They are in fact, armored water cannons. The size of fire truck with metal plating.

“I saw one of those things disembowel somebody in demonstration back in the sixties,” a grey-haired woman beside me says, terror creeping across her face, as she sends worried glances in either direction at the crowds.

Out nowhere the Black Bloc descends. They step in front of the water trucks. They stop them cold. From either side they attack with stick and rocks. They smash the sides of the windows. The trucks are forced to drive away.

I smile. I smile because the cops know how we feel now. I saw one of them covering his face as the gas shattered. They know what it is like to be outside of their cocoon; to lose the power of anoynimity, to realize this is not a video game and their actions are hurting. My world shifts again. Attacking cops was always wrong. Even when I wanted to throw a rock, I felt on some level that it was wrong.

But this action, this attack, saved us. It protected the crowd of thousands from being attacked with this watercannon. Not only being blown off their feet but having their residual teargas be reactivated. Having the gas that is caked in their hair drip down their face for the rest of the day. More importantly, it stops these massive machines from rolling to the crowd. Where one wrong turn could easily kill. And five people stopped this from happening. It was incredibly daring — five people taking on two armored vehicles. This was self defence, and even those opposed to violence owe these five brave people a debt of gratitude — they saved a lot of people from a lot of pain.

It won’t be the last time either. Throughout the day when protestors are beaten or attacked by police the Bloc is there, sending up a red flag for help and stepping in front of countless rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.