Police attack Critical Mass

well done police

01.05.2001 08:29

Well done police. Three less arseholes on the road.

a mouse

positive

01.05.2001 09:05

seems to be a pretty positive action! so far... I hope it remains that way!!!

seven
mail e-mail: gavin@cfc.co.uk

well done ?

01.05.2001 09:09

you must be an anarchist mouse, approving of such tactics.

arrest then release without charge as a means of policing ?

totally out of order.

a cat
mail e-mail: bevenbridge@yahoo.co.uk

As a Londoner I hope you all get a righ good smack from the police. How the fuck would you like it if thousands of people came to your home an smashed the place up. You fuckwits have no clue about gaining public support, and no respect for the good people who live and work in London.

Fuck you all

I hope they use rubber, gass and guns

Londoner
mail e-mail: werw@DFASDFS.COM

police arrest three

01.05.2001 09:10

Well done, but why on earth did they have to release them?

fred

thanks from londoners

01.05.2001 09:10

As a Londoner I hope you all get a righ good smack from the police. How the fuck would you like it if thousands of people came to your home an smashed the place up. You fuckwits have no clue about gaining public support, and no respect for the good people who live and work in London.

Fuck you all

I hope they use rubber, gass and guns

Londoner
mail e-mail: werw@DFASDFS.COM

Approved methods of blocking the street

01.05.2001 09:16

Strange, as ever, that cyclists get all the flak for blocking the streets. Of course they are in fragrant breach of proper road-blocking ettiquette; the approved procedure is to sit in as large a tin can as possible, preferably one person per can, and emit noxious fumes and comments on the inferior parentage of anyone so inconsiderate as to be in one's line of site. Attempted road-use on anything so light, clean, and efficient as a bike merely makes a mockery of the process.

But it's always nice to see the reasoned response from such gentlemen as "londoner". Even more reassuring that he has the faith that should be expected in the traditional media to report things exactly as they are going to happen. (or should happen, for Proper Dramatic Effect).

Wechsler
mail e-mail: imuser@fromtheshadows.com
Homepage: http://www.cyclists.org.uk

Can't think of a heading

01.05.2001 09:19

Thanks Londoner. Ignorant abuse and poor spelling. Wow, you've really made me reconsider my political philosophy. An unequal undemocratic society isn't worth changing after all.

Have thousands of people _really_ smashed up your house? I find that slightly hard to believe.

Not Rupert Marsh

londoners ?

01.05.2001 09:21

well done londoner !

after all, gas is a three letter word, only one mistake in the spelling is pretty good.

a cat
mail e-mail: bevenbridge@yahoo.co.uk

Freedom to Protest

01.05.2001 09:24

I cannot believe the comments posted so far. They are terrible, perhaps the individuals who posted them should take a few moments to apply objective thought to the issues and understand that if we existed in a true democracy this kind of protest would not be necessary. Unfortunately, unless you have the weight of a corporation behind you it is not possible to influence the path of the State.

Everyone knows that the current system creates misery in large sections of the global community, surely this unacceptable and the minor disruption caused to Londoners is not equal to the suffering caused by Capitalism. Try to think for yourselves and about others for a change.

Peace.

anti-anti
mail e-mail: b@b.co.uk

worrying Police tactics

01.05.2001 09:28

I think this is quite a worrying start, as the Police line already seems quite confused and chaotic. This does not bode well if peaceful dissent is to be maintained. If you're going out today, please keep an eye out for set-ups (Last year,the Trafalgar Square McDonalds attack seemed co-ordinated as a photo opportunity for the police to justify dispersing the crowd.) Don't be manipulated. Be Safe, Be alert at all times. It's better to peacefully stop 15 shops from opening than to smash up 1 shop.

Also, members of certain football thug firms were spotted trying to infiltrate last year. Please keep an eye out for these people. They just give the protest a bad name.

Finally, Good Luck. A Recent Evening Standard poll (not the most leftie of newsrags) put Londoners support firmly being the goals of the protest. (So don't worry about the odd uninformed statement - see some of the misspelled minority comments below Doh!) Let's not lose that advantage.

flipper
mail e-mail: mkb_78@hotmail.com

Not from London then?!?

01.05.2001 09:29

I take it that 'Not Rupert Marsh' isn't from London? Obviously not - otherwise, why would he\she worry about spelling when thousands of tossers could be causing disruption in his\her own city.

Anon

anger

01.05.2001 09:32

Anon (Londoner ?)

have you forgotten your medication today ?

try think pleasant thoughts, and smiling at people.

a cat
mail e-mail: bevenbridge@yahoo.co.uk

Sheep

01.05.2001 09:32

Re 'Londoner' , some of the intelligent , enlightened thought out comment so far just goes to show that 99% of the UK population are sheep and happy to remain so .Let them have their 'democracy' and global capitalism its just a shame that the remaining 1% of us have to suffer alongside them .So much for freedom .

Alan J

State terror tactics.

