“It is true that the State is not a

window, but neither is it just an

abstract concept. Breaking windows is
not a revolutionary act and neither is
any other act if taken out of context
and presented as an abstraction,
ignoring the intentions and strategy
of those who break the windows.

The State or Capital or colonialism

cannot be attacked as abstractions.
They can only be attacked in their
material forms, their social relations
and their institutions. It is not
possible to attack all forms and

10 points
material components of oppression at
once, so they must be attacked in pieces
at different times and locations.”

— Oshipeya, No action is suff icient

on the
black
in
itself, black bloc or otherwise

bloc
 fault of the black block. The media has not picked up for
seven years on why people are protesting the Olympics. Introduction
The February 13th heart attack march successfully clogged

10. Solidarity
the arteries of capitalism by having a riotous time through
the streets of Vancouver during the convergence against the
2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Solidarity does not equal censorship. As far as I’m concerned,
In the immediate aftermath, supposed allies of the social
I don’t think that anyone who engaged in black block tactics
denounced the tactics and attempted to distance themselves
or supports them is asking for our allies to censor themselves.
from the more radical elements in this movement.
What I am asking for is for people to not have facebook
comments like “silly black block” and “fuck diversity of
In a strict breach of the statement of unity (http://vancouver.
tactics”. We can emphasize communication between our
mediacoop.ca/newsrelease/2739) that the Olympic
allies. Let’s not denounce people publicly. Let’s not denounce
Resistance Network had articulated, social liberals who had
people in vague generalizations. Let’s have a commitment to
little or no part in organizing any of the convergence took it
dialogue. Let’s have a commitment to doing that in person.
upon themselves to denounce the violence of the protesters,
not the violence of the police.

They also questioned the effectiveness of the black block

tactic. What follows is a transcription of Harsha Walia’s (of
No One Is Illegal Vancouver) words at a debate between
Harsha and Derek O’Keefe on the diversity of tactics.

The full video of the debate can be viewed at:

http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/video/2916

Rise
Like
Lions
http://riselikelions.info

12
 “I could tell you that schwarze Block was a tactical “As far as I am concerned, the media
form, that it was a means of preventing the police from was never on our side! The media is
identifying and isolating who committed what gesture not the gauge of the success of our
during a riot. I could tell you that dressing in black
protests, and the corporate media
meant: we are all comrades, we are all in solidarity,
we are all alike, and this equality liberates us from the
and the police should not be let off the
responsibility of accepting a fault we do not deserve:
hook by us replicating their smears
the fault of being poor in a capitalist country, the fault and their denunciations.”
of being anti-fascist in the fatherland of Nazism, the
that’s important to reiterate because the people who were
fault of being libertarian in a repressive country. That it
actually arrested on February 13th from the green and orange
meant: nobody deserves to be punished for these reasons, zone have not denounced the black block, so why are other
and since you are attacking us we are forced to protect people doing it?
ourselves from violence when we march in the streets.
Because war, capitalism, labor regulations, prisons, There is also this idea that the black block reinforces and
psychiatric hospitals, those things are not violent, legitimizes the police state. Well if that argument is going
to be used then we may as well never be on the streets. That
however you see those of us who want to freely live our
kind of argument is a false one, because this police state
homosexuality, the refusal to found a family, collective justifies itself. We cannot hold our allies accountable for the
life and the abolition of property as the violent ones.” increased police brutality and the increased visits from the
Vancouver Integrated Security Unit.
— Claire Fontaine, This is Not the Black Bloc

t
Thank you folks. My name’s Harsha. I have to admit, in
9. Media smears
This should be really obvious – that the media and law
enforcement cannot dictate the terms of our debates. There
terms of this debate, I know it’s been going on for a week but is this idea that because we have now been denounced in the
I only just read all the messages and emails floating around media, we have lost our credibility. As far as I am concerned,
this morning as I tried to prepare my thoughts. I’m really the media was never on our side! The media is not the gauge
frustrated and really angry to be quite honest. I’m not going of the success of our protests, and the corporate media and
to be engaging in esoteric generalizations about diversity of the police should not be let off the hook by us replicating
tactics because I think that starting point is problematic, and their smears and their denunciations. Instead, we should be
I’ll explain why. I’ll try to be as specific as possible about very clear about not denouncing our comrades as violent. The
what happened on Saturday and what the organizing for fact that the media is not picking up on why there is property
that looked like. destruction against the Hudson’s Bay Company is not the
2 11
 line on February 12th was held by Indigenous elders with
two contingents behind them, one of which was the No One
is Illegal, Canada is Illegal contingent. The contingent next
to it was the black block. All of this was in consultation with
the 2010 Welcoming Committee.

