[Dissent-announce] A Guide to G8 Blockades

[wrench]

The Deconstuctionist Institute for Surreal Topology (DIST), is proud to
announce, "A Guide to Blockades: The G8 Edition", published by Bad
Press.  Please make a copy for you and your mates.  A special
collector's edition is also available for 19.99£ plus shipping and
handling, and makes a great gift.  It will look splendid on the coffee
table of revolutionaries the world over. Contact wrench @ tao.ca to
order your copy today, and visit
http://www.tao.ca/~wrench/dist/badpress/blockade_guide.html for the full
guide and latest updates.


Contents
1.Background
2.Preparation
3.Transportation
4.Security
5.Communication
6.Some items to bring
7.Tips and tricks
8.Blockade locations


(1) Background

The G8 cannot solve the problems of climate change or poverty  they are 
responsible for the very policies which are causing climate change and 
poverty.  We cannot call on them to solve the world's problems, but must 
put a stop to their policies and shut down their institutions.  Groups 
within and allied to the Dissent Network have thus called on protesters 
and the public to blockade the G8 on July 6th.

Gleneagles was chosen because of its isolation -- yet its isolation 
means that there are fewer roads to blockade.  Unfortunately, none of 
the convergence centres are located near blockade points, thus 
transportation will be a limiting factor (please see the transportation 
section for more info).  Gleneagles is about a one hour drive north of 
Glasgow and Edinburgh, both places which have convergence centers where 
protesters will be staying.  The rural convergence center (ecovillage, 
or Hori-zone), is a full day's walk from Gleneagles. 

The 8 leaders are likely to arrive into Prestwick airport near Glasgow, 
and will probably be flown in by helicopter at hourly intervals on July 
the 6th.  Delegates and staff will almost certainly have to drive in, 
and are known to be staying in Edinburgh and Glasgow.  Some staff are 
also believed to be staying in the town of Crieff, near Gleneagles.  The 
University of Stirling, near the ecovillage, will house the London 
police, and the media.  It is rumoured that George Bush, being a bit of 
a coward, may arrive through RAF Leuchars air base to the East of
Gleneagles near St. Andrews.

Map 1 has been kindly provided by Tayside police, and indicates which 
roads will be closed or controlled.  Additionally, they have issued the 
following understatement: "police officers will be stationed at 
junctions at Blackford, Loaninghead, Auchterarder and Aberuthven to help 
vehicles enter and exit the A9 safely. Police officers will also patrol 
the local road network to ensure all road users are aware of the traffic 
management measures."

The following roads will be closed from July 3rd:
   1. A823 from the A9 to the A822
   2. A824 Orchil Road from the A823 to Western Road
   3. C464 Muirton Road
   4. C467 from A823 to A822
   5. U23 Gleneagles Hotel

The A9 is a dual carriageway, while the A823 and A824 has two small 
lanes.  The C and B roads are single lane, and are probably unfit for 
motorcades.

If the police are unable to manage protests, they have announced back up 
venues of the police college at Tulliallan, in Fife, followed by 
Lancaster House in London.  Gleneagles itself is protected by a very low 
double fence, and an inner fence.
(2) Preparation

Protesters often organise in units which can operate independently, but 
simultaneously coordinate their actions with others.  People are more 
effective when they act together, rather than as a large mass of 
individuals.

A common tactic is to organise into small "affinity groups" of 8-10 
people: you and your mates -- people you know well, and trust.  Affinity 
groups usually share a common view on tactics and risk, so that you will 
not have to split up, or have lengthy discussions before making a 
decision.  Because you know each other well, you are a secure network, 
and are unlikely to be infiltrated by the police or journalists.

Affinity group usually plan what they want to do at the blockade - and 
then get the necessary gear together well in advance: some groups have 
announced they will do lock-downs on the road; others have talked about 
providing scouts and helping different blockades communicate between 
each other.   In gneneral, having a common task helps you use the energy 
that exists in your group to greater effect. 

Once organized into affinity groups, the "clustering" process begins.  
Affinity groups start talking with others they know well, and organise 
into clusters of about 10 affinity groups which share common goals, and 
have skills which complement each other.  You are now a group of 100 
people who can act quickly and autonomously.  Clustering together with 
groups who will be using a common means of transport (whether that be 
bikes, cars, hill walking, or marching), can be useful.

