upon themselves to repel invading English Police Forces into their city.

Audio - These police are scum
Interview with two of a group fo 7 people surrounded by 50 riot cops describing police tactics. Cuts straight in and straight out as the mobile phone battery was running out

G8 Anarchist Assembly
Framed photographs of university men with 1950s hair surround the door to the debating chamber. Inside wood panelling stretches from floor to ceiling. It is a grand ninetieth century room and it is filled to the gills with anarchists. Text report, picture and audio interview.

Sunday morning report from Irish Dissent camp at G8
By the time I made it back from MPH, the sun had set, and each barrio was preparing to party. Bands played in the entertainment tent, while in the Irish barrio we did what we do best (drink and talk, and very occasionally sing). Sitting on bales of hay around the campfire, we traded stories of police harassment and debated the merits of the Black Block action earlier in the day.

Audio - Interview about Dissent G8 campsite and plans for Monday
Finbarr on how the campsite is working out, who is there and what are the plans for tomorrow

Audio - Police harrassing individuals
Interview with one of the Irish Dissent crowd who has just been harassed off the MPH march by some very personal attention from the MET

Audio - Black bloc broken up by police
Interviews with two WSM members which gives two different persepectives on the break up of the black bloc in Edinburgh. Includes reports of uses of batons by police
620k

Audio - Overview of the Pake Poverty History march - end of an era for the black bloc?
Interview with anarchist returning from the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh today. He gives an overview of the day and in particular a very critical look at the black bloc action. Also talks of what happens next

Audio - Interview with Irish Dissent activist on preparations
6 mb, 7 mins 15 secs

Audio - Interview with Irish Dissent activist as their bus boards the ferry at Belfast
This was done just after 16.30 GMT Friday 1st July - talks about atmosphere on bus, the Galway bus which crossed ahead of them being stoppped and searched and his reasons for going. Unfortunately there is a fair bit of background noise but you can make it out. its 2.5mb, around 3 mins
Audio - http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/aidan.mp3

Audio - Interview with person as bus is Dissent searched
Describes search procedure etc, interview was finished at around 19.15 about to contact them again

Audio - Magazine stolen
This segment is recorded a little bit later (ending at around 21.50 GMT just after the person in the first interview has been searched. In this segment he describes how the police confiscated a copy of the Irish anarchist magazine 'Red and Black Revolution' which you can read at http://struggle.ws/wsm/rbr.html

Audio - Meanwhile in Edinburgh train Station
Finbarr reports from Edinburgh train station before and after the arrival of the Dissent train from London. Describes what is happening in the station and the intensive police survellance going on all day. I finished recording this around 25 minutes ago. Everyone on the train was also photographed.

Video - Videos from the G8 protests in Scotland
Compliation of lots of video that has been made available
A set of links to online video footage shot at the G8 protests in Scotland, July 2005. Add links to additional videos as comments on this story

The reasons behind the protests

What is wrong with the G8?
The G8 summits effectively decide what sort of world you and your children will live in. Behind closed doors decisions are made that mean our environment is sacrificed to profit, our health service is run down and privatised and millions of people continue to die for want of clean water and basic medicine.

The G8, Live 8 and Africa
Taking hypocrisy to new levels
There is always a temptation to welcome any well-intentioned efforts to make the world a better place and those who concentrate on criticising others' efforts to improve the world can find themselves being easily dismissed as cynics, knockers and “nay-sayers”. Thus, although large numbers of people probably found the idea of a movement against poverty and for social justice being fronted by some of the richest people on earth (Bono and Bill Gates to name but two) to be a little bit odd

Africa, neo-liberalism and anarchism
While neo-liberal reforms have certainly affected workers in the West, it is in Africa where they have had most impact. Neo-liberal policies seek to reduce state control over the national economy in favour of private capitalists - the so-called 'free market'. These policies have been most widely applied in Africa for the simple reason that they are the policies promoted by the International financial institutions (IFI's), the World Bank, IMF and WTO

Zimbabwe: When a Dictator Is As Devastating As a Tsunami
The country is reeling under a massive economic crisis resulting from failed IMF/ World Bank neo-liberal economic policies that the government adopted under the Economic Structural Adjustment Program (ESAP) of 1990. Unemployment is widespread, now estimated at 80% Conversations are dominated by the talk of the Tsunami in reference of the devastation on ordinary peopleís lives caused by the government's so called "Operation Murambatsvina" [Sweep out the Trash] which is nothing but a senseless and callous attack on poor people of the townships.

