Before every mass mobilization for peace and justice, there inevitably comes a campaign of disinformation, designed to demonize and criminize the protesters. Below is a memo that was distributed to businesses near where the FTAA will be meeting in Miami. Its authorship is unclear, but the intention is patently obvious. Note: all errors of grammar and syntax, not to mention those of logic and fact, are from the original.
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Upcoming FTAA meeting in November and subsequent civil disturbances
It was reported in the June 6, 2003 Miami Herald that the U.S. and Chile will sign a free-trade agreement at Vizcaya and that local leaders are pushing to have Miami named the permanent Secretariat site for a future Free Trade Area of the Americas.
On November 19, 20 & 21, thirty-four ministers representing countries in the Western Hemisphere from Canada to Argentina, excluding Cuba, will meeting for their annual FTAA convention to be held at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Miami. With the goal of eliminating trade barriers in all countries in the Western Hemisphere, they hope to finalize a new free trade agreement by 2005 that will create the greatest free trade area in the world. There will also be a function at Vizcaya on November 20th.
The Miam-Dade/City of Miami police departments have said they are expecting as many as 70,000 protesters, some very violent, to demonstrate against the FTAA at this meeting. There is documented proof of previous destructive riots at these confedrences when they were held in Seattle, Quebec, Genoa, Italy and Sweden.
According to police intelligence, there are three basic groups of demonstrators:
The Green Group – This group has the majority of demonstrators. They want to demonstrate to express their views and are not involved in criminal activity. They conduct non-violent demonstrations – block traffic, sit-downs, and noise making marching with signs to express their views. These could be religious groups, conservationists, animal activists – any that want to protest against something and see this as an avenue to be seen and heard.
The Yellow Group – This group has the second largest number of demonstrators. They do not generally get involved in criminal acts, but will commit crimes of civil disobedience. They will block traffic with cars or people, generate crowd control problems with sit-downs, human chains, and if the massive crowd turns violent, they will participate in rock throwing, vandalism and general harassment of police, etc.
Hundreds of them will just sit down holding each other’s arms to keep delegates from getting into the meetings. Some in this group are organized and funded by labor unions who fear that if the FTAA is successful, it will eliminate thousands of jobs in the U.S. and/or will create sweat shops for poor workers in other countries. The unions bus in people form all over the U.S. The animal liberation front and the earth liberation front are known to have burned down a ski resort in Vail, Colorado railing against the loss of a cougar habitat.
The Red Group – This is the smallest group. They will conduct criminal acts and feel that property crime is a legitimate political tool. They do not co-operate with other groups. They will go after previously planned targets, businesses or landmarks, or will be fluid and do crimes of opportunity. These are anarchists, known as the ‘Black Block’. They dress totally in black and wear ski masks, carry weapons such as crowbars, large clubs or ninja sticks. They use these weapons to break store and car windows, curbs, etc., They are very well organized and pre-plan what they intend to do. In Seattle, anarchists vandalized and destroyed property in the heart of downtown. They used crowbars to break glass windows and plate glass storefronts, burned cars and garbage dumpsters, and started fires in strip malls.
These groups have been known to use the following devices to disrupt the peace both in the daytime and at night:
Wrist Rockets – larger hunter-type sling shots that they use to shoot steel ball bearings or large bolts. A very dangerous and deadly weapon.
Molotov Cocktails – many were thrown in Seattle and Quebec and caused extensive damage.
Crow Bars – to smash windows, cars, etc. They also pry up curbs, then break the cement into pieces that they can throw at police officers. This was done extensively in Seattle.
Squirt guns filled with acid or urine.
Sleeping Dragon – wristlocks with hooks that connect with the next person. They slide their arms into PVC pipes, then lock the hooks so all wrists are covered, making it almost impossible to break the human chain. Fifty people locked together make a formidable blockade.
They wear padding or body armor to try and deflect police batons or rubber bullets. Some carry shields and wear motorcycle helmets.
Many are equipped and carry gas masks for when the police lob tear gas at them. They wear gloves so they can throw the tear gas canisters back at the police.
They carry bottles of vinegar with them as that is supposed to lessen the impact tear gas or pepper spray, and they also carry bottles of water to wash out their eyes.
They make catapults to throw various nasty things a long distance.
They use bicycle locks or handcuffs to lock themselves together in human chains.
They throw paint bombs at police.
They construct large tri-pods that are effective in blocking entrances or streets.
They use vehicles, newspaper vending machines thrown in the street, or bodies in sit-downs or lie-downs to block traffic or streets. They have been known to steal dump trucks and ump the load to block traffic.
They use a tactic called ‘un-arrest’. If they see one of the demonstrators being arrested, a group of them will jump in and pile on the individual to keep the police away from the person they are trying to arrest.
In the past, the anarchists have pre-planned their attacks after surveying the area with street maps so they know in advance what and where they intend to attack or destroy. Some rent safe houses for meetings or hiding when not rioting, and to find places like construction sites, under bridges, etc., where they can pre-store equipment they intend to use in the demonstrations. In Seattle and Quebec, they were successful in jamming the 911 phone lines and other lines into the police agencies so that no one was able to call for help.
In previous riots, the anarchists of ‘Black Blocks’ will lead a crowd of thousands of demonstrators, urging them on with loudspeakers, then start throwing rocks and bottles, breaking windows, etc. This incites the other demonstrators, which causes police action. Then the ‘Black Blocks’, after getting all this started, will move back and away while the rest of the demonstrators continue rioting. They move on to another crowd.
All of the groups bring their own cameramen with media credentials and videotape all the violence. They then put the film on the Internet to show how police react to the rioters. They also have attorneys on hand to try and get those arrested out of jail as soon as possible. They use radios for effective communication with each other.
According to the police, since 1994 there has been a progression of groups against globalization. Monetary, trade or environmental events draw thousands of protesters. In Seattle, their demonstrated their hatred for both multi-national and capitalistic powers, and against government and corporate policies. In Washington D.C., against the World Bank meetings, they broke into Citibank offices and did extensive damage as they were protesting corporate greed. Police there made over 2000 arrests. In Seattle, they protested against “Corporate America”, posting ‘NO FTAA’ signs against McDonalds and Ford Motor Company. Environmentalists joined in because Ford cars cause pollution. In Quebec, they spent $60 million dollars building a fence to contain the demonstrators, but eventually the mob rocked the fence until it toppled over.
Police say these demonstrators and their causes are funded through grants or from unions. Some money is donated by people who are against free trade and losing jobs here, pollution, against globalization, for animal rights, against multi-national companies, or are anti-government, anti-corporate, etc.
Miami Police say they are not allowed to discuss what their plans are to counteract these demonstrations with the public or the media, but say there is tremendous planning underway with all law enforcement agencies and they feel they will be able to handle anything that comes up. They have warned against some of these groups trying to place their people as employees in hotels and other businesses in an effort to learn what the community plans to do.
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