NATO-ZU, which had it's own barrio and training facilities in the camp,
was organised by consensus using a spokesperson council, where each
affinity group would send a representative. While anyone could
join NATO-ZU at any point (as long as you agreed with the nonviolence
guidelines), groups had to work within that structure. Information was
only communicated to the group through that structure.
This
organising structure seems to have made a difference - as all the other
"Block Nato" groups who had advertised a public meeting point were
attacked by the police at their meeting points, NATO-ZU got to their
blockading point without any problems.
To ensure we would not
be trapped in by the police, most of NATO-ZU left the camp on the
Friday evening, to stay at other places in town or in campings. The
blockading point and time had been agreed, and on Saturday morning many
small groups converged at the same time on the blockading point. The
point - a 4 lane road, one of north Strasbourg's main access route -
was taken easily.
People sat down peacefully and waited. Soon
after some riot police arrived, to evaluate the situation. They then
decided to withdraw about 200 meters away from the blockade, and stayed
there. The blockade lasted for five hours, at which point the
blockaders decided by consensus that they had achieved their aim (the
summit was now well under way, and there was no-one left to blockade),
and could now leave to join the main demonstration.
The action
was a success. We did not blockade all accesses to the summit - and
with some effort the traffic could be re-routed around us - however it
was clear from the start that this would be a symbolic action.
We
organised in a democratic and efficient structure ; we planned our
action as a group ; we carried out our action the way we had intented
to ; and we left when we decided to. We did not bow in the fear of
police reprisals, and where all ready to be arrested ; but equally we
recognised it was a symbolic action and did not take any undue risks to
our persons. Finally we provided an alternative form or resistance to
that of the violence of some elements of the black block, whose actions
were, in the end, no less symbolic than ours.
Source: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426974.html
