Chuck0,
You might want to pass this over to the lbo list.
> > I find this cartoon characterization of the black bloc to be extremely
> > offensive and totally inaccurate.
> I agree with Fred Woodworth, maker of The Match!, when he calls Black
> Bloc'ers "violentists" instead of anarchists.
First, I'm calling you out on this one, Brian. Where has the black bloc in North America (Europe is a different matter) been very "violent"? Sure some windows have been broken. Some graffitti, a bit of paint. Sometimes there are some scuffles with cops. Maybe in comparison to the last 30 years of handholding civil obedience that feigns itself as protest that some much of left practiced, the black bloc is controversial--it seems rather tame compared to much of the world. Indeed, the passivity and pacifism of the left in the U.S. is in rather stark contrast the the profoundly violent place the rest of the world is... whether that's my neighborhood in Baltimore, or whether it's bombs falling on Baghdad.
Alot of labor strikes are far more violent... not only in terms of property damage (SABOTAGE!) but in actually physical confrontations between workers and scabs, bosses, security and cops. To touch on just a couple of strikes in an industry I'm involved in... the general strike against the privatization of the telephone industry in Puerto Rico in 1997, the CWA strike on Verizon in 2000, and the current strike at Videotron in Quebec. Each of these strikes had more property destruction than all the blac bloc actions in North America, combined. Further, each of these strikes involved more violence AGAINST HUMAN BEINGS, than anything the black bloc has done in North America. Both strikers and black blocers are more militant in Europe (or almost anyplace else for that matter).
About the only folks you actually see anarchists being violent towards are fascists (who are far more violent than anarchists). Save the liberal arguments for someone who doesn't have nazis building pipebombs in his neighborhood--thanks.
The nice thing about black masks, is that you don't know who is behind them. Some of them are primitivists, punks, crimethincers, trainhoppers, and kids looking for a thrill. Some of them are unemployed. Some of them aer students. Alot of them are also workers. Some of them are union organizers, community organizers, tennant organizers, shop stewards, etc... alot of them really are anarchists who know just as much about anarchism, capitalism, etc... as anyone on this list.
You'll note that Anarcho-Syndicalist Review doesn't usually criticize the black bloc or property destruction as a some how "non-anarchist" or "violent" tactic. Northeastern Anarchist and Barricada in generally often criticizes both, but usually to the degree about how those tactics could be used more effectively both in their implementation and the strategy for when in where to use them as part of an overall campaign. It's really easy to dismiss a some feral primitivists, but if you want a good debate on it... send some of it over to the class struggle anarchist way.
http://flag.blackened.net/global/100nefac.htm http://slash.autonomedia.org/analysis/02/03/21/1749232.shtml
Now, if you want to debate whether the black bloc is a useful tactic, that is another matter. It certainly has limitations and consequences. However, if we are going to have an honest debate about it, then let's lay off the ad hominen attacks that are easily proved false.
Anyway... if we could get past the sterotypes...
Znet had a bit of debate on the Trashing as Tactic (and we are talking about vandalism here... not violence!)
http://www.zmag.org/trashing.htm
For a perspective on the European scene "Bashing the Black Bloc?", WSM http://struggle.ws/rbr/rbr6/black.html
The Infoshop.org site still seems to be the most comprhensive resource on the subject in english on the web: http://www.infoshop.org/blackbloc.html
However, a new book will be coming out soon entitled, "The Black Block Papers". It's basically a compilation of various Black Bloc calls to actions, first person accounts, analysis of various protests, as well as the black bloc tactic in generally; largely from folks who have participated in the black bloc actions. Alot of the information was already available elsewhere, but this is really useful as it's all compiled into one place. It deals specifically with the period from the N30 Seattle WTO protests in 1999, to the Qubec City FTAA protests in 2001 and is focused specifically on the North American context.
> The Match! is the oldest anarchist zine still in print in the US
> (began in early 60s). From the Summer, 2002, issue of The Match!, on the
> subject anti-technologists and Black Block-ing:
I've got no love of primitivism. However, The Match! is old and out of touch. It has little releveance to contemporary anarchism. Fred Woodworth even went so far to call Lorenzo Komboa Ervin a cop!
This entire debate itself is pretty stale at this point. I'm actually suprised it's still going on.
"Violentists". Bah. You're an anarchist who should know better.
Solid,
Flint