Anarchists and the summit protests

After the Dust Settles - Lessons from the Summit Protests
Despite the very real problems associated with the idea of 'summit hopping' and spectacular protest these manifestations have provided a public face of anarchism and at least as importantly have given anarchists an opportunity to work together

Summit protests and networks
A look at the advantages and drawbacks of the network form of organisation [Article in Italian]
With the emergence of the summit protest movement into the public eye after J18 and Seattle, anarchism gained an influence way beyond what the numbers of anarchists and the level of anarchist organisation might have led you to predict. Quite quickly in the English speaking world, anarchism emerged from being a fairly obscure and historical critique of the left to become one of the main poles in the globalisation movement.

Anarchist communists debate the Black bloc
Following the 2001 Genoa protests Red and Black Revolution carried a series of articles in which members of the WSM and a member of NEFAC debated what if any role remained for the Black Bloc. Other contributions are from the South African ZACF. In the run up to the G8 Summit protests in Scotland in July Anarkismo.net presents these articles and related links for debate and discussion.

What was planned

Preparing for the G8 in Gleneagles
In the calendar of events here, the background to the various organisational groups are outlined. No doubt there will be many readers of Anarkismo at the various protests. We should use this summit as an opportunity to meet up

Anarchist Assembly in Edinburgh July 3rd to coordinate action shuting down G8 summit
Invitation to the anarchist/anti-authoritarian assembly, July 3, Scotland
We - a collection of UK-based anarchists and anti-authoritarians - seek to encourage anarchists and other malcontents from around the globe to work together in taking practical, direct action to effectively disrupt the summit, expressing our solidarity in action. We are calling for an assembly of anarchists and anti-authoritarians in Edinburgh on July 3rd to coordinate action specifically against the opening day of the Summit on July 6th, and also to facilitate other anti-authoritarian activity over 4th-8th July. We see this assembly organising horizontally and without hierarchy, in a way which enables everyone to participate.

Useful links

The Dissent web page
Details of the protests and how you can help out. Also maps and photos of the area

Indymedia.uk
News of what is going on from activists on the ground - see also the Indymedia G8 Reports Section

Indymedia Scotland
The local indymedia for the protests - may well be overwhelmed by traffic

Indymedia Ireland
Lots of Irish people going and Indymedia.ie has its own server so it may stay up when the others crash. They are carrying an almost live blog of events

author by Andrew - Anarkismopublication date Fri Jul 01, 2005 00:22author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"People in Edinburgh have, for several months, been trying to find a space suitable for G8 protesters to sleep, meet, eat, converge, plan, party, and self-organise. Our initial aim was to hire a building large enough to accommodate many people as well as providing meeting and social space. Our mandate from the network was to find a place we could manage and organise ourselves, and to provide legal sleeping space for those who needed it."

Related Link: http://scotland.indymedia.org/newswire/display/1790/index.php
author by Andrew - Anarkismopublication date Fri Jul 01, 2005 21:51author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This was recorded Wedensday. He is helping out with the set up. Let me know if this works as an earlier attempt to make this available failed

Related Link: http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/finbarr.mp3
author by Andrewpublication date Mon Jul 04, 2005 03:02author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Interview about todays anarchist assembly to arrange the blockade of the G8 and the exposure and expulsion of the journalist Andrew Gilligan from the meeting.

Related Link: http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/assemblyreport.mp3
author by Andrew - Anarkismopublication date Mon Jul 04, 2005 04:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Finbarr on how the campsite is working out, who is there and what are the plans for tomorrow

Related Link: http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/campsitesunday.mp3
author by Dunk - Indymedia.iepublication date Mon Jul 04, 2005 18:15author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Interviews on trains to MPH, include a WSM member discussing violence at the end

Related Link: http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/trainchatting.wav
author by Andrewpublication date Mon Jul 04, 2005 23:00author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Interview with two of a group fo 7 people surrounded by 50 riot cops describing police tactics. Cuts straight in and straight out as the mobile phone battery was running out

Related Link: http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/policescum.mp3
author by Andrew - Anarkismopublication date Tue Jul 05, 2005 01:16author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Some pictures of the cops wading in at

Related Link: http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/FrameSet.aspx?s=EventImagesSearchState%7c1%7c0%7c28%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c1%7c0%7
author by Joe - Anarkismopublication date Fri Jul 15, 2005 23:22author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"The whole of Central Scotland has become gridlocked. At one point all roads in and out of Gleneagles had been closed.The railway at Dunblane has been blockaded. The car crash and blockade on Edinburgh's Queensferry Road has worked, although three of the group have been arrested."