01.05.2001 09:34

The Met polices over hyped campaign against legitimate protest can be sumarised as: "Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough." That's the intellectual level they work at.

Jim
mail e-mail: no.chance@btinternet.com

Medication

01.05.2001 09:37

Sorry Cat - I am smiling, honest!! (and I'm not Londoner)

However, I do object such a nightmare trip round London, dressed up in my jeans just to avoid a kicking in my suit. Whether the peaceful protesters like it or not, I still had to run like Linford last year and don't really relish the possibility of the same thing today. I work to pay the mortgage and provide for my family - is that so bad?

Anon

I am from London

01.05.2001 09:44

Yep. I'm from London. I support the intended goals, as do most people in this city actually. Just thought I'd reiterate that point.

PS. It's kind of mean to berate these people for their spelling. This is a forum for all ages, remember.

flipper
mail e-mail: mkb_78@hotmail.com

Maybe it's _because_ I'm a Londoner

01.05.2001 09:49

Sorry, I am a Londoner, and my life is disrupted by thousands of tossers every day, which is why I hate capitalism. I don't want to hire myself out to my boss, I don't want to live in a society based on greed, I don't want to live in a country that supports human rights abuses when they're in our economic interest, I don't want to live under a mad grow or die mentality that's happy to turn the planet into a commodity.

Apparently this is enough to brand me a criminal and deserving of gassing. With attitudes like that and blatant lies in the press and from police and politicians is it any wonder I'm going to be (peacefully) on the streets today?

Not Rupert Marsh

Dear Thoughtful Analytic Londoner

01.05.2001 09:50

Your obscene and uninformed reactions are completely unnecessary. I'm sure you are an every day Londoner who works to pay his rent and enjoys that lifestyle you lead, you clearly believe that everyone involved in the may day demonstrations is some sort of anti-social anarchist...well this is not true. If you had spent any time reading, researching and trying to understand the anti-corporate movement you would realise it effects everyone including yourself. I am not an anarchist, I work 9-5, (no disrespect to anyone who is not in this situation, just trying to communicate with 'londoner') but use alternative media sources as well as mainstream media to inform me about the world around me, I do not unquestioningly accept everything I am told. Though I do not condone violence, I am very concerned by the fact that a handful of so called anarchists have been completely villified by the mainstream press while armed police who have attacked and harmed people who are standing up for democratic principles will be portrayed as guardian angels. This has been in clear evidence throughout the history of demonstrations including the poll tax riots, which, considering this directly effected YOUR pocket I have a strong belief you may have supported!

Rachel

sitcom

01.05.2001 09:53

hi Anon

not at all, i'm a sitcom myself (single income, three kids, oppressive mortgage).

but if these globalists get their way, our children will be carrying implanted microchips, eating nothing but genetically modified food, and kept in order by troops from, say turkey.

not to mention the disappearance of habeus corpus, trial by jury, and the presumpion of innocence.

i think i'm talking myself into taking the afternoon off, and going up west !

love & light
cat

(currently in the police ministate of the city of london).

a cat
mail e-mail: bevenbridge@yahoo.co.uk

freedom of the city

01.05.2001 09:55

Hello,
Thought I'd take up a moment of your time by mentioning a great gig this coming weekend. It's aptly titled 'freedom of the city'. A festival of contemporary, improvised music.. So, if your tired of walking around town shouting, take some time out to relax.

weaver

london calling

01.05.2001 09:56

I'm from London, I'm fed up with unaffordable housing for my family, fed up with constant congestion, fed up with working almost every hour that I'm awake just to provide. I wish the anti-state protest's everywhere all the best for Mayday

nutty

A Comment on Strange Thanks

01.05.2001 09:58

I'm a Londoner, and my 'manor' has never been looted by anarchists, but then I suppose I'm not lucky enough to live in MacDonalds.

People have a right to express themselves politically whether its complaining about a 'mongrol race' or cycling whilst wearing a funny hat.

James
mail e-mail: james@no2.org.uk
Homepage: http://www.no2.org.uk

sppelling

01.05.2001 09:59

hi flipper

>
>'...a righ good smack from the police.'
>
>'You fuckwits'
>
>'Fuck you all'
>
>'I hope they use rubber, gass and guns'
>

and we shouldn't have a slight dig back ??????

a cat
mail e-mail: bevenbridge@yahoo.co.uk

Who said the police isn't a target?

01.05.2001 10:03

Fluffies fuck off!!!
Self defence is a right!

john
mail e-mail: nmone@none.org

Sitcom indeed

01.05.2001 10:04

Hi Cat,

I agree with your sentiments - but I'm just not sure this is the right way to go about it. Then again, I don't have the solution - I don't think there is one.

Like yourself, I agree with the priniciples of May Day. But anything with an anarchist undertone (which, alas, reading various web sites and based on last year's violence, is undeniable) isn't really my cup of tea. Therefore, I can't say I'll be joining you up west !!

