Special By By Justin King Oct 29, 2013 in World The Black Bloc has been blamed for the May Day violence in Seattle. Most of the media treats it as a coherent anarchist organization, but a former participant in Black Bloc activities explains why that is not entirely accurate. A typical Black Bloc operation involves showing up to a protest in black clothing wearing a mask and actively As told by Matt Barsan, the Black Bloc is not a group but a special form of protest employed by various groups around the world. He is a social-anarchist by ideology, but is quick to point out that Black Bloc tactics are used by many groups, some of which are not anarchist in nature. Barsan starts by explaining what anarchism is, and is not. The interview: Can you define Anarchist for the readers? An anarchist is broadly defined as anyone who believes that coercive central governance is ethically unsound, and that all forms of authority must be rationally justified. Since I specifically identify as a social anarchist I will define that in more detail. A social anarchist is someone who believes that human society exists to uplift all individuals and allow them to achieve their greatest possible potential. Social anarchists believe that hierarchy in all instances of life fundamentally opposes this premise for the existence of society by granting special rights and privileges to a small subset of the population, thereby resulting in a disparity of real world conditions between individuals who would naturally benefit equally from agreeing to participate in spontaneous organization with others. So it isn’t total chaos, then? This perception of "anarchy" which was made popular by the punk rock movement and espoused by those in power to discredit anarchism would more accurately be called anomie, or a rejection of all social norms. In fact anarchism is quite the opposite. The very first person to call himself an anarchist in the political sense, Pierre Joseph Proudhon, created the A within a circle to mean Anarchy is Order, or, the Alpha and Omega. Anarchists believe that attributing social order to the existence of hierarchy is a false correlation. While some strictly hierarchical forms may appear to be regimented and orderly, many times they manifest into the most chaotic and anti-social aspects of humanity. What can be said to be more chaotic than military conflicts between nation states, or the detonation of an atomic bomb over a civilian population? What anarchists seek is not chaos, but the most perfect harmony between the individual and society. Can you explain what the Black Bloc is and give us a little history about it? What are the main goals? Black Bloc is a tactic which is not explicitly anarchist but has been readily used by anarchists as a form of protection against political repression by the state. It originally began as a tactic during the late 70's in Germany and The Netherlands as a response to violence being perpetrated against radical activists and squatters by the police. Black Bloc first took the form of the "Black Helmet Brigade," who wore motorcycle helmets and leather jackets to protect themselves from police batons. The main goal of the tactic is to reduce the ability of police to identify individuals who participate in extralegal or radical political activities. It accomplishes this end by creating a group of people who dress in all black, with as little distinguishing characteristics as possible. The tactics are not something we normally see in the United States, can you give some examples of when the Black Bloc became involved with a protest? During the Occupy Wall Street Movement when police would target innocent protestors, black blocs would form and place themselves at the front of the groups with shields creating a barrier between the police violence and the people who just wanted to speak their minds and show their discontent for the status quo. Also during the World Trade Organization meetings and the Republican and Democratic National Conventions when the police would target innocent people, Black Blocers would spread out over the city and attack specific targets like banks and corporate franchises to intentionally divert the attention of police from the larger groups. The incident in Seattle led to the federal investigation where 3 people were placed in jail because of their refusal to testify before a grand jury. Is that kind of secrecy and willingness to go down for the cause something that is common in the Black Bloc? Honestly, that is something that seems to vary on an individual basis. As we know now one of the resisters eventually gave information in order to get out of prison. Since participation in a Black Bloc requires a certain level of dedication it does tend to attract people who are willing to be more resistant in the face of repression, but as Morgan Freeman's character Red in The Shawshank Redemption so eloquently put it, "every man has his breaking point". A photo in support of one of the Seattle Grand Jury Resisters Justin King There was quite a bit of public outcry about the grand jury resistors, do you think it helped the Black Bloc? Well as I stated before Black Bloc is a tactic utilized by many different political groups, not an entity in itself. That said I do think the grand jury resister incident has helped to shed some light on black bloc as a necessary tactic in a politcal climate where judges and police are so willing to bend and break the law in order to suit their ends. People don't want to be personally associated with radical politics when police can harass them at work and at home and a judge can throw them in a hole for simply refusing to disclose a list of their associates and what books they read. Black Bloc movements have really taken hold in Egypt, Brazil, and Syria. Is there a reason these movements appear stronger in less developed nations? Quite simply, it's privilege. People in less developed areas of the world have a lot more to fight for and more reason to fear the authorities than people in the first world. While people in USA or Britain may be fighting to keep their homes or increased standards of living or for more fair and safer workplaces, people in the examples you gave are many times fighting for their very lives against murderous regimes who won't hesitate to kill entire families of political dissidents. Obviously, you wouldn’t admit to be a current member of the Black Bloc, would you? Well I won't get into any specifics because that would obviously betray the very reason for the tactic in the first place, but I am not afraid to say I have participated in black blocs in the past. I'm a fairly large guy, and I often joke that due to my size and shape one wouldn't need to see my face to identify me if they really felt it was necessary. Ok, so what are your personal views of the tactic? Do you think it works? In an age where a person can't even walk down the street without being on several different cameras at once I think it's very important to practice anonymity in more forms than just black bloc. If done correctly it most certainly does work. One only has to look at the frustration the police express at not being able to adequately identify individuals involved in radical politics or criminal activity. Is there anything else you want to add? I'd just like to say that despite how they've been portrayed, most people who participate in a black bloc are not wild maniacs who just want to cause wanton destruction and chaos. Many times the instances of property destruction and violent confrontations with police are in response to blatant police brutality, or are done in an effort to divert police attention away from innocent people. Having been involved in radical politics for the past 16 years I have seen firsthand that Black Blocers are some of the most compassionate people on the planet, willing to put their bodies and their freedom on the line to protect others or to affect issues of social justice they feel passionately about. The Black Bloc has been making headlines around the world from protests in Brazil and Egypt , to activities inside the United States during the “ Battle of Seattle ” at the World Trade Organization conference last year.A typical Black Bloc operation involves showing up to a protest in black clothing wearing a mask and actively engaging law enforcement, violently if necessary, and attacking symbolic targets such as government buildings or banking establishments.As told by Matt Barsan, the Black Bloc is not a group but a special form of protest employed by various groups around the world. He is a social-anarchist by ideology, but is quick to point out that Black Bloc tactics are used by many groups, some of which are not anarchist in nature. Barsan starts by explaining what anarchism is, and is not.Can you define Anarchist for the readers?So it isn’t total chaos, then?Can you explain what the Black Bloc is and give us a little history about it? What are the main goals?The tactics are not something we normally see in the United States, can you give some examples of when the Black Bloc became involved with a protest?The incident in Seattle led to the federal investigation where 3 people were placed in jail because of their refusal to testify before a grand jury. Is that kind of secrecy and willingness to go down for the cause something that is common in the Black Bloc?There was quite a bit of public outcry about the grand jury resistors, do you think it helped the Black Bloc?Black Bloc movements have really taken hold in Egypt, Brazil, and Syria. Is there a reason these movements appear stronger in less developed nations?Obviously, you wouldn’t admit to be a current member of the Black Bloc, would you?Ok, so what are your personal views of the tactic? Do you think it works?Is there anything else you want to add? 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