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>a Protest and propaganda
The British state and sections of the media are talking up the prospect of ‘violent protests’ during the G8 summit in Gleneagles in July. Mark Brown smells a rat.
hen the leaders of the world's eighth
wealthiest nations arrive in Scotland for the
(I8 summit in Gleneagles (6—8 July) their closely guarded discussions will be in stark contrast to the biggest expression of grassroots democracy Scotland has ever seen.
Nowadays. when the world‘s leaders come to town. yoti can be sure that those who oppose their wars. their ecological destruction and their assaults on the livelihoods of workers will be there too.
The anti-globalisation movement has systematically challenged every major conference of the rich and powerful ever since the extraordinary demonstrations during the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Seattle in l999. Since then there have been a series of huge social forums and protests. from Porto Alegre to Murnbai. Gothenburg to Genoa. People power has been put back on the agenda. but this time it isn‘t singing ‘lfYou Go to San Francisco‘.
The anti-globalisation movement has been marked out by its seriousness about ideas. lts slogan. ‘Another World is Possible‘. is backed up with a library of new political literature. Many of the world‘s great thinkers. such as Indian author Arundhati Roi and American academic Noam Chomsky. have embraced the new movement. Yet. despite its wealth of ideas. and its depth of political commitment. the powers-that-be still attempt to portray the movement as a violent threat to society. Tony Blair famously referred to it as nothing more an ‘anarchist travelling circus'.
Now. with the G8 less than four months away. the propaganda offensive against the movement has moved into top gear. We have been told that. due to ‘police fears‘ of ‘violent protest‘. a series of draconian measures are to be brought in. Senior police officers talk of the possible use of the Terrorism Act 2()()() against protestors.
Some sections of the media have bought the package. The function of a free press is. surely. to interrogate
power. not to repeat its arguments. The denunciation of
protest movements as ‘violent' is a tried-and-tested method of the powerful. Firstly. it is used to frighten otT the less dedicated elements in the movement. who. it is hoped. will stay away through fear of confrontations with the police. Secondly. casting protestors as violent before the event can be used to justify whatever level of force the police subsequently opt to use.
The Chartists. the Suffragettes. the American civil rights movement. the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa: there is barely a protest movement in history which hasn‘t been cast as a ‘threat to society'.
The (38 leaders who denounce the supposed
10 THE LIST 17~31 Mar 2005
‘DESCRIBING PROTEST MOVEMENTS AS VIOLENT IS A TRIED- AND-TESTED METHOD'
‘violence‘ of the anti-globalisation movement include (ieorge W Bush and Tony Blair. and the butcher of (iro/ny. Vladimir Putin. The prime minister of Italy the corrupt. populist thug Silvio Berlusconi will. no doubt. talk of the 'mayhenf in (ienoa during the 200] (its summit. What he will not mention is that it was his police who killed the young protestor ('arlo (iiuliani. and that the most rabid elements among the carabinieri sang fascist anthems while attacking protestors.
Make no mistake. the recent talk of ‘\iolcnt protestors'. mass arrests and the use of anti-terror laws
have less to do with the fears of Scottish chief
constables than with a concerted propaganda effort directed from It) Downing Street and the White House.
The reality is a million miles from their rhetoric. They say: ‘Anarchy at the (ES‘. The movement says: ‘.\1akc Poverty History. They say "Travelling circus“. in reality. the movement is a Scotland-wide organising group which is opening its arms to campaigners from overseas.
(i8 Alternatives is organising the increasingly famous counter-ctinference which appears to be getting the senior
those willing to pool their political resources to create a vision of a world run on entirely different lines from those which will be mapped otrt by the leaders at the live-star (ileneagles Hotel.
From Scottish (‘ND to Rose (ientle. the mother of
young soldier Gordon Gentle who was killed in Iraq. GS Alternatives defies Blair's crude attempts to caricature the anti-globalisation movement. Indeed. while the authorities talk tip the prospect of violence. the group has launched an onlinc petition ‘upholding Scotlarttfs tradition of peaceful protest‘ and opposing the state's threats to the civil liberties of those who wish to demonstrate against the (38.
For more on GB Alternatives visit www.98alternatives.org.uk.
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cops in such a lather. It is a coalition of
MY FAVOURITE SCOTTISH BOOK
As part of our 100 Best Scottish Books campaign, from this issue until the announcement of the winner in August, we invite public figures to nominate their desert island book.
PAT KANE The out, ororluetiori lrorr~ Scottish letter", that I can ever f‘:ll‘.(,‘llll)(:l ()‘:lllllll‘:l, exciting the is the r(:.'r.ra! of The Edinburgh Review, under the fftlltfll‘illll) of Peter Kraurtfi throughout the Fills. ltt a wry riloorriy time It) Scotland, each edition (lariririly seriuerl the lll()f;t rrncrosoorirr: experirrierits lit ‘the St.otti‘,ti Voroe' mtli ()l()l){tl thinkers and (L01llllfjl'(,tlltllf£tl perspectives. alorir; .‘Jlill the occasional (,()llllt, strip or ottlieat eno/elor)aerlia Like P/[tj/[)()'.‘/()f l); Ftirliarrl Neville, The Fri/riot/roh Hm/iew {illil(;ll)?ti(:fl the wet, iritellirierw: of today. rriakirir; rarlieal arirt sortietirrief; riorirmieieal (X)llll(:(;il()ll‘) tiet .‘J‘:‘:ll knots/ledges, (:riitorrii',erl l;/ Alasdair Gray", (graphic: 'to rrather all the rays of culture into OllC'. lt USCG if) ht: tilt: r)ttl/ tlllltq that kept me from fleeing the country; until the rlrearri ot a Parliament beearne graspable. Not good enough? OK 1982, Janine b; Ora; Greerioek hotel rooms, typographic (is/etiological emlogioriu. trietioulOu‘, sarltr masochiSrrt. the internal collapse of Scottish rria'/,u|iriit/. and a prose St/le as spare and clean-lined as an; of his rriurals. There's riormr; to touch Gray, even yet. which is a sad comment on Scottish letters. I To vote. text the word “/OTE' and the name of your favourite Scott/3h book to 8 7800.