BLAC BLOC PARTICIPANTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES ABOUT SATURDAY'S ACTION IN VANCOUVER

By now many of you are aware of the black bloc action which took place in the Olympic city of Vancouver on Saturday last. Lots of action happen'. Lots of critiques going on. Lot's of folks saying, what the f*ck. Maybe it's time to hear from someone speaking on behalf of the anarchists, eh?

The following is from the Media Co-op.

In defense of the black bloc: A communique from Olympic resisters
A communiqué
 February 14th, 2010 – Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories



On February 12th and 13th, 2010, thousands of courageous individuals came

together to resist the 2010 Olympic police state and to attack the

corporations plundering the land and deepening poverty. We write this

communique as participants in and organizers of the black bloc presence at

these demonstrations, known as “Take Back Our City” and “2010 Heart

Attack.”



On February 12th, the Vancouver Police Department pacified us with a force

of mounted police. The next day during 2010 Heart Attack, they deployed

riot police armed with M4 carbine assault rifles. They claim this was

necessary in order to stop the march from “jeopardizing public safety” – yet the

only threats to public safety were in their own hands. Participants in the

demonstration only undertook strategic attacks against corporations

sponsoring the Olympics and did not harm or attack bystanders.



The media are now busy denouncing the political violence of property

destruction, such as the smashing of a Hudson's Bay Company window, as

though it were the only act of violence happening in this city. They

forget that economic violence goes on daily in Vancouver. People are

suffering and dying from preventable causes because welfare doesn't give

enough to afford rent, food or medicine, and because authorities routinely

ignore the medical emergencies of poor or houseless individuals. This

economic violence has gotten worse as we lose housing and social services

because of the Olympic Games. In response to this assault, thousands took

to the streets, hundreds joining what is known as a black bloc.



The black bloc is not a formal organization; it has no leadership,

membership, or headquarters. Instead, the black bloc is a tactic: it is

something people *do* in order to accomplish a specific purpose. By

wearing black clothing and masking our faces, the black bloc allows for

greater protection to those who choose active self-defense. The majority

of people involved in the black bloc do not participate in property

destruction. However, in masking up they express their solidarity with

those who choose to take autonomous direct action against the

corporations, authorities and politicians who wage war on our communities.



Participation in the black bloc is an act of courage. With only the

shirts on our backs and the masks on our faces, we took to the streets

against Canada's largest ever “peacetime” police force. Protected only by

black fabric and the support of our comrades, we stood in front of

antiriot cops armed with assault rifles, pistols and batons. We proved that $1

billion of “security” couldn't prevent us from clogging the heart of

downtown Vancouver and crashing a party of 100 000 people -- and getting

away with it.



You won't ever know who was in the black bloc this weekend, but you *do*

know us. We are the people who organize community potlucks, who dance

during street festivals, who make art, defend the land, build co-ops,

bicycles and community gardens. When we put on our black clothing, we are

not a threat to you, but to the elites.



Whoever you are, one day you will join us. As long as government and

corporations attack our communities, we're going defend – and that means

attack.



Signed,



Two organizers and participants in the anarchist presence of the “Take

back our city” demonstration and “2010 Heart Attack” street march,

February 2010, Coast Salish Territories