I think the good admin made a mistake. Here is the article in full...
| Anarchists to take part in S.F. march They say they're demonstrating against evils of capitalism Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer |
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San Francisco -- The next major anti-war protest is scheduled for Saturday in San Francisco. And so is the next so-called breakaway march. The anonymous call for a splinter protest has gone out on the same independent media, anarchist Web sites and flyers as advertised the breakaway march that led to 45 arrests after a peaceful demonstration Feb. 16 in San Francisco. Police know it's coming. So do organizers of the main anti-war demonstration, who are unaffiliated with the loosely knit, anarchist-led side protest. But they say they can't do anything to stop it, and have no idea how big it will be. Then again, neither do the breakaway organizers. They just put out the call, tell people to wear black clothing and a mask, and see who shows up. "Oh, yeah, we know it's coming. Everybody does," said police Lt. Kitt Crenshaw. In response to concerns about violence at past anti-war demonstrations, Crenshaw was part of an undercover detail that conducted videotaped surveillance of breakaway contingents, apparently without the required approval from the chief. Police also know about calls Saturday for the militant "black bloc" tactic, where members of the breakaway protest don black clothing and cover their faces to avoid identification. Police say proponents of this tactic have been responsible for $50,000 in damage to downtown buildings after the past three anti-war demonstrations. Splinter activists are frustrated with conventional peace events and are calling for another breakaway march to "bring some militancy to the (anti-war movement)," said one breakaway organizer who asked not to be identified. "What does (the main march) threaten? It can just be ignored like any other position people are taking," said the organizer, who would identify himself only as "August Spies," the anarchist writer and labor activist executed in connection with the Haymarket bombing in Chicago in 1886. At the Feb. 16 demonstration, police intercepted the 1,000 breakaway demonstrators as they headed to Union Square for what was billed as a nonviolent civil disobedience protest against the consumerism they feel is driving the war effort. A clash ensued. Police say demonstrators threw bottles at them and vandalized businesses, while the protesters say police used excessive force. Charges were dropped for all but one of the 45 people arrested. "Spies," an organizer who has been involved in coordinating three breakaway demonstrations, said many of the participants support Saturday's main march. In fact, many breakaway marchers will first take part in "an anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian contingent" in the main march. The contingent is being billed as nonconfrontational. "We want to create a presence at the demonstration for people who are authentically against capitalism," said Kevin Keating, the driving force behind the anti-gentrification Mission Yuppie Eradication Project. He did not say whether he would march in the breakaway. Those who have participated in past breakaway protests say a few broken windows are nothing compared with what the U.S. military plans to do in Iraq. Some of the more radical participants do not consider property damage to be violence. "I don't encourage the violence at all, but the breakaway protests are about changing the way things are going," said Steve Comstock, a 21-year-old Santa Cruz resident who was arrested after participating in the last splinter march. Misdemeanor charges against him were later dropped. "When you feel strongly about something, you don't just continue to live your life the way you always do." But while the more radical elements of the breakaway march say they follow various strains of anarchist philosophy, one expert doubts their sincerity. "These (violent breakaway protesters) are nihilists, not anarchists," said Stephen Zunes, an associate professor of history at the University of San Francisco and an expert on social movements. "They're basically hoodlums looking for a mass rally to ride the coattails of. They don't have a political agenda. And the worst thing is that they don't have any leaders you can negotiate with." Anti-war organizations promoting the demonstrations haven't been able to connect with the anarchists. While no activist organizations co-sponsoring Saturday's main San Francisco demonstrations condones the splinter protest, few want to publicly criticize it, either. According to recently released police memos and interviews with investigators, police have been monitoring sf.indymedia.org, a widely read independent media Web site that posts a link to the "black bloc." International Answer, a co-sponsor of Saturday's march, includes a link to sf.indymedia.org on its Web site. "To link our organization to (the black bloc) because of that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," said International Answer spokesman Bill Hackwell. "There are links to all sorts of things," including the Green Party and Veterans for Peace. Privately, other organizers of the main march say they've been threatened by breakaway organizers after making public statements in the past about their actions. And since many of the mainstream organizers intend to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience should the United States attack Iraq, top anti-war activists say they don't want to condemn the nonviolent breakaway marchers for the same kind of behavior. One organizer, Hari Dillon, president of the Vanguard Public Foundation, prefers to keep focused on "this huge crime against humanity that's about to take place" -- a U.S.-led attack. "But," said Dillon, "I'm always concerned about anything that I think can distort our message. There's too much at stake right now." |
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