I was lucky...

I was lucky to have met with an old FSU chum, living in west China, who shared the protest experience with me. We tried to stay away from people who were on missions to get arrested (Chinese prisons aren’t in the cards for me just yet). But the surging collective engulfed you; you couldn’t really avoid the demo. The police were so supportive the first few days because they divided the crowd into factions, according to organization affiliation. Indeed, Empire has mastered crowd control…with its (‘less lethal’) rubber bullets, vile pepper spray, retractable batons, water hoses shooting out poisonous chemicals, tazer-shocking riot shields, helicopters and weapons earned from the arms trade…almost. Despite sectioning off the tens of thousands, a group of about 900 managed to hold strong against the riot pigs. Some may have been Korean farmers (or did they assume that role?), who set small fires and desperately tried to get into the convention centre. Trade ministers were locked in until wee hours; 900 or so protestors refused to give up, until all were arrested by 6am. Those detained are calling for urgent legal assistance!

Unfortunately all this did little good. Global Justice Movement folks ARE on the inside, do know the issues, do have alternatives, but obstinate US/EU continue to serve their steaming bullshite. Not to let the disillusionment about the policy and activist worlds deter me from my own path in finding justice, in some form, but it does seem hopeless, at least at this close range. I can only hope that likeminded people continue to work in these circles, perhaps towards dismantling these institutions of uneven power. Still, the divisions between movement members remain.