On revolutionary solidarity, prisoner struggle and the noise demo of Nov. 6 2009 at the foreign detention centre in Zaandam.
We would like to discuss two aspects of the noise demo, in order to practically and theoretically progress our anti prison struggle, from within the prison walls and from the open air prison we are all living in. The two points we want to bring up are: firstly about our views on how we see the role of solidarity within the anti prison struggle, and secondly about our expectations within our own movement in Holland, and what we consider some of its shortcomings.
There was a moment during the demo when we saw the opportunity to switch our presence from a passive show of solidarity, to a more active participation against institutional repression and authority. This was after 40 minutes of shouting back and forth slogans (FUCK THE POLICE; SOLIDARITE AVEC LES SANS PAPIERS; NO BORDERS NO NATIONS, STOP DEPORTATIONS; NO PRISONS NO BORDER, FUCK LAW AND ORDER; OUR PASSION FOR FREEDOM IS STRONGER THAN YOUR PRISONS). The prisoners that were at that moment taking air started climbing on the gates, ignoring the screws, and refused to go inside. The tension that was being created between individuals expressing their disgust towards the illegalization of people, started crossing the line of the legal predetermined way this expression should fit into. In the moment that we realized that this line was being crossed, we left. The reason for this was explained as “it is not us that are going to get punished for this (put in isolation or something), but them. By being here we are only going to encourage this”.
This brings us to the first point, about how we see the role of solidarity within an anti prison struggle. At the risk of talking about prison in a romanticized, naive way, we will never consider the decision of a prisoner to disobey orders, and for one moment reclaiming the dignity of choice and self determination these laws try to strip, as something we shouldn’t encourage or be in solidarity with. This is the moment when we saw there could have been the opportunity to take this spectator role of someone else’s “unjust” misery, into collectively and openly engaging in the struggle against this (same) system that oppresses all of our lives.
For example, there were three cops (with radios, of course) present at the time, “supervising” us. They also left an empty cop car right behind the corner, still in view of some of the prisoners. Well, everyone’s own imagination of an empty cop car can fill in what could have happened next….
In our view the (limited) cop presence, controlling that our demo was peaceful and law obeying, is just another expression of the prison society that locked up the people on the other side of the water. We were not there to fight for them, or to give pity. We were there as individuals who also hate and are repressed by the prison system’s existence whether or not we’re on the “inside” or “outside” fighting against the surveillance, isolation, control and security culture that is imposed on our lives. We are struggling against its coercion for our own freedom and dignity. This struggle includes the very important component of active solidarity manifesting in each individual’s continuation of this struggle in their own lives, by their own means.
Preventive repression has pacified people’s anger, turning it into fear and paranoia. It convinces us of being privileged, something we should preserve and protect from unpredictable changes. (Which privilege? The one of not being behind bars? Having the right colour passport?) In our opinion every missed chance to feed these tensions is another further step towards the coöperation with and submission to this prison world.
As much as we could be accused of not knowing from our own personal experience what it’s like to face serious prison time, we’re not naive enough to think that prison is not a realistic threat that applies to our life, more or less intensely, in every single moment. Its mere existence imposes limitations on everyone’s freedom. Maintaining the distance above this reality and considering it something that could only happen to others, is including yourself in the spectacle, not in the struggle.
This brings us to the next point:
Why didn’t anything on our part kick off, even given a rare moment of favourable circumstances?
This time, like all others, we could go on listing hundreds of reasons to talk ourselves out of “going for it”, choosing to de-escalate because of the insecurity and uncertainty of engaging in something we cannot predict the outcome of.
We are not promoting kamikaze missions for some idealistic and unrealistic fetishism of the revolution, and do recognize that there is still an infinite amount of patient and consistent work to be done for the destruction of this prison world (that doesn’t only include militant situations). However, we are dissatisfied with the frustration and dis-empowerment that these missed opportunities leave. We were part of a situation where the people explicitly behind bars were putting their last bit of freedom on the line engaging in a rebellious act and we were unwilling and unprepared to step it up, to gamble with whatever illusion of freedom we think we have.
We have the impression that especially in Holland opportunities of escalation or of spontaneous and subversive collective action are not even taken into consideration as a realistic tactic, or as an essential part of our struggle, or as an urgent desire.
When you put yourself in a situation with strangers and/or comrades to “protest”, this should not be a moment predetermined in its format and outcome. With any spark these situations could lead to rage manifesting itself without the distinction of the “good” legal way and the “bad” illegal way. That is playing their game, by their rules.
We find that much discussion on this topic needs to take place within any movement, especially in this country. We are living in a place where the reality of arrest is actually quite common. However, we see the main attitude towards these arrests, or the reasons why people choose to put themselves in these situations, still complying to the morality of the law. Still caught between these distinctions of being innocent or guilty, taking action in a way to show how the cops are “wrong” and we are “right”, or fighting for something because it “should be legal”. Fuck that… We are against all hierarchical power and authority, controlling our and everyone else’s life. We don’t give a shit if cops are “wrong” or “right”, we simply don’t want these power structures to exist..
Therefore we see that opposing attitudes on this point are creating situations of distrust during demos etc., where people separate themselves from having to take part in a form of protest that is consciously disregarding the lines between legal and illegal. However, we are always in some way prepared and expecting for the pigs to be provoking or escalating these situations out of their own spontaneous, irrational whims, and to some extent even accepting this (does anyone remember the noise demo at the same spot 2 years ago, when all the demonstrators were mass arrested for 3 days, because the gates were open and some people decided to take the demo inside? The main attitude of this arrest was “but we didn’t do anything”, or “this is unfair”.).
We would not like to come across as pushy, arrogant thugs who want to convince others how they should act and show their solidarity, in fact we encourage most forms (appropriate for the opportunity and intention). This critique is not meant as a personal attack, but as a challenge to the predetermined invisible frame our ways of struggling are locked into. These points of discussion are coming out as much from the observation of the movement in this country as from self reflection. We hope that the possibilities of a discussion can push our creativity and desires outside these self imposed and system-submissive boundaries.
…For our theory to be practice and our passion to be action…
Until we are all free
Destroy all prisons!