The day after the riots there was a protest against GMO food and factory farming. It was really a good chance to get to meet the kind of activists I'm most familiar with... those at least a little on the hippie end of the spectrum. There weren't too many black bloc'ers (by in large "hippie" issues don't mix with anarchism here. The march was more like what I know of marches i.e. We were flanked by the police the whole time. All the different black bloc dressed people were exchanging glances with one another wondering what was going to happen. As soon as we arrived saed got searched and id'd and I only avoided a similar fate because saed's search left the officer bored with searching. We walked through the march route, and then the march ended and people were gathered around a stage in a square. From there we had a list of 8 places put out by the march organizers that they would like targeted... they published a map with a second route (a 15 km route) that hit up everything from McDonalds to GMO fields to an animal testing facility. Unfortunately people were heading to the first target in quite small groups and many were getting stopped, handcuffed, id'ed and searched. In order to search people police have clarified a law that exists here that you cannot be masked. Historically the legal case has been vague and weak on what counts as masking up, so usually people don't wear bandanas, but they wear a scarf around their face and a hat and sunglasses. I've been using sunglasses and have had a scrap of cloth around my neck in case I need it. So anyway, anyone carrying more than one of this three-thing list of apparal is in violation of the law, and gets their ID taken and is forced to pose for pictures wearing their masks to see if it lines up with any helicopter survielance. So, Saed was tired and I reluctantly agreed to leave, but was later glad that I did because everybody was getting stopped and searched and id'ed and nothing was able to happen. Some clowns who did make it to the McDonalds were arrested.
So, that seems like just about the whole of the post. I am feeling quite nervous which is making way for homesickness, so do write me an email. Same for the others, I think they feel the same way.
1 comment:
Hey Saed it is your cousin, I just wanted to say hi and read how everything is going. I hope you are having a strange and interesting experience, and I can't wait to see you when you get home. Hang in there and good luck with the rest of your time there!
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