Categories: uncategorized
Date: 31 March 2009 19:34:43
The University of East London, (where I studied Political Activism and Social Movements), is obviously under pressure from somebody..... or paranoid that it could be the site of an outbreak of old fashioned student activism. Their website shows that they have decided to close over the next couple of days, thus cancelling the alternative G20 conference, apparently. Interesting though, that an update on the Alternative London Summit site says they are still committed to ensuring the event takes place. In addition to the closure they have also suspended an anthropology lecturer whose agitprop protest the Guardian highlights.
The One Show had an interesting report on the protests. One which could be read in a range of different ways. My own view was this was one of the finest examples of hegemony in action I've ever witnessed. The report started by focusing in on Saturday and the fluffy protest. It had a Salvation Army OAP explaining why she was going on the march and then followed her. The reporter found himself carrying some ickle person who seemed to randomly appear, and who had more than a passing similarity to being a younger Third Party when she was interviewed:
Interviewer: Is this your first protest
Child: No
Interviewer: How many have you been on
Child: Lots
Interviewer: Do you enjoy them
Child: No
Interviewer: Why not?
Child: They're boring
The Salvo lady then was filmed interviewing one of the anarchists, who refused to live up to the stereotype and showed himself to be an all round rather nice chap, if rather idealistic (a trait our old dear found positive).
The reporter then moved onto a home interview with one of the agitprop types and her cardboard cut out of a banker being strung up. In the interview the view was put forward that play and fun are likely to defuse violence because people are less likely to be throwing stones if they are too busy laughing. The reporter seemed less than convinced.
The police were shown, obviously as innocent types who were just out to prevent violence and deal with it appropriately should it occur.Note: this is what most will do, but when viewing tomorrows images we must bear in mind the Met's track record at not being able to deal with the unpredicatable fun element of agitprop, (Wiki gives definition). A rather different picture than the one in this Guardian montage.
Finally they returned to the studio where a discussion took place which was clear to distance tomorrows happenings and protestors from those who took part on Saturday. Thus, the state tv channel has managed to legitimise the fluffy protestors of Saturday and put forward a "common sense" view that anybody there tomorrow will be an extremist and that their environmental and anti-capitalist aims are not as legitimate as those being expressed on Saturday. It also, through it's clear message that "faith protestors" like the older woman at the beginning of the report wouldn't be there tomorrow, gave a message suggesting that Christianity isn't interested or involved in the more radical protests. Um, this is inaccurate. Whilst the major faith groups won't be represented I know of people of faith who will be there... expressing their faith through these actions.... along with those of other faiths and none.
As I said earlier in the week my hope is that tomorrow won't turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whatever does happen though, as I also said, we need to ensure that nobody is dehumanised. That's not always so easy though... yet it's important. Going back to yesterdays post the same principle applies to the BNP. Whilst we must oppose, by any and every means possible, the dangerous lies they promote we must not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of dehumanising their supporters. Many of them are people whose fear and insecurity is being exploited for the political gain of a few. It is encouraging that according to Ekklesia some of the main churches have come out today with a statement saying they are going to actively encourage political activity and engagement to defeat the apathy and cynicism which help far right poilitics breed. It is less encouraging that the main state church has apparently declined to comment in response to the BNP posters. One thinks, in someway, they could have taken the initiative in using this as an opportunity to proclaim the true gospel.
Finally, on this type of subject it appears there is an interesting conference in Sheffield at the end of the month at St. Mark's Centre for Radical Christianity looking at Global Responses to Global Threats.