Let’s also not forget black block members were present in

the Feb 14th Women’s Memorial March. A lot of people First, I want to locate myself in this dialogue. I don’t
have strategically used the Missing and Murdered Women’s personally engage in black block tactics, but as a long-time
Memorial March to say people are worried about the black community organizer and as a woman of colour, I stand in
block infiltrating the memorial march. I’m an organizer of full and firm support of diversity of tactics and in solidarity
the memorial march. We made sure that everyone knew the with those who are facing police repression during this time.
protocol of the memorial march, including not wearing face
masks out of respect for the missing and murdered women, I did march on Feb 13th in the Heart Attack demonstration
and that was honoured without any issues. with other members of No One is Illegal, which is a collective
of predominantly people of colour. While I cannot speak for
The black block is present at Tent City, and has been the personal motivations and intentions of those who engage
present at every action during the week. So in terms of the in black block tactics, I think the distance that I have from
thoughtfulness of the Heart Attack demonstration, I want those tactics is somewhat useful in this debate, because there
to reiterate that there were many conversations and many is this idea that only those who engage in black block actions
commitments made to respect the other days of action. support black block tactics. This is an attempt to marginalize
and isolate our comrades which I hope my presence here will
counter.

8. Putting others at risk One of the criticisms of the black block tactic is that it’s
undertaken by predominantly white males and therefore is
February 13th was explicitly called as a diversity of tactics. inherently oppressive to women of colour and Indigenous
As someone who marched on the 13th unmasked, I did not women in particular. As a woman of colour with a myriad of
feel endangered. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I can precarious systemic barriers including precarious legal status
speak for myself. I was happy to be there and I was happy to and health – and I can only speak for myself – but I can say
see the black block doing their thing. that the black block tactic does not in itself oppress me or
render me more vulnerable in protest. So I’d appreciate it if
For those who did not know what to expect there were various other white men did not make such pronouncements on my
spokes councils, some of which were publicly announced, for behalf.
anyone who was interested in getting information beforehand.
Within the demonstration, there was an escalation of zones So that being said, I want to make ten quick points on the
from green to red and at no point did I see the black block black block.
trying to hide under the cover of other zones. And I think
10 3
 1. Tactic
I would also argue that black block tactics actually help open
up space for more mainstream tactics to take place, and that’s
something that I cannot emphasize enough. I would argue
that the success of the memorial march and the success of the
First of all, the black block is a tactic. Like any other tactic
tent city, at least in part, were due to Saturday, Feb 13th. The
it cannot be judged in itself, but can only be judged as part
reason for that is that law enforcement, because they create a
of the spectrum of a much broader movement and as part of
good protestor/bad protestor divide, have been largely absent
a spectrum of tactics that we all engage in. The black block
from the tent city. And part of the reason the tent village
has various utilities, both defensive and offensive. I think
has gone positive mainstream media is the spin that this is a
the one point that is often missed is the defensive strategies
peaceful tent village that should be defended and supported.
around the black block. As people know, a lot of black block
So I would argue that black block tactics absolutely do help
activity going back to the 70s and 80s in Europe includes
build a broader movement, and absolutely do help build a
really important actions including de-arresting comrades. It
space for various others tactics to take place, and they don’t
includes the very basic principle of no comrade left behind,
exist in isolation of them.
that we do not leave people in the police lines and decide to
flee, and for that the black block is deeply courageous.
Beyond that, I don’t think building a mass movement is
always the gauge of the success of a tactic. If that was the
I want to quote Barbara Ehrenreich who suggests that one
case, Indigenous blockades would not be happening, because
of the biggest utilities of the black block is it really breaks
we’d have to wait for every single Canadian to denounce
the heavily ritualized nature of modern civil disobedience.
Canadian nationalism. Direct action happens because there
When we talk about tactics, we have to be able to gauge
is a need for it. Direct action happens because people are
the black block tactic amongst many other tactics. So the
fighting back, and we’re not waiting for millions of people to
fact that other tactics may or may not be more effective does
stand beside us for the revolution to happen.
not in itself render the black block tactic any less effective. I
think that’s important to state because it’s all been reduced
to whether window smashing is effective or not. I think that
as a starting point is fundamentally problematic, because this 7. Undermining peaceful
protestors
movement is about more than window-breaking and it’s also
about window-breaking.

One of the points people have made is that sometimes bloc

2. Violence tactics undermine other tactics. I think this is a fair argument

and I think a separation of tactics is often necessary. What
was specific about this convergence is that that happened
The next point that I want to make in terms of the black and the black block has been in communication with the
block – and I won’t spend much time on it because I don’t organizers of the entire convergence.
think there’s much debate here – is if the black block engages
in violent tactics. The only response I really care to make to Feb 12th was called as an action that was inclusive and
that is that we’re asking the wrong side the question about family-friendly, and the black block was present. The front
4 9
 gains nothing, well again, a whole lot of our protests are often violence. If we’re going to talk about violence, we need to be
symbolic. Like any other mass movement, we have to gauge talking about corporate sponsors, the state, the military, and
them as part of a long-term campaign. So if we’re going to the police who daily commit violence on people. Not a single
talk about the black block tactic, we have to talk about it individual and not a single animal have been harmed in the
as part of the anti-Olympic movement. In my opinion, you tactics of Feb 13th. What have been harmed are lifeless
can’t separate those things and as far as I know, the anti- windows. So let’s be very clear what we’re talking about
Olympic movement as a whole including all of its parts has before we start to perpetuate mainstream media rhetoric
been very successful. about violence and feed into our enemy’s rhetoric.

