Call for a Padded Bloc on May 1st - help protect yourself and others on Mayday this year!

Padded Bloc - get your foam on!

From increasingly worrying media reports concerning the Gardai and Army training (yet all from unnamed "security sources") in the run up to the Mayday No Borders weekend protests, it would appear that the State is arming itself to the teeth, with an arsenal of "non-lethal" weapons to suppress legitimate protesters.

From a piece in the Irish Examiner, it is reported the Army are to be used as an additional police force if the State sees it fit. This is an extremely irresponsible move by the State. It is difficult to tell in what situation the Army would be deemed "necessary", yet this has not been outlined by the Minister for Justice, or any member of An Garda Siochana or the Irish Defence Forces.

The Army have no individualised identification numbers or tags - which, if they are deployed as police, could lead to a repeat of the May 2002 situation where Gardai were able to assault people at Reclaim The Streets, with no visible means of identification - and hence avoid prosecution.

The Gardai have shown they cannot be trusted to ensure the safety of people at street demonstrations, and employing the military force to deal with the country's own civilian population is akin to a measure employed by a fascist police state/dictatorship to suppress voices of dissent.

With all the unjustified media hype and furore, unfortunately the potential for many Gardai to be anxious, over-excited, and ultimately violent towards protesters over the course of the weekend exists. The advance scaremongering measures used by certain childish sections of the media, and the Gardai, mean that infringements of our civil liberties may well go unchallenged.

We have to protect ourselves against a Government that may well try use its military and police force to physically injure its own citizens and others, i.e. us, the ordinary people.

With these concerns in mind, we are sending out the call for a Padded Bloc to form on the evening of Saturday May 1st.

A Padded Bloc employs a range of materials and implements which emphasise physical defence and freedom of movement. Typical attire of a Padded Bloc includes, but is not limited to: foam padding, helmets, shields, shinguards, inflatable rubber rings, gas masks, eye goggles, etc.

The Bloc will not permit any offensive weapons. As anarchists we are opposed to the militaristic tactics of the State and do not intend to mirror them. The Padded Bloc will also be there to facilitate free movement of protesters. The Phoenix Park and the streets are public spaces, and blockading them or closing them off is a denial of our right to march and protest.

Even if you do not intend on taking part in the Padded Bloc proper, we would encourage everyone to wear protective body gear to prevent injury. From past experiences in Ireland, we know that a peaceful protest is no guarantee the Gardai will not randomly assault people.

A helmet may cost 20 euros and look silly but if it means avoiding the type of injuries caused by a baton strike to the head (where Gardai are trained to strike) then it is worth it. The lid from a household rubbish bin can be used as a shield. Everyday found material like cardboard & sleeping mats can be cut to size and taped around your limbs. It is not completely baton-proof but it will spread an impact over a greater surface area, lessing the blow.

Where can I read more about the Padded Bloc tactic? A good starting point is the "Bodyhammer" PDF booklet, which can be downloaded from here: http://www.devo.com/sarin/bodyhammer.html

Further details will be added in time.