Anon

get it over with

01.05.2001 10:11

can't you lot just get on with your riot, clean up afterwards, do your porridge and let the rest of us get on with living how we want to. Personally I think you've got the wrong targets- you can vote against capitalism by not buying into it. Governments change but politics never does.

thincat
mail e-mail: fatcat@hushmail.com

dig back...

01.05.2001 10:13

hi cat,

well, I'm not averse to self defence, verbal or physical, I just think restraint shows a greater display of power.
Besides, half the people posting insults on this board don't really have a clue what is going on, either in their own lives or anyone elses. That's quite sad, dontcha think.

We've got to pity 'em.

flipper
mail e-mail: mkb_78@hotmail.com

Lovely

01.05.2001 10:17

get a job you rotten stinky trumpet brained sloath.

Jim
mail e-mail: jameskneen@hotmail.com

lovely

01.05.2001 10:19

Well informed useful, nicely backed up comment there mate!

spritzer

Twat!

01.05.2001 10:20

As a Londoner I support the actions of the protesters and if I wasn't at work I'd be out there...I just wish that poeple like that nice other Londoner didn't believe everything they read in the Mail...

Scott xx

Scott
mail e-mail: scott@i.am

lame

01.05.2001 10:22

jim, don't embaress yourself with "student-style" insults.

flipper
mail e-mail: mkb_78@hotmail.com

No way

01.05.2001 10:27

"In Germany, riot police in Berlin have been in action after anti-capitalist protesters began their protests sooner than expected" - these protests were banned, however the neo-nazi National Democratic Party (NPD) has been given clearance for a march on the eastern outskirts of the capital.

spritzer

get it over with

01.05.2001 10:28

re: "half the people..." how do you know? You don't. I would not presume to tell you how to live your life so please do us all a favour, get your silly lttle protest over with so we can get the coppers back to stopping villains rather than clogging up Oxford Street.

thincat
mail e-mail: fatcat@hushmail.com

Go lick your bosses ass!

01.05.2001 10:30

To the "well done police idiots"

Your bosses must love you all. Bet you have never done anything wrong in your life have you?

One day you may realise that the powers that be are taking the piss out of you lot just as much as the rest of us.

Where do you work anyway, got nice windows?

Masked

Grow up for God's sake!

01.05.2001 10:49

Crap reporting, emotive language, wild exageration.

This style of journalism wouldn't be out of place in the Sun -- if it was Johnny Foreigner you were talking about and not the thinning blue line.

max brockbank
Homepage: http://www.oldhitz.com

State terror tactics.

01.05.2001 10:49

Jim,

Whilst I agree that Police presence appears quite threatening, it is important that protests remain peaceful so as to ensure that the message of the demonstrations is not over-shadowed by media coverage of physical aggression.
Metropolitan forces may incite violent backlashes, but these can not be risen to - an eye for an eye leaves two blind men and then no-one sees the point!
Stay Safe.

Britney Spears
mail e-mail: brittany-spears@angelfire.com

get it over with

01.05.2001 10:56

just read on one of your sites that you are expecting 10,000? Is this right? If so it's not much of a mass protest is it? I mean the countryside marchers got at least 250,000 to try to keep the right to kill foxes. Not much of a revolution when twice as many people watch football at Fulham as turn out for your little knees-up. Or is it all just a piss-take?

thincat
mail e-mail: fatcat@hushmail.com

Fatcat

01.05.2001 11:02

Thincat,

The idea that you can choose to opt out of a global system is as great a fallacy as believing that 'one dollar equals one vote', as neo-liberals put it. How can you opt out of your health service being privatised? How can you opt out of the need to make a living? 'One dollar one vote' will only mean the rich few will out vote the poorer many, and thus the market will reflect the subjective values of the wealthy. Neo-liberalism is nothing but an attempt to recreate feudalism by Smith's substitute for divine right 'invisible hand'. Your snide and complacent comments thincat are just another way of saying "let them eat cake". Get out of your post-modern consumerist stupor.

Masked, GROW UP, what are you trying to do confirm media stereotypes?

Calgacus

get it over with

01.05.2001 11:10

Thanks for an intelligent reply. The privatisation of the health service is a political decision and your targets are economic. You have and never will have any other power than economic power and that is mass labour. When the hoolies smash up Macdonalds this afternoon they would do well to remember that rich people don't eat at Macdonalds and will pay for any damage by higher priced burgers. The way to hurt Ronald is not to buy his crap.

thincat
mail e-mail: fatcat@hushmail.com

Have a great day folks.....

