Raise the Hammer

It's definitely worth mentioning that even within the Black Bloc, there's always a fair bit of harsh criticism of the "break off and smash things" tactic. Many, if not most, are generally opposed. The fact that cops enjoy it so much really doesn't help - if we don't do it, they usually try themselves with undercover officers (see the Montebello video...). It's a tactical nightmare ever single time I've witnessed it. I'm all for going after cop cars and security fences, but getting everyone arrested by attacking random storefronts on the other side of downtown doesn't usually accomplish that. From everything I've heard even most of the bloc had nothing to do with the destruction spree, and a lot of people had a lot of questions about it, and it's worth mentioning that the cops pretty much let it happen - it's been on the cover of the Globe. What was the point of the billion-dollar security apparatus if they just let the destruction happen and went, primarily, for other demonstrators?

Anyone remember a few years back when one guy lost it one fateful morning downtown, and did a hundred thousand or so dollars in damage to plate glass windows from Main and Caroline down to around the courthouse. And I believe another lone crazy guy, around that time, nearly doubled his total with a hammer in St. Catherines, before he was apprehended. It really doesn't take many people to inflict an incredible amount of damage to expensive car and shop windows, and if you have tens of thousands of pissed off people.

Given what we now know of the fence, though, I can't say I would have been sorry to see the whole length of it hit the ground, though. We did something similar in Quebec City, and it was rather...enjoyable. Even the Supreme Court had agreed it was illegal, but said they couldn't do anything. Parliament had been denied details of the agreements we were signing (which could over-rule them) even after FOI requests. So we went and took down the fence ourselves. And for all the tear gas and rubber bullets, it was worth it. And for the record, that march started with a huge meeting in a football stadium, run by the unions, as well as a big counter-summit offering constructive alternatives. And in the end Amnesty harshly condemned the actions of the police (which, as a young witness at the time, were unbelievable).Oh, and the FTAA eventually failed anyway, as the (admittedly corrupt and despotic) rulers of South America and Mexico finally stood up for themselves.

Most people in this country never know how close we come to even scarier world government scenarios - the FTAA, MAI, the "Security and Prosperity Partnership" (a plan to create a North American Union, much like the EU, through "stealth integration"), and many others. And until you start thinking about the massive harm we're enduring right now as a result of the ones that make it through (NAFTA,GATT, the WTO etc), it's hard to put that in perspective. Would Hamilton's industrial base have vanished without the tempting offer of cheap foreign production? Heck, most Canadians never hear about some of the brutal street-fighting which keeps large scale Neo-Nazi organizing out of our major cities (and the ARA make the Black Bloc look like a walk in the park). Do you think the heroes who first fought for Labour Rights, Women's Rights (Emma Goldman in particular) or environmental in this country weren't dirty, disreputable and crass?