“Whether the black block tactic of

smashing windows is simply symbolic
and gains nothing, well again, a whole 3. Masks
lot of our protests are often symbolic. The fact that people are anonymous when they mask up
Like any other mass movement, we or bloc up is not unique. As we know, people wear masks
have to gauge them as part of a long- around the world, probably the most romanticized of whom
are the Zapatistas. If we’re going to be able to have solidarity
term campaign.” with global struggles, we have to understand that the reasons
for wearing a mask are the same whether it’s in Chiapas
In terms of the black block tactic in and of itself, if we are
or Palestine or it’s the black block on our streets. State
to separate it out, I would argue that it has been effective for
surveillance, particularly in the context of the Olympics
several reasons. The first is that the black block tactic does
where people have had visits by the Vancouver Integrated
actually help build mass movements, counter to this idea
Security Unit, means people need to protect themselves. To
that the black block marginalizes mass movement. And I
me, the black block is not anonymous. It’s a tactic and the
think that happens in several ways. The first is that there is no
members of the black block are known to me. If people want
monopoly on the mass movement. There are a lot of people
to come down to tent village, you’ll probably meet many of
who don’t engage is what is the monoculture of the mass
them.
movement, in symbolic protest, and who find direct action
to be very empowering. From that perspective, the black
block is growing, and therefore, the black block as part of the
movement is helping the movement grow.

Second, corporate sponsors, in my experience, have only

4. Police Provacateurs
been mentioned in mainstream media when there have There is this idea, relating to anonymity, that the bloc is
been insurrectionary attacks on them. A lot of these have more susceptible to provocateurs. The entire movement
happened in Ottawa, in particular, and Montreal. In terms is susceptible to police provocateurs. The actual police
of effectiveness, the only times that I’ve seen Hudson’s Bay provocateurs that were ousted on February 12th were
Company and Royal Bank mentioned and involved in the posing as journalists, not the black bloc. Another very clear
direct Olympic industry has been when they have taken a hit. example of this is what happened in Montebello when police

8 5
 provocateurs did present themselves as the black block, they who appear to be strategically utilizing community-based
were first outed by the black block themselves. direct actions like the tent city in debates about movement
building. I want to take a moment here to thank everyone

5. Community organizers who is supporting the Downtown Eastside tent village.

vs. Insurrectionaries 6. Effectiveness

My main point, and I’ve already talked about this, is that all
There is an unfortunate dichotomy that has been created tactics should be judged from the same starting point.
between so-called community day-to-day organizing and
insurrectionary actions. Critics have made false digs about This is, for me, the crux of the argument. It’s not that black
the lack of organizing commitment to movement-building block tactics in specific contexts are immune for criticism. If
by anarchists. I am a self-identified anarchist. The Olympic people have criticisms about the 13th, then let’s talk about
Tent Village has been thrown around a whole lot in context specific criticisms, but all that we have seen is a general
of this debate. As people know, the tent village is happening denunciation of property destruction. As far as I’m concerned,
right now at 52 West Hastings on a Concord Pacific lot every tactic is open to criticism. That includes if we’re going
that’s currently being leased out by the Vancouver Olympic to have mass rallies where politicians are given a free stage to
Organizing Committee. Anarchists have put in countless speak despite the daily violence they are responsible for. We
hours – and by countless hours, I mean 16-hour days – to can talk about the fact that symbolic rallies once a year are
contribute to the tent equally ineffective. If we’re going
village. That includes to talk about ineffectiveness,
graveyard shifts to we need to be able to have the
do security (and this same starting point for every
might be a surprise to single tactic. I’m thankful for this
some, but that includes debate, but the next time that
de-escalation of law there’s a symbolic rally appealing
enforcement, which all of to politicians to please give us
us are completely capable something; let’s talk about its
of doing), construction, effectiveness too then.
cooking and clean up
of the site under the Black bloc is a strategy that is
leadership of Downtown part of a movement, and we can’t
Eastside residents and romanticize or generalize either
Elders. As someone who way. Tactics can be effective, they
is on this site over 20 can be ineffective, but inherently
hours a day, I can say that they are neither. Whether the
sadly the same cannot be black block tactic of smashing
said to be true of those windows is simply symbolic and
6 7