01.05.2001 11:29

I hope you all have a great day, enjoy yourselves whilst and please represent those who cannot attend today but will endevour to attend next year!I'll be whatching this space all day!!!1

J G
mail e-mail: *********

grim down south innit

01.05.2001 11:34

ever thought of moving out of london or would you miss the smog

gg

Thincat

01.05.2001 11:39

thincat

A privatisation of the health service is not so much a political decision anymore, that's partly what the protests are about. For example American private health care companies have protested to the WTO that European national health services are an infringement of free trade and are thus unfair competition. European countries are still strong enough not to give into such ideological free trade pressure, but the IMF can impose restrictions on social spending on needy third world countries as conditions for loans. Loans in which dept is collectivised, yet any profit goes into the hands of individuals.

With the increasing power of corporations and the ideological neo-liberal hegemony (to which many mainstream left partes have capitulated), it may only be a matter of time before the NHS is privatised (but it won't happen in one fowl swoop, it will be gradual).

I think the smashing up of McDonalds is merely a symbolic expression of frustration and anger, through the failure of mainstream parties and media to address the issues of increasing corporate power. Its a pity but it seems that the media will only pay attention if they have some violence to sensationalise, if there had been no violence at Seattle the protests would have been ignored or dismissed a bunch of woolly hippies dressed as turtles! The violence against property helped draw some attention to the issues, but it is a double edged sword and can be used to ignore them too, Catch 22.

Calgacus

Peaceful So Far

01.05.2001 11:51

I am relieved to see/hear that so far the protests have been relatively peaceful and non-violent. I understand that the police seem to be rather heavy-handed, but as a six-months pregnant mother to be, I do feel safer at work today knowing that the police are out there doing their jobs. It makes a change to actually see them out on the street.

dee231

get it over with

01.05.2001 11:57

Don't agree I'm afraid. I still think politics is the real problem. Don't get me wrong either- I hold no brief to destroy capitalism but I do think it needs re-defining. Sorry if this sounds neo-liberal but it is the way I feel and for the moment we are still allowed to think what we like. I made loads out of developing the software that we are using to have this conversation and now I work putting some back, but not all I worked for it and its mine.

thincat
mail e-mail: fatcat@hushmail.com

"two blind men"excellent!

01.05.2001 12:09

there you all are reacting to dodgy blokes comment! hows about ignoing the little shit, the same tactic is useful when attending demonstrations. first port of call use your eyes and ears.
second port of call personal responsibility,this includes not getting wound up and dragged into someone elses DRAMA and lets face it there are enough people who attend reclaim who use it as a personal therapy session!!or a pub crawl
third port of call USE YER LEGS!!!!!
dont wait for it to happen that means THEY are directing YOU!keeping i t fluffy mea

ns WE have control and keeps INFILTRATORS out in the open,including government agitators!!that way we could spot em a mile aw
ay !!
sorry abuot dodgy pc use im a bit of a luddite
i can spell honest PEACE (starts with yourself)

michele mc
mail e-mail: willemmc@yahoo.com

WHO IS WHO IS WHO

01.05.2001 12:09

Interesting.

Why do we not treat the insensible to a dose of silence- unless those amateur agitators and aparatchiks would please raise their hands. Hello boys!

Tho raising issues surely does more good than raising hackles...

And as for getting angry, best get wisdom first.

SWING

Swing
mail e-mail: gsdurrant@hushmail.com

Another year of sleeping ahead....

01.05.2001 12:27

These protests are one of the few times that people in their capitalist sleep consider the system's many downsides. The more you get caught up in the capitalist lifestyle, the older you get, the more dependant on it - the less able to see through it you become. America is one of the few places that has it worse than us, and we've always criticised them for being blinkered beyond their own shores. Now we are nearly as bad.
Some of the comments simply highlight how anaesthetised people are from what's going on with todays government, corporations and media. It's pointless to say "Governments change but politics never does" in these days because we're virtually being ruled by corporations and not governments. - what other forces would cause Bush to pull out of the Kyoto agreement for the detrement of the planet in favour of profits and preserving their interests?

You can't vote against corporations, that's not the way it's set up. Demonstration seems to be the only way to voice fears and put the brakes on what we're headed towards.

I know there are many people 'sleeping' in the capitalist lifestyle because I'm one of them myself, giving it very little thought but knowing that what we do today is wrong and that we're slowly surrendering control of everything to corporations and profit.

If protests like this can make people think more about capitalism then all the better. Good luck to all those without violent intentions today. Protesters and police alike.

sad

State terror tactics

01.05.2001 12:32

Brittany

Entirely agree about peacful protest. The point I was trying to make is that the police appear determined to lash out regardless and a compliant establishment media will be complicit in victim blaming.

Jim
mail e-mail: no.chnce@btinternet.com

State terror tactics

01.05.2001 12:44

I think you underestimate the role being played by law enforcement officers in today's protests. If the sentiments of earlier commentators are anything to go by (see "thanks from londoners", by Londoner), their presence may be favourable as a deterrent to mindless agitators!

Britney Spears
mail e-mail: brittany-spears@angelfire.com

re: thanks from londoners

01.05.2001 23:03

gas has 1 's' you idiot

dug
mail e-mail: x@y.z

Hey Jimbo

02.05.2001 04:33

If you're going to be a nasty Jimbo, make sure that people don't use your e-mail address to send you nasty wasty viruses.