Related Link: http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20050714130609952
author by Joe - Anarkismopublication date Fri Jul 15, 2005 23:24author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"The disruption caused by blockades during the opening day of this years G8 Summit was so massive, that entire delegations canceled their arrivals, or were delayed until the late afternoon. What follows is a compilation of first person accounts of the day, and information from inside sources. We also include some preliminary analysis of blockading tactic"

Related Link: http://www.tao.ca/~wrench/dist/g8/2005/blockade_accounts.html
author by Sally Kimber - Stirling residentpublication date Sat Jul 23, 2005 00:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Readers should be aware of policing in the Stirling area during the G8.

In the months running up to July, activists in Stirling, including Stirling CND, were subjected to police harassment, including unreasonable and illegal demands for personal details. In some cases, activists were filmed. A local group, Stirling G8 Network, were repeatedly harassed when handing out an uncontroversial G8 information leaflet. One leafleter was requested to display his face to a permanent street camera by a policeman amidst questions about ‘troublemakers’ coming to the town.

During the G8, Stirling council hosted the Horizon eco-village - a campsite which was home to thousands of visiting protesters. The presence of the campsite made Stirling a focus for the police and the mass media, both of whom made the town an oppressive place to be in for G8 week. The police were visible in vast numbers. Convoys of more than 30 police vans traversed the small city, lights flashing. Police vehicles routinely blared their sirens when moving about town. This, coupled with the constant whirring of low-flying helicopters, including British army Chinooks that were used to transfer yet more police, created a hateful and oppressive atmosphere and gave the impression that the protesters were violent criminals requiring rigorous control to prevent Stirling from being pillaged.

For three days, section 60 of the Criminal Justice Act was invoked and police checkpoints set up around Stirling. This meant that both visitors and residents could be (and were) stopped and searched at any time. The police advised local businesses that they were in danger, so workers were sent home early ‘for their own safety’. The underlying message was clear - that the G8 protesters were an ugly rent-a-mob, bent on destruction.

The Scottish media magnified isolated incidents: eg, the night-time vandalising of a Burger King at an out-of-town retail park close to the eco-village. In the world’s eyes, Stirling was burning. People were frightened and businesses boarded up their windows in case of attack. The eco-village was, in effect, blockaded by the police for three days. People could not enter or leave the site without being searched, and often all movement was ceased. During the night, police lines barricaded the entrance to the site and there were frequent changes in and out of riot gear.

So who were these dangerous enemies of society that Stirling needed protection from - to the extent that the town had to be converted into a mini police state? The eco-village was set up, with backing from the council, by Dissent, a network of resistance to the G8 (www.dissent.org), and the student body, People and Planet.

The camp was organised from scratch by people allied to these groups and this included ensuring that health and safety standards were met. Power was generated using windmills and solar panels. The site was based around communal kitchen neighbourhoods, grouped by geographical region - eg, Ireland, Manchester etc - or by organisation, and these were also the mechanism for a decision-making system, based on consensus, which governed the camp. Unlike the G8, local people were welcome to visit the site at all times, and some did (like myself), despite the hysteria.

The campers originated from all over the UK and Europe and some from further afield. But most of these predominantly young people had one thing in common - a rejection of lobbying as a political tool and the embracing of direct action. Dissent had been openly planning to participate in the blockade of roads surrounding the G8, in an attempt to disrupt the summit by preventing key workers from reaching Gleneagles.

In Britain today, those who reject poverty, war and ecological destruction are permitted to do so via ‘legitimate’ Live 8 concerts or Make Poverty History rallies, policed by professional bouncers. Those who are attempting self-organised actions or a more confrontational approach can expect police harassment or worse.

Most of the people who experienced the sharp end of police tactics, both in Stirling and elsewhere, had no links to the organised left. The main left parties - eg, Respect or the Scottish Socialist Party - tend to concentrate on parliamentary initiatives, rather than direct actions. But to our credit the spectrum of Scottish left parties and anti-authoritarian groups has so far responded in unity against the threats to civil liberties evident during the G8. There has been no acceptance of divide and rule tactics, splitting the movement into ‘legitimate’ and ‘illegitimate’ protestors. Despite media hysteria, the infamous Black Bloc were marginal players in the context of the anti-G8 actions, so discussions about their controversial tactics must not be allowed to dominate the agenda and our post-G8 analysis.

The UK is governed by an increasingly rightwing and authoritarian regime. Let’s stand firm and build solidarity for the difficult times ahead.

author by dunk - CIRCA + dublin eco city grouppublication date Mon Aug 08, 2005 23:23author email fuspey at yahoo dot co dot ukauthor address author phone Report this post to the editors

Archive of IMC IRL G8 Gleneagles Coverage
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70790
the clowns rocked
Operation Splish Splash Splosh
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/07/317578.html

clowning was great hope global actions can happen on sep 22, part of STATE OF EMERGENCY
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70090&condense_comments=false#comment117700

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