(3) Transportation

Most of the blockade points are near Gleneagles and are not accessible 
from Edinburgh or Glasgow.  They are accessible from the ecovillage, but 
only with considerable walking.  The following modes of transport are 
being considered:

1) Hill walking
 
The surrounding countryside is beautiful, and those willing to hike for 
a day can position themselves in places close to blockade points.  If 
you go hill walking, you need to be prepared, with good boots, a 
compass, map, tent, sleeping bag, and plenty of food, water and warm 
clothes.  Some people will be heading out on the 5th, and lighting 
Beacons of Dissent.  See http://silver.j12.org for more resources.  
There are some closer departure points which may be reached by car, and 
there has been some talk of arranging a shuttle service to these points.  
Maps can be purchased in town, and some photocopied maps may be 
available.

2) Bikes 

Fast, and able to get past other blockades.  There has been a call for 
those with extra bikes to bring them up and loan them out. For a good 
place to get cheap bikes in Edinburgh check out the Bike Warehouse in 
the Waverly train Station, whose erratic operating hours are displayed 
on www.thebikestation.org.uk. 

3) Cars 

Some people who have cars, buses, or vans, may consider loaning them to 
people.  However, they will no doubt be in very short supply.  There has 
been some talk of setting up a car pooling system, so that efficient use 
is made of the little transport available.  A call for extra vehicles 
has gone out. It is possible to rent vehicles in the United Kingdom for 
around 100-200 pounds for a week. Also, one can often buy used cars for 
400-500 pounds, and in the transaction one may not be forced to give a 
real name.  Cars in the UK need to be taxed, have an inspection by the 
MOT, and have a legally insured driver. UK drivers caught driving 
without insurance may lose their license, so it is preferable to have 
internationals drive if the vehicle is uninsured.  Cheap insurance can 
be gotten off the Internet, including using a British Citizen as the 
primary driver who may not actually be driving the car, and insuring 
others as additional drivers. The insurance can usually be canceled once 
the G8 summit is over. 

4) Marching from the site

You've come this far, and now you may have to hike for a few extra 
hours.  Getting out of the ecovillage may be an issue, as the site can 
be blocked in by the police.  Those departing from the ecovillage, will 
no doubt learn the site well, and explore all possible routes to where 
they want to go.   

5) Autonomous camping

Some may choose to find camping sites (whether they be urban or rural) 
closer to where they will blockade.  Being in an isolated campsite can 
be uncomfortable or even dangerous, so groups have been urged to stick 
together, and scout out their camping location well in advance.

6) Flying clusters

Groups which are particularly mobile, sometimes form flying clusters 
which don't set up a blockade, but instead hover near a particular 
region.  If a blockade goes down, or a hole is found, they go to the 
hole.

(4) Communications

Mobile phones may go down due to police intervention, or just because 
too many people are using them in the area.  To avoid the latter, it has 
been suggested not to use the phone too much. In the area around 
Gleneagles, the mobile phone coverage of various networks is spotty. It 
can  be useful for each mobile phone to have multiple SIM cards on 
different networks with calling time already installed. The best 
coverage in the area around Gleneagles seems to come from Vodaphone, O2, 
and T-mobile. Do not use Orange and Virgin as your primary carrier if 
possible.

If you set up text messaging, it has been asked that you only have one 
person in each affinity group hooked up to it.  This will increase the 
speed of the network.  In case of the network  breaking down, people 
might want to have alternative means of communication. Bike messengers, 
walkie-talkies, flag waving, smoke signals, whatever. Don't keep trying 
the phone network, you will only slow it down further. Use megaphones, 
and talk with the people around you so that you can act together.

Affinity groups may connect themselves to communications systems that  
already exist. While many sources of information are not set-up to 
co-ordinate blockades but only to broadcast news, they may provide very 
useful information by accident and so should be carefully monitored.


(5) Some items to bring

Many guides would suggest things like swimming goggles for tear gas.  We 
just suggest to pretend you are going on a picnic, and take plenty of 
food and water -- if the blockades are successful, you may be staying 
out for a long time.  Communication devices and megaphones may also be 
useful.  The medics and the legal team will have cards with their 
numbers.

(6) Security

Complete openness gives people the potential to organise without 
hierarchy, get to know each other, and make solid plans.  It also gives 
the police enough information to stop blockades before they even start.  
Many things can be discussed openly, but discussion of specific tactics, 
and the locations of the blockades are usually avoided.  Keeping these 
small details private need not limit your ability to organise 
non-hierarchically. Clusters of affinity groups will often decide on 
their tactics autonomously.  As for the blockade points, there are 
people who are very familiar with the area and can reveal the locations 
at the last possible moment.

As a general rule, one should try to balance paranoia with effective 
organising.  Often, activists take precautions which have a huge 
negative effect on organising, but do little to increase security.

If you want to include someone in your plans, one often asks for a 
reference -- the name of a common friend, or a friend of a friend, who 
can verify the security of the individual.  This builds up a network of 
trust.

In open discussion, it is often good not to discuss details, but rather, 
the big picture and answer important questions: How to arrange 
transportation? Will groups camp somewhere else the night before? What 
regions will people cover?  How will people ensure that the various 
routes are evenly covered?

(7) Tips and Tricks

The following is a compilation of tips which have appeared in previous 
publications.

The police will want to clear protesters well away from a motorcade 
route.  Usually, a route must be completely clear for ten minutes before 
it is considered secure for motorcades.  The police do not want 
protesters anywhere near the route when a motorcade goes by. Pushing 
blockaders backwards often has little effect, because the protesters are 
still on the route.  The police will thus try to clear people to the 
side, preferably chasing them down side roads.  Blockaders often try to 
stay on the road they are blockading, even if it means moving back a 
bit.

Police in the U.K. tend to try to create a pen around people.  Don't let 
a police line form around you, it can be a dangerous place to be.  
Rather, move quickly and together as soon as you suspect the police are 
trying something.  "Out of the pen" is a common signal for people to 
quickly get out together, in one single motion.  

After a fast manoeuvre, quickly gather back together.  The police want 
people dispersed in different locations, because they know that 
individuals may lose energy.  Regroup, and stick together.  Decide on 
gathering locations.  Communicate with each other, make friends, and use 
noise to signal gathering places.

If the blockade does not involve locking-down, those most responsible 
for the blockade may want to have a well-laid out escape route. If the 
blockade involves some locking down, make sure people monitor the police 
and tell them of the danger of removing people who have physically put 
themselves in the way of the traffic. Having a few cameras around, 
whether they be Indymedia or otherwise, can sometimes cause the police 
to think twice before doing something violent.  Contact the media group 
or Indymedia for help with this.

Blockades which are set up during traffic times will blockade random 
cars.  Dealing with irate drivers can be difficult, but if you are calm, 
and polite, the driver may be more than happy to leave their car sitting 
in the middle of the road.  A row of cars with protesters intermingled 
is a nightmare for the police to clear.

Remember that it would be tragic if a blockade of the G8 caused a 
traffic incident that hurt or even killed someone, so be very careful in 
slowing traffic down before blockading.  This can easily be done by 
having dummy cars slow traffic down, using flares, or having large 
official-looking signs.

Those driving in cars will be most vulnerable during the drive up to the 
blockade.  Plan beforehand what you will do if the cops try to pull you 
over, or what, if anything, you will say. Having some items in the car 
will clearly demarcate you as someone who is trying to blockade, so hide 
items or think of ways of doing blockades that would allow you to be 
effective even if the Police try to stop you at a random checkpoint.

Those camping in autonomous zones will also be vulnerable during this 
time.  The police will be able to spot you from the air.  You might want 
to stick in very secluded areas far from the road.

Don't blockade other blockades!!!  Timing can be crucial.  A blockade 
that is set up too early can end up blockading other protesters who 
planned to set up beyond your location.  Use scouts and communication 
systems.

Have a few scouts in key locations also lets you know what is up ahead 
and behind.  Know the location well beforehand, but be careful when 
doing advance scouting, as you let the police know what areas you are 
considering as blockade points.

Be patient.  It may feel like your blockade is not useful, or not on a 
motorcade route.  But every blockade is important, and if you leave 
yours, the route coordinators can re-route the motorcade through the 
place you left.  Be wary of decoy motorcades, although there is really 
no easy way to tell them apart from the real thing.
 
Have back-up plans.  Decide beforehand what you will do if the police 
stop you before you get to your desired location, or if the place you 
want to be is too hot.

On July 4th, there will be a blockade of the Faslane Nuclear base, and a 
carnival for full enjoyment.  Try not to get nicked before the 6th.

Oh oh, have to wake up early.  But when do blockades go down?  And what 
will people do after?   So that energy doesn't dissipate, have a 
spokescouncil at your blockade, and communicate with other blockades to 
decide what to do.  Will you go back and come again tomorrow?  Will you 
march on Gleneagles?  There are three days when the G8 is meeting, so 
make use of them all.

(8) Blockade Locations

Everyone who looks at the map will have some idea of what locations are
likely to work. To balance out the number of people at each location,
clusters often communicate with other clusters to ensure that all points
are covered.  The blockades group meetings at each of the convergence
centers will likely produce a plan of action that is accessible to
everyone (although the locations of this action may or may not be made
public until the last moment).  Autonomous groups often don't feel bound
by the plan of action developed at the meetings but will probably not
put up a blockade which will interfere with it.  Thus, autonomous groups
doing very close blockades will likely start earlier than the rest. 
Communicating through networks of trust can ensure that actions are
coordinated.


@ 2005 Bad Press

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