Tao

only place to find out what went on

02.05.2001 07:39

I'm not an advocate of smashing things up - gives others too many sticks to beat you with (Sorry), but I can't believe the biassed reporting on the BBC 10 o'clock news last night. If it wasn't for Indy media I wouldn't have known that there was more happening than just Oxford Street. Creative and non-violent stuff doesn't get reported. Also, they said the demo wasn't a success, and the police operation was. I would say the demo was a great success. When people get this frustrated with 'democracy' something's got to change.

Judy Steele
mail e-mail: judy@dmac.co.uk

Hand over

02.05.2001 12:07

Ok, so maybe the police were not right in their tactics, but when there is a history (as there was with this protest) they have to been at least seen to be doing something. Even a small minority of, say, 1% of the people in London yesterday ammounts to a large number of people, I use 1% because this is a number that has been given to me (by supporters of the demo) as an approximate esstimate of the % of people there to cause trouble. If this was to be a peaceful demonstration, and most people wanted it to be I think, why didn't they point out the people who were causing the trouble to the police? Surely if a very peaceful demo can be held for a year, the police will not be presurised into taking the extreame line that they obviously felt that they had to this year. Demo's can be peaceful, yes, they might not get as much publicity that way, but surely less, but good publicity, is better than lots of bad publicity.

I have to say that I don't think that capatalism is about to dissapear in the next few years, but I don't think that a ideal communist state is workable. Take a look at the examples that we have of them, China, Cuba, and the USSR don't exactly have the best human rights records ever!

Bounce

only place to find out what went on

02.05.2001 15:16

I thought that the BBC news at 10 o clock last night was hilarious, the voice over being in complete and total contrast to what the viewer was seeing - the commentator rattling on about protestor violence whilst the vidoe showed only police beating up peaceful demonstrators (perhaps the BBC wants to develop a Monty Python style of news).

Peaceful demonstration? mostly but as somebody once remarked "there is no equality between the armed and the unarmed". Global capitalism is well armed, its proxies being, for example, the boys in blue (and standing metaphorically behind them the guys in khaki). The war in Northern Ireland has demonstrated that when the political systems does not want to listen, violence is often the only way forward. I will watch developments with interest.

MIke
mail e-mail: mike@saqnet.co.uk

mass protest?

02.05.2001 20:58

less talk more rock, I'll be tossing rocks through your window if I'm the last protester, even if the rest of the world joins your herd. I'm in it for life!! Cunsomers suck,
Peace?

pissed

Win or lose

03.05.2001 01:45

Patent protection conference moved, Niketown, Macdonalds and most of Oxford Street closed, multiple actions and events, newspapers and tv discussing issues, new tactics tried by both sides, debate about media involvement and approaches - not a bad result given the bloodbath expected by many.

not that simple

Try to stumble across a moment of clarity

03.05.2001 14:31

Critical mass groups across the *world* are known for holding peaceful demonstrations that advocate lifestyles WITHOUT cars. I see nothing in this report that indicates that the lovely cyclist Londoners (Yes, they are as VALID AS YOU, if not MORE, sir) strayed from this principle at any time during their ride. Nor is the reporting shabby, nor is it remotely comparable to the writing of Star.

This is the first time I've visited the UK IMC, and this is GREAT!! This will be a regular stop for me from now on...

Look, just because this grassroots feedback system allows you to make a complete ASS ("ARSE") of yourself doesn't mean you HAVE to! Try to sound a little bit more logical next time, and you won't mar the report for those of us who actually come here to read with an objective mind, and to find out what happened from those who diligently report what they witnessed on this network.

No matter what the message of the group is, how is that comparable to a mob ransacking someone's house, or more importantly, how does that justify the *violent* treatment and harrassment?

This SHOULD concern everybody, since, as the poem goes, "Then they came for me -- and by that time there was nobody left to speak up." The right to peaceably assemble and express grievances should not JUST be an american thang.

Besides, you may just be preoccupied with your darling traffic being stalled temporarily, but look at how alive and vibrant this city was on May First! Not just mayday, but Beltane, "demos", all kinds of wonderful activity bringing people together. This is really amazing-- and it is something for all Londoners to be *very* proud of.

Now, if I could just find out more about WOMBLES (if only we could have GREAT names for protestors like that here, I love UK lingo).

