Well, we've got a pretty big base. It's growing all the time, so I don't have the numbers. The Anti-Capitalist Convergence turned out two thousand people for our anti-capitalist anti-war march on S29. That was a small fraction of what we had expected if the anti-World Bank/IMF protest had happened like they were supposed to before the WB/IMF cancelled their meetings. Some flags were burned during the march--it wasn't a big deal and the people who were most offended were the Freepers.
Flag-burning is not an integral part of the movement that I consider myself to be part of. At the same time, our movement is comfortable with flag-burning. It's called tolerance.
Perhaps this mystifies those of you who think we should modify our politics and tactics to appeal to Middle America? This may make sense in some situations, but I think we've learned recently how important it is to not water down your politics to appeal to some mythical Middle America. The other coalition that was organizing the anti-World Bank protest was all about pandering to the mythical middle. In the end, they not only sold out the rest of the movement, but they found that they had very little base, especially in the local community. The Anti-Capitalist Convergence did a much better job of developing relationships with community allies than the Mob4Glob did.
It's a big mistake to pander your message to a middle America that you know nothing about. It's a mistake to distance yourself from militant tactics, when many working class people accept those tactics. It's a mistake to get all upset about the black bloc, when the big union (AFL-CIO) giving you $100,000 and asking you to adopt a nonviolence code, has a long history of violence and property destruction.
I'll close by repeating a comment that a well-known union organizer told me one night outside a meeting: "Chuck0. The Anti-Capitalist Convergence understands its constituency far better than the Mob does."
I have alot of friends in the Mob4Glob and I respect the hard work that they put into the protests. They are due for a little criticism from me. ;-)
Chuck0