Share this
Mister Wong
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Blinklist
Facebook
Wikio
Print
An affinity group of anarchists who had been participating in Climate Camp and had been concerned about the tone and low impact of some of the mainstream camp actions decided to visit the Daily Mail head office in the hope of having a few words. The immediate trigger for this was the poor write up the Camp had received in that week's paper which stereotyped those at camp as 'young, posh idiots', although all the activists involved had many other motivations for this action. Most of all, as working-class people with a sense of basic human solidarity, all those present detested the Mail for its sexist and racist overtones and long record of consistently scapegoating and demonising marginalised social groups such as immigrants, queers, transpeople, the unemployed, youth stigmatised as "chavs", as well as specific instances like the incredibly inaccurate hack job of an article about anarchists in the run-up to the G20.
The group located the Mail's head office on Derry Street in leafy Kensington, masked up and attempted to enter the building, flying a red and black flag and shouting anti-capitalist and anti-Daily Mail chants. The group approached a door clearly marked 'Visitors', but were made to feel rather unwelcome by the reaction of several security guards - both uniformed and plain clothed - who immediately locked the revolving door and attacked and threatened the 'visitors'. Public reaction was warm, with some passers-by photographing and filming the action and shouting their opposition both to the Mail and the severity of the reaction.
There was a disproportionate over-reaction by armed police, culminating in a very visible get-together on the scenic banks of the lake in Hyde Park - several police vehicles, several anarchists, and several swans were in attendance. Although the group didn't get to have the little chat they'd intended with the Mail journalists, those involved spoke of feeling invigorated and empowered by the action and its reception - intimidating heavily armed men just by singing and asking questions, for instance, was a new experience for many of them. And we bet the hacks shit themselves a little bit too.
Undercover with the anarchist mob: paying a visit to one of the UK's worst tabloids
Monday, 07 September 2009 09:05
|
Comments (18)
-
2009-09-16 13:00:10 |82.47.220.xxx| Farce
"Shouting slogans" - how is this a bad thing? Are slogans more effective when whispered? Delivered in morse code, maybe?
-
Slogans are pretty useless for expressing any worthwhile political philosophy, and yelling them through a balaclava like some sort of fancy-dress terrorist doesn't exactly do anarchism any favours in the public eye.
Y'know?
-
2009-09-19 14:13:33 |82.47.220.xxx| Farce
Slogans might be worthless for expressing the differences between Derrida and Barthes's concepts of post-structuralism. But if you're just making the point that the Daily Mail is a fucking shit rag, then they're quite effective. And can you name a single political movement that has ever managed to build up a mass following without using slogans?
-
Everyone knows the Mail is a shit rag, even its employees know it.
I'd answer; "Can you name a single political movement that has ever managed to build up a respectable following whilst prancing about in balaclavas?".
It's fun, I don't doubt, but it's a bit of a crap way of getting attention. Makes you look like cretins, and does the political ideology a serious disservice.
-
Well, I think evoking neo-nazi number codes with a username ending in "88" is more cretinous.
You aren't 21 years old, are you?
-
I'm 22 now, not that it's any business of yours.
Why the paranoia though? One doesn't have to be some sort of crazy neo-nazi to dislike the empty-headed strategies outlined above. Indeed, one doesn't even have to be opposed to Anarchism!
-
2009-09-23 11:55:20 |91.111.106.xxx| DWK62
I couldn't detest the likes of the Mail, and most other mainstream media more. I'm with you on this.
But this kind of tokenist juvenile action, whilst satisfying those that took part is not only futile, but counter-productive. Nothing wrong with slogans, but they have to be succinct, constructive and delivered in a way that people are prepared to receive openly.
The hatred spewed by the likes of the Mail doesn't need mirroring in opposition to it. Quite the opposite - the alternative to this shallow, unjust system must show itself to be better in every way, otherwise people (even those who yearn for something better) will ensure such views remain marginalised. Few will be tempted to swap a life within a system within which they at least know the boundaries, for what they'll perceive as something based on anger and hatred.
Get real, and organise constructively, or carry on playing your role in justifying capitalism by proving there isn't a sane, viable alternative.
-
DWK62 wrote:But this kind of tokenist juvenile action, whilst satisfying those that took part is not only futile, but counter-productive.
Depends what the objective is, no?DWK62 wrote:Nothing wrong with slogans, but they have to be succinct, constructive and delivered in a way that people are prepared to receive openly.
