Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Baby Bloc Action (Comment)

Elephants | 13.09.2005 23:24 | DSEi 2005 | Analysis | Anti-militarism | Technology | London

At about 11am yesterday, about 20 people attempted to blockade the bridge at Custom House DLR, right by one of the most popular entrances to ExCel, home of DSEi.

As someone who is neither 5 nor a mother/father/guardian of a 5 year old, joining this action rather than the caat march was a bit of an odd decision. On the one hand, this could be the more radical action, then again, CAAT could easily have been more worthwhile.

Joining the group taking the DLR from Blackwall, I was surprised by just how many arms dealers are riding with us. We got off the train, they got ahead of us, and the protester group moved up the steps. The lack of lifts made moving buggies interesting.

This immediately struck me as rather odd. The implication being that wheelchair users don't buy arms; perhaps because wheel chair users are descriminated against so much in big business, often for no real reason (all these co's have lifts in their office blocks). Or perhaps its because people in wheelchairs have a grasp of what bombs and landmines do to people's lives.

Anyhow, I was impressed by various things which happened. First, the speed with which the group sat down, seemingly spontaneously. Second, the guts of parents prepared to breast feed in front of cops. Linked to this, I was aware throughout that these were parents and kids who wanted to stay safe and at the same time, take action which others just weren't happy with. Totally responcible and yet totally involved in the protests.

Next, I liked the way the kids made sure that their presense was felt and new what was going on. I don't think anyone over the age of 5 was there without consenting to it. Eight year olds were telling coppers they couldn't be arrested until they're 10. A small kid took the initiative to run between coppers legs towards the entrace to the Arms Fair (a stunning moment!).

Anyhow, I could go on, but i need sleep. All in all, a great action, which definately made its presense felt in a way other actions might not (especially the CAAT march, stranded over 200 meters away from the centre). I think this tactic, parents willing, will continue to be effective. I now regret not going on the baby bloc at Stirling even more. I just hope the cops don't ask to see my Child Protection Clearance papers; they're a couple of years out of date (but still accurate enough, AFAIK).

Elephants

Comments

Display the following 3 comments

  1. Elephantitus — Social Worker
  2. Consumers or members of the human race? — MMMMcDonalds
  3. My kids loved it! — Denise da menace
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech