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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Barcelona Report: the black bloc and the police |
Current rating: 0 |
by an indymedia videographer
(No verified email address) |
15 Mar 2002
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There is nothing more beautiful than a black bloc in action. |
The sun was shining brightly in Barcelona this afternoon, as I walked through the plaza in front of the Barcelona Contemporary Arts Museum, looking for something interesting to videotape. All of a sudden, about 100 people dressed in black ran across the plaza.
There is nothing more beautiful than a black bloc in action.
They disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, and it was a few more seconds before the police arrived, clad in full riot gear. The police stopped in the middle of the plaza, evidently confused because they could no longer see the people they were chasing. They split up into small groups and headed off down each of the tiny side streets. I turned on my video camera and followed one of the groups of police.
There were thirteen officers in the group that I followed. They were all men, dressed in standard riot uniforms and helmets with visors. The four in front carried shields, some of the others carried rubber-bullet guns.
As the police approached each intersection, they hesitantly peered around the corners of the buildings, apparently afraid that there would be someone there waiting to attack them. They looked somewhat silly, sneaking through the narrow neighborhood streets while local residents walked past, unconcerned with all the commotion.
I didnīt see what happened on La Rambla that caused the police to be chasing the black bloc through the streets, but I did see the knocked-over dumpsters and broken glass that traced their escape route.
I followed the police for about fifteen minutes, walking about a meter behind them, videotaping every step that they took. Surprisingly, the officers never said a word to me, and never asked me to stop taping.
The police officers apparently didnīt notice the black hooded sweatshirt that I had tied around my waist so it would be less noticable. And of course they didnīt see the black bandana that was hidden in my backpack instead of covering my face. It seems somehow ironic that someone from the black bloc would be following the police....
http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=151374&group=webcast |
See also:
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/
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