Mindless slogans, repeated over and over, a police escort and a caged tour of London’s political landscape. The floor is now open to interpretations as to what I’m describing.
Just about every protest I’ve attended has followed this same pattern and slowly I’ve grown incredibly disenfranchised with the whole concept of protest, especially in Britain where to protest against your government you need their permission, now that’s Monty Python doing George Orwell if ever there was such a sketch? Let’s take Stop The War for example. A pressure group with commendable causes; opposed to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, quite high profile and quite well known. In 2003 prior to the Iraq invasion 1,000,000 people took to the streets in protest and then they went home, safe in the knowledge they’d done all they can. 7 years later and we’re still struggling to contain and control a nation we blew the fuck out of for no legitimate reason.
By protests placating to the authorities they simultaneously destroy any chance they have of meaningful resistance.
The recent wave of student protests has given a new lease of life into this sea of apathy within which we once comfortably drowned. The youth of the nation have lit a fire that hasn’t been quelled by the media and that hasn’t burnt itself out within a day. All across the nation students are standing up taking direct action. They are organising, they are occupying and they are resisting. Now I’m not gonna go throwing around loads of student movement allegories, but this is something that shouldn’t be ignored. People are standing up and fighting for themselves because they are realizing that government no longer serves the people, it serves themselves and it’s masters.
Protest once again has meaning and force behind it. When the chants of the university students regal through towns, through London, through occupied lecture halls and through the heads of our oppressors they have fire behind them, a fire that can be seen in the eyes of our brothers and sisters.
The state is responding exactly how one would predict, trying to crush the resistance with power, trying to destroy the protests with brute force and aggression. Their own special brand of storm trooper complete with drone like expression and neon rave jacket kettle in every protest they can. Yet the protestors have come back again and again and again. For the most part these protests have been peaceful and I’m speaking from my first hand experience of being part of them.
Sure they’ve sometimes been destructive but that to me, isn’t a bad thing, so long as that destruction is symbolic. The destruction of Milbank; symbolic and the defacing of Nelson’s Column; symbolic. It seems to me that violence in many cases is self defence against the forces of the state, who let’s face it, come ready to fight; shields, armour, vests, batons and helmets. The riot police in appearance, in manner and oh yes in name! Are a self fulfilling prophecy if ever there was one.
The police themselves I have an immense amount of love for because I think it is they who need it the most. Brainwashed by their superiors, conditioned by their uniforms they are forced into situations where their head must be spinning around the choices of employment and morality. On the 30th of November I can happily say I got four of the riot police to smile, one of which was forcing out of Trafalgar Square at the time. It is the uniform we hate on, the robot we wish to see destroyed, and the human being inside freed and left to make their own choice about this resistance.
I go out with peace in my mind, love in my heart and fire in my eyes. Peaceful resistance is the key to any resistance, not to say we don’t defend ourselves against violence, we can push just as hard as they can when need be. But for the most part fighting fire with fire is a fool’s game, use logic “Water can flow or it can crash, be water my friend.” In light of this we must remember to remain positive, be angry and let it out but make sure you stay positive crack a joke, make someone smile, give away a goddamn hug.
Positivity is of such vital importance to these kinds of actions where it is so easy for one to get lost in their anger. Embrace your anger, don’t let it embrace you. So after you call that police man a cock sucking fascist scum bag tell him it’s nothing personal, tell her it’s just the uniform because we’re all humans underneath. Anything to the contrary, anything that says we are separate; is a facade designed to maintain order and keep you from experiencing the rest of this divine consciousness.
Earlier today I was asked: "Isn't it pointless protesting against university cuts because they're voting for it tomorrow
I would like to respond as follows: "Sway them at the last minute? Maybe. Show them that if they wanna install a brutally elite system we will not stand for it? Constantly. Lay back on your comfortable bed of apathy and let them fuck us yet again? No more.
This goes further than student cuts. This goes further than your right to protest. This is about our generation standing up for the first time and saying fuck you we won’t take your corrupt elitist agenda - we will oppose it.
I’ll leave you with the words of Mr Hicks:
“You’re right not those fuckers who wanna tell you how to think you’re fucking right!”
Love to you all and I hope to see you on Thursday for another scene of this play within a life within a mind within a god within a universe within a play.
