09 May 2007

flash mobbing

I had decided to stay home and finish my paper at last, instead of, as originally planned, go to uni for the special g8 workshops week. A girl came to check my room out - she might rent it while I'm away.
But then I got this sms from a friend saying the police had started going through all sorts of meeting points of the left social networks - taking computers with them, mailing lists, all sorts of data linked to the preparation of the alternative summit and the protest in June. It's not the first time the police tries to destroy left wing infrastructure, but this time I really felt touched, involved. Betroffen. There are too many police attacks against left social spaces. I started smsing around and D. and i set off for one of the places we knew of. About 50 people stood around, several cop cars too, but nothing much happening. We moved on to the Köpi - a large lefty centre, originally an occupied house, got sold yesterday, which adds to the general feeling of bitterness. There too, several people standing around, scarce information jumping from mouth to ear. We went back to Bethanien, D. taking me on the back of his bike. And there the plan started rolling - information moving between people, meeting points exchanged for actions. We spent the next several hours moving from meeting point to meeting point, getting informations about the next stop more or less at random on the street. Eventually we could recognise the faces of the people involved, see groups arriving on their bikes, spread information in passing on the street. An invisible network had formed. Eventually D. had to go off to an appointment, and I left because I couldn't follow the rhythm without a bike.
As the police visibly tries to impress and stop mobilisation for all the actions planned around the g8, the mood in the city gets more and more radical.

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