Peace!
Anna

anna
mail e-mail: anna_k17@yahoo.com

Road Traffic Accident

03.05.2001 18:07

I was involved in an "accident" in which a police officer (A 818) hit my handlebar whilst he was overtaking on the left. I saw him just afterwards obstructing the highway with the assistance of a fellow oficer. I said that I thought that being a police officer he should set an example by reporting the accident as he is required to (Road Traffic Act). Although it was blatently his fault, no damage had been done and I agreed that there was no need to have him arrested or anything like that. He remained silent throughout and I wondered if he was maybe deaf. I didn't realise that they had removed the requirement to be sound of hearing in the met. What good equal opportunity policies they have.
P.S. They also hit a lot of people with big metal sticks.

pete
mail e-mail: poetrism@hotmail.com

Damn protesters

04.05.2001 02:07

Why don't all you people just come to America? The truth is, life is better here. I don't recommend it for you socialists who expect the government to take care of you, you need to work to live here. The best thing is not having those stupid May Day protests stop traffic. The food is also better. The people are nicer. The weather is nicer. The roads are better. Money has more value. Dental hygiene is a social norm. The people take baths once in a while. The meat is not ridden with disease. The water is safe to drink. Education is available to everyone. The television programming is better. No ridiculously futile monarchy living off our money. The elite aren't the only property owners. Narcotics are plentiful. We've got the Grand Canyon, the Pacific coastline, Las Vegas, Wal-Mart, Hollywood and nationwide high-speed Internet access.

naturalized american
mail e-mail: cris006@hotmail.com

Congratulations

04.05.2001 05:23

Well done! As part of this enviable package you also have George W, Dick Cheney and Jesse Helms. You boast high school shootings, virtual civil war in black and hispanic ghettos , and a political system which appears to give brownie points to aspiring govenors/presidents who sign the greatest number of death warrants.

Other assets of that great country of yours include the opprobrium of most sane people throughout the world, a brotherly interest in destroying Colombia as you did Vietnam, the greatest and most flagrant per-capita wastage of the earth's resources, and the greatest single national contribution to global warming.

Your friends have (and do) include amongst their numbers notables such as Papa doc Duvalier, Pinochet, Klaus Barbie, Ariel Sharon, and surprisingly Mao Zedong. People who were once your friends but are no longer include Manuel Noriega (tried to skim off too many profits from your Langley/White House backed crack smuggling enterprise), Saddam Hussein (tried to upset a US friendly regional balance, AND gave you the chance to try out some of your new exploding toys), and Osama Bin Laden (turned weapons and money given to him by the CIA on you lot after the Russkies had gone - shame!)

In short, you can take your country and slide into the sea with it, the only thing that disturbs me more is that the UK is your pliant willing lapdog - this WILL change.

A final note - is the fact that your food is better the main reason for you having the greatest incidence of obesity in the world? Still, you can all just gorge yourself to the limit and then go get it sucked out in one of your well- appointed plastic surgery centres. Free choice for the consumer, dontcha just love it?

Finally, respect to all those who made it happen in London - fluffy or spiky you're all part of the fight, and represent the last sector of British society capable of withstanding the march of the manarchy

No Pasaran!

Bendeus

Dissent from America!

04.05.2001 05:55

In response to Naturlaized American:
I am an American native and my country gives me great shame. When people like you say "life is better here", I ask you
is a homogenized Wal Mart better than local culture and community?
is a McDonalds really better than indigenous cuisine?
are the people really nicer when having to OUT compete every soul around you?
is the wealth distributed fairly from you to Mike Piazza?
is a landscape of cities cut off by endless Thruways really better?
what does Money of more value buy? More WalMarts, more McDonald's, more TV Guides, more & more & more....
is the water safer to drink aroundpost-modern industrial communities &?
is education is available to everyone equally with vouchers?
is the bottom-line television programming of Entertainment Tonight really more intelligent?
is there a difference between super-corporation & a monarchy?
is Las Vegas really a place of value?
We had the Grand Canyon, the Pacific coastline, Las Vegas, Wal-Mart, Hollywood
and nationwide high-speed Internet access.
we have polluting automobile manufacturers, suburaban sprawl, corporate chain culture, extreme wage-gaps, patronized media (death of free perspective), a privatized government & consumer dysfunction/obesity.
Why? Because of the SHORT-TERM vision of unregulated competition, not REGULATED Co-operation. Do you really feel valued at the end of the day in a commodified society?
How arrogant to say a man isn't happier without a TV; Surely they have more peace without it.

John Jacob Jingle Hammer

?

04.05.2001 09:10

what's more embarrassing - spelling 'gas' wrong or taking this long to realise it is spelled incorrectly.

roget

after the dust has settled ...

04.05.2001 10:40

Having read the comments, seen the TV, read the papers and had a good think, it seems to me that this will end up being a waste of time.

The only way something will change is if you live by your convictions. This means you eat local food, e.g.fish n chips not Mc D. You wear labeless clothes and you vote at general elections.

Eventually the corps will see where they are going wrong, and do something about it. Before you flame me for being naive, Mc D have been forced in France to alter their marketing to one of a French chain (local products for local people) rather than a multinational one they use in the UK.

And another thing .. its going to take a VERY long time for these changes to evolve into a diffent way of life. If you compare the struggle with that of countries fighting for independance .. well most of them need a century or more to go from thought to form.