If the objective is "make DM workers realise that their paper is a force for evil in the world and decide to start backing class struggle and the underdog instead of promoting the most reactionary, hate-filled instincts of the upper middle class", then you might have a point.If the objective is "give them a hard time and a reminder that they aren't separate from the world they create" or similar, then baws to that.
DWK62 wrote:The hatred spewed by the likes of the Mail doesn't need mirroring in opposition to it. Quite the opposite - the alternative to this shallow, unjust system must show itself to be better in every way, otherwise people (even those who yearn for something better) will ensure such views remain marginalised. Few will be tempted to swap a life within a system within which they at least know the boundaries, for what they'll perceive as something based on anger and hatred.
See, I think that Daily Mail journos are quite at home with hatred and anger. It is their product. And again I think you're mistaking the audience of the action.< p>DWK62 wrote:Get real, and organise constructively, or carry on playing your role in justifying capitalism by proving there isn't a sane, viable alternative.
Tio, you think that being nice to the Daily Mail is a way to promote anarchism and that capitalism is the fault of people who oppose it. Who has to "get real" here?
-
NB.
It's not necessary to be some sort of angry Marxist class-warrior to be an Anarchist.
You're kidding yourself if you think the upper middle classes read the Mail, and if you think their employees necessarily accept the ideology of their employer.
-
2009-09-27 19:11:29 |91.111.65.xxx| DWK62 - re:
milgram - thanks for the reply.
You're right, it depends what the objective is. If it's just to give them a hard time, then setting easily attainable goals is fine - although on this occasion even these weren't met, as according to the article 'the group didn't get to have (their) little chat'.
As you say, DM journos 'are quite at home with hatred and anger', and this anarchist group did their best to make them feel at home by providing plenty of their own.
Not sure what you meant by mistaking the audience of the action - if you mean the display was directed at only those few working for the DM and doesn't have wider negative effects, bear in mind these people do have access to millions of people each day via their 'newspaper'.
Lastly, I would never claim capitalism is the fault of those that oppose it, but it's continuance (how many years has the anarchist movement been operating?), is most definitely the fault of our inability to be any kind of match to their sophistication, propaganda and single-minded determination to carry out their agenda. To me, buying balaclavas and sparring with their lackeys doesn't seem to be getting the desired results.
-
Invictu s_88 wrote:NB.< /u>
It's not necessary to be some sort of angry Marxist class-warrior to be an Anarchist.I think you just gave me a tagline, thanks
-
Quote:< /b>Lastly, I would never claim capitalism is the fault of those that oppose it, but it's continuance (how many years has the anarchist movement been operating?), is most definitely the fault of our inability to be any kind of match to their sophistication, propaganda and single-minded determination to carry out their agenda.
... no mention of their guns, power, control over the means of daily survival? "If only we were more virtuous, we would be saved!"
:s
No.Quote:< /b>To me, buying balaclavas and sparring with their lackeys doesn't seem to be getting the desired results.Neither is your implied strategy of pacifism and hope that if we're nice and responsible then they'll see the light and give up their privileged position. If that's so bound for success, try persuading them not me.
-
2009-09-30 09:57:35 |91.111.88.xxx| DWK62 - Re
Their real power doesn't come from guns, it comes from you. If they can extract anger and even violence from people, they are firmly in control. That tells them you are hopelessly caught up in their system. This isn't about being pacifist, it's about reality; take them on on their terms, and in a battlefield of their choosing, and you lose. You cannot match their power, and the closer you come to threatening their dominance, the more they'll reveal of their true nature - every bit as vicious as the Stalinist and Nazi regimes of the past, but so much more subtle.
The one thing we have is numbers - but for the most part these numbers need yet to be awakened. That will never happen whilst the profile of the headline grabbing opponents can be claimed to be self-indulgent, hate-filled rabble. Most people don't desire to be led by, or part of such a movement, when they can get by in the more cosy atmosphere provided by the status quo.
The cause is undeniable, but thankfully for the establishment the headless chicken-like way we set about it provides them their safety with them rarely having to unmask themselves as the ruthless thugs they really are.
Joomla components by Compojoom
Unfortunately, the gauche and adversarial action by these anarchists does nothing to persuade people of the value of anarchism as an area of political philosophy.
Shouting slogans, wearing masks, and not calling in advance to arrange a meeting?
If anarchism has merit, it's not found in the actions of people like these.