Re: G8 protest groups split over violent confrontation, Thursday June 20, 2002, C1
Distinctions are relevant, especially in politics. Karen Kelly's article blurs many important distinctions and, deliberately or not, confuses readers and vilifies the organizers of anti-G8 protests here in Ottawa.
There is a difference between police brutality and activist 'violence.' The use of dogs, batons, rubber bullets, tear gas, and lethal force by police to intimidate and injure unarmed protesters demands that distinctions be made.
Do activists use weapons developed by multi-national capitalists, who spend millions of dollars sponsoring politicians, who in return provide them with more contracts to develop more weapons?
Do activists assault the homeless and attack the working poor on a daily basis in cities around the world? How many prisons cage the innocent, while corrupt cops roam free, armed and ready to deliver "justice"?
Activists are not a repressive force acting in the interest of transnational corporate power. As the executive arm of the State, the police are. These distinctions are important.
In her article, Ms. Kelly accused Take The Capital! activists of using the same rhetoric as George Bush. Again, this statement is absurd. We are all volunteers who have worked for many hours in attempts to fight oppression by highlighting the hidden realities of G8 imperialism.
Unlike Mr. Bush, we do not have millions of dollars. We do not have parents who were president or head of the CIA. We do not control the corporate media.
And, we do not offer binary choices between 'with or against', 'good or evil'. Diversity is not a synonym for hegemony; it is an antonym.
Non-violence, as advocated by so many in Ms.Kelly's article, must also be seen with some critical distinctions. Violence is an act against life, not property. Gandhi himself made this distinction. The endless concern over windows and storefronts by 'non-violent' activists in the global north only highlights our obsession with property and capital. If 24 000 people around the world die of poverty everyday, and 10 windows are broken during a protest confronting the institutions that are responsible for those deaths, who should we accuse of violence? Is the relentless coverage of a broken windows not an indication of our mixed-up priorities?
Take The Capital!, contrary to claims made in Ms. Kelly's article, has provided a space for activists who seek to avoid physical confrontation and situations that place them at high-risk of arrest. Protestors have collectively agreed to respect the space. If it is attacked by the police, we must blame those who attack, not the victims of their brutality.
Also, the 'No One Is Illegal' March of 1000 Flags of Resistance, planned for June 27th, has been organized with the same respect for a of diversity of tactics. Activists and organizers have agreed -- again, collectively, in meetings and regional Consultas -- that the march will be non-physically confrontational. A wide variety of organizations have endorsed the action. Diversity means just that: not all protests call for the same tactics. And we can organize accordingly.
Finally, Ms. Kelly's 'split of the movement' is not a split at all, but a difficult dialogue that must continue between groups that oppose capitalist oppression. It must continue respectfully and sincerely. The corporate media's interventions in the debate will not lead to a resolution any more than gasoline can help put out a fire.
The distinctions and particulars are relevant. Blanket statements and dogmatic ideologies are responsible for much of the oppression the social justice movement opposes. Only with a creative, active, and open strategies can we hope to effect change in the communities where we live and in the global economy.
We, too, look at ourselves in the mirror. In the reflection we see our conviction and our hope. We maintain that we can overcome divisions through an open dialogue. This does not mean slogans and dogmatism. Rather, it means respecting each other, the diverse struggles in which we are engaged, and the variety of strategies and tactics required by each one.
Time acts as a purgatory that allows us to see, eventually, that tacit compliance with oppressive structures and exploitative policies is tantamount to advocacy. Take the Capital! organizers continue to denounce oppressive and exploitative forces in all their forms. And so, we denounce the G8. However, we do not, and will not, denounce any revolutionary actions which endeavour to maximize respect for life and we stand in solidarity with all those subject to violence and oppression.
Sincerely,
Stephen Turpin, participant in Take the Capital! organizing