<nettime> Lessons from Seattle

[Charles <quester@eskimo.com>]

Your letter describing how you organized for the Seattle protest was most
impressive.  You have clearly developed a mechanism that can be useful in
future events.  But with all  your planning and foresight you failed to
take account of a crucial factor, and in consequence, as you recognize,
you lost the battle for the media, which is the most important battle of
all.

You should have realized -- and you should realize in the future -- that
provocateurs will be present at any such protest. They may be (as was
apparently the case in Seattle) extremists who want to force the
authorities into repressive acts in order to bring out the underlying
oppressiveness of the system.  Or they may be hirelings of the system
itself, put there specifically to discredit your group.  They will usually
be few in number but they will engage in destructive acts designed to
attract the attention of the media.  You should counter their efforts by
training a selected group of young activists to move swiftly to surround
them, isolate them, curtail their violence and -- if appropriate -- turn
them over to the authorities on the scene.  This will virtually force the
media to recognize the orderly, non-violent and self-disciplined nature of
your protest and will greatly increase its resonance.  Viewers
undistracted by apparent misdeeds by your group will be more likely to
listen to your arguments -- and to observe and condemn any violence the
authorities may employ to suppress them.

 
  -   Charles   -

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