Just my two units of local currency!

fOul
mail e-mail: madeup@email.com

Gassed

04.05.2001 13:36

Rubber, gas and guns sounds to me like everyday city life...
I thought critical mass was all about people not wanting to ba gassed by your bloody murdermachines all day long?

Anyways, we don´t need your teargas, we've got something to cry for.

Roadrage

Anarchist

04.05.2001 13:56

Anarchism is a political philosophy, about 2-300 years old.
It is taught in Universities, it doesn't riot or out of control as the press/police would have us believe. The opposite I believe to be the case, it's about empowering the individual where you have the capacity to govern yourself.

Sceptic

To fOul

04.05.2001 14:58

You are right, this is the way forward.
To give another example McDonalds in Germany, which is a very eco-sensitive country,
only use paper to wrap the hambourgers, not the plastic as here.

But those demonstrations also help the cause.

Todays man

Uh, it is still McDonalds...

04.05.2001 19:05

Did you forget that McDonalds has not always existed in Germany, France, England, etc.?

You cheer for silly reforms to a shitty company from America that pays shit, has horrible working conditions, and shitty food...horrible junk food made by greedy American corporations looking to get as much money off of the history/culture-lacking American citizens. They then export that shit over to other countries while whiping out the culture and food that has grown from bottom up in your countries over the course of hundreds of years...and they are doing all of this within only a few decades!

Naive

The Real IRA

04.05.2001 21:45

Hope they bomb the fuck out of you chirpy, queen mother luvin cunts. Cockney Wankha!!!

Jimmy
mail e-mail: Jimmy@hotmail.com

?

04.05.2001 22:25

that's "wrongly" ! :O)

john

Live and learn

05.05.2001 18:47

I think those who are interested and capable have learnt something from the may day celebrations .
The cops seem to be very upset that the new groups have no obvious leaders. Cops are not so bright . One or two of the
'punters' who have written in seem to be of the same .
I do find it rather sad that the british working classes
like nothing better than to fight amongst themselves .
divided and ruled over by britannia and co.
Londoner is a prime example of the ignorant TV dependent masses. To try and explain what this world could be if we were free of capitalism is obviously well out of his scope .
But let's try to be civil to everyone as an example to the mafia bandits who are running the world
Besides I for one don't have time to exchange idiotic no sense messages with half witted morons ..

any one can be Luther blissett

(hope the spelling is ok me old china I should co co gor blimey down the battle cruiser for a swift pigs ear !!!)

Luther Blissett
mail e-mail: luther_blissett@aruba.net
Homepage: www.lutherBlisset.net

capital kills

06.05.2001 14:34

There is no room for people under capitalism only profit.Next time they will use the state to kill one of us.Then the war, the class war will begin

bob todd
mail e-mail: people@aol.com

well said Bob

06.05.2001 15:02

Well said Bob.I think you hit the nail right on the head there.Never b4 has anyone sumed up the whole situation so well.If i beleived in voteing i would vote for you.In fact if i were a woman i would have your kids.Please add more comments we are ALL waiting for your next words.
peace and respect
Tom

tom
mail e-mail: anon

Concurring anarchist

07.05.2001 00:32

Well said Anarchist, because I think it needed to be said. I can't believe the negative comments towards anarchism in this forum. I would expect this kind of ignorance from capitalist media pawns such as Londoner, but not from so-called enlightened protestors. Anarchism is not about chaos, violence or anything else the press throws at it. Anarchism is about absolute freedom and equality and simply refers to the belief in a state without a ruling factor. I believe in communist-anarchy, in which the people work together without an unnecessary and invasive authority ordering us around. I believe this is the only way society can really change for the better. The Green Party are the only democratic hope we have but at the current rate we are going to have a very long wait before they get into power (I'm talking centuries here). Also by that time the party is likely to have made huge compromises in order to grow, as the Labour party did.

Paul
mail e-mail: deadnixons@talk21.com

I'm not so sure,Bob

07.05.2001 07:31

The police will kill someone, and the class war will begin?

The police kill people all the time, always have, always will. Think of the yearly deaths of black 'suspects' in police custody - why then no race war, just more atomisation and self destruction in the ghettos.

The police kill because they can, because when they do the only authority capable of prosecuting piggy murderers is.....er.....the police. They will kill, no doubt about it, and not just in Britain - all over the world they're getting heavier and heavier because they recognise the threat we pose. But, and this is the sad bit - when they do club some poor old class warrior to death, or put a rubber bullet in the temple of a feisty womble, people like our friend Londoner, and other Sun reading goons will cheer, the poiticians will tut, there'll be an 'enquiry' in which the offending murderers will get their rights to use the station coffee machine restricted for a month, and then everyone will just settle back into McTorpidity. No class war, no revenge, no reckoning. Blood sacrifice will not rouse the masses, cooperation and education will.

Bendeus

injuries

07.05.2001 16:18

a protestor was given the kiss of life on mayday - close, but thankfully not a death.

-

Maybe capitalism is anarchy

07.05.2001 19:52

Having thought about Pauls comments above for a bit. It seems to me that these huge global concerns are the nearest thing to anarchy or at least the result of what could happen.

They seem to do whatever they want without any need to worry about laws and governments, or they worry about the little stuff (health and hygine, advertising laws etc), but don't need to worry about taxes getting their profits, so in a way they are only working for themselves.

In the long run though I still think the only way of killing capitalism is by playing the rules and spend your money in a controlled and thoughtful way. Spread that message and it will result in victory, and the Police won't bat an eyelid at that kind of protest!

fOul

i wasn't there but i wish i was

08.05.2001 09:35

okay i couldn't go on the march as i had an a level thing to do but i wish i had gone. i have more admiration now for the protestors after putting up with the 7 hour detention and not going totally spare. it seems to me that this tactic of coralling is deliberatley designed to antagonise and provoke violence to overshadow the very real issues being voiced.

helen
mail e-mail: not got one

To Mr "Damn Protestors"

08.05.2001 15:54

1. If your water is so good, how come there is such an almighty stink-up over arsenic levels in your supplies? (or is that just a problem for arsenic-intolerant lefties?)
2. What are you going to do when you've sucked all the resources out of your land and need more to waste? Invade Russia? Europe? The Middle-east? or maybe "softer" targets like South America and Africa?
3. How much more hypocrisy do you think the rest of the world can handle from your side of the Atlantic/Pacific?
4. It's a good job the UK is separated from you fuckwits by 2,000 miles of North Atlantic otherwise we'd have been overrun years ago and declared the 51st State!
5. You people think Europe is irrelevant? Look at the stats pal (you yanks are so fond of 'em). The EU has exactly the same standards of EVRYTHING as you lot do. (except we have higher standards of human rights legistlation and environmental conservation measures)

as a previous commentator said "You can all slide into the sea".

ASSHOLE.

Damn Protestor
mail e-mail: genghis.khan@mongolhorde.com
Homepage: http://notrelevant.com

Anarchy is not capitalism

08.05.2001 19:00

Capitalism is all about making profits and throwing all other considerations - environment, people etc. - into the proverbial bin. This is why we have slavery, global warming, extreme violence and everything ruining our world. In communist anarchy there would be no need to make profits because everything would be owned by everybody.

The businesses will not have to worry about losses in a communist anarchy and can therefore employ as many people as possible, produce the best quality products, use expensive artificial testing rather than animal testing etc.

Also communist anarchism is about decentralising as much as possible, which means that local communities will to be largely self-supporting. The current globalisation policy leads to a very small ammount of companies from developed countries supplying everything to poorer countries meaning that local industries cannot survive and local people have to work in the sweatshops of those large companies. This is also a major cause of pollution with all the packaging that is necessary for shipping items. In a communist anarchy it would be hoped that all factories produce items for nearby towns, meaning less pollution.

I hope this has cleared up a few things about Communist Anarchism.

Paul

CCTV 1 EXAMPLE OF HYPOCRISY

09.05.2001 09:58

Can I just confirm that some of you "activists" were complaining about the CCTV cameras being off line or not working. Are these the same groups of people who protest about the CCTV cameras saying that they are a invasion of civil liberties. But when it suits you to reap the benefits you are complaining about them not working. Hypocrisy ?

NUMNUT

clarification

10.05.2001 15:51

No, they are not the same people. The anti-capitalist movement is made up of lots of different people with a spectrum of views.

I hope that answers your query.

Fozzie Bear

MASKS

02.07.2001 20:34

I was one of the two masked individuals who were section 60`d before Cannon St on the critical mass. My only crime, my face was covered, i was taking a picture of bikers holding up there bikes in the air when i saw a squad of pigs coming for me in my viewfinder. I legged it in to the crowd but soon 10-15 pigs had me on the floor and were soon joined by around 20 riot squad who surrounded me and took me up against the wall to read me a section 60. A big crowd formed shouting "shame on you" to the filth. Needless to say they stole my disguise,a zapatista bandana. I think i got singled out, loads of people were wearing masks, because about 20 mins before the incident i was walking past a MCshitburgers wich had two cops protecting it. One of them decided Zero Tolerance meant he should lunge at me from 5 metres away grabbing me round the throat in an attempt to demask me ,i think. I pushed him off and a bit of crowd participation put the pig back in his place, infront of the likes of Mcdonalds. Gave him the finger and shouted the usual about fascist pigs etc..

Viva Zapata

sorry to see some of the responses to this incident. Most of us are passive people who simply want a better world. Democracy will not give us this so we must fight for it. Most people havnt got a clue what is really happening in the world. If we have to have a riot to open peoples eyes then thats the way it is and i will wear my mask with pride.

Jacks Draw

Mindless

31.07.2001 23:53

No way! That would take effort and time away from the telly and drinking. It's much easier to have the state and media to think for we sheeple

voyeur

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