Reflections between Berlin and Prague

So I'm currently writing from Prague (sorry in advance for the long post). While we had initially planned on all going to Copenhagen, after reviewing our options, it seemed like visiting the Czech republic would be fun as its probably my only chance to get a glimpse of eastern Europe before I start biking west. Me and David took a train down yesterday through an incredibly beautiful countryside, while Will and Mikey headed north to Copenhagen. Prague is an intriguing city, with the separation between the poor areas and tourist districts being quite distinct. Me and David stayed in a hostel last night near the city center and are planning on exploring the museums and neighborhoods over the next couple of days. Today we used the gps(thanks joe!) to find this bagel restaurant that we had heard a lot about - it was fun to navigate through alleys and streets using military satellites. We'll see what these next few days bring. Everyone is planning on meeting up back in Berlin in a few days for an action.

The summit is now officially over, and feelings seem to be mixed as far as how it went overall. The g8 summit was not shut down, and the police were able to maintain control over the area for most of the time. Perhaps the moment when we were most successful was the first day in Rostock, where we were able to shut down the city and hold ground against the advancing police. Afterwards the pacifist blockades seemed to work rather effectively as well, however it became clear that as a whole, activists are too vulnerable in rural areas such as the fields and forests surrounding Rostock to be effective against the state. With fleets of helicopters patrolling the camps and the surrounding wilderness 24 hours a day, theres not much room left for clandestine action. When we look at past successes that the radical left has achieved, from seattle to san francisco to genoa, we see that they all have been in major cities with dense urban environments.

On the last day of the summit, there was a mass migration to Berlin for an RTS in the radical district, but it seems that not enough of us were able to migrate in time. The police have been controlling all of the trains and have been detaining people seemingly at random. The march was able to go for a couple of blocks before being controlled by the police and it quickly turned into a face to face confrontation between the block of protesters and lines of riot squads. Another critique of the summit was that there seemed to be more of a focus on decentralized militant action rather than on mass public demos, which led to a lot of plotting and not enough time in the streets. We always operate best when there is a large diversity of tactics going on at the same time, from black blocs to lock-downs to parties in the streets, it seems that all groups benefit from a range of activities happening at the same time. This strategy tends to confuse the hell out of the state, who can really only effectively focus on one thing at a time due to it's hierarchical structure. There will always be another summit to mobilize against, and I hope the lessons learned in the countryside of Germany will be applied thoughtfully. Rather than chase these summits to remote countrysides where the g8 security apparatus has a strategic advantage, we must instead bring the demonstrations back to the cities where we fight best. We must send a clear message with our actions that if a country hosts a g8 summit, that their economies will be ground to halt.

After the g8 was over, we stayed in Berlin for a couple of days exploring the different neighborhoods and talking about everything that had happened. There are lots of beautiful squats all over Berlin, and there are incredible and magnificent people at each one. The largest and most well known of them all, Kopi squat, is being evicted soon due to the property where the squat is located being sold. Theres been a large mobilization against this attack, and theres a demo in Berlin on the 16th to defend the squat. We've spent a few nights at Kopi since we've been in Berlin, and it is the stuff of dreams. Around 60 people live there and they have a bar, several room for shows/parties, and a huge courtyard area where there are always people hanging out. The other night we stayed until around 5 in the morning for this amazing 80's dance party with a bunch of anarchists/squatter punks(photos to come). I don't want to rant on and on about this place, but after spending some time there, it has become clear that it is worth defending. After we are done in Prague, and Mikey and Will come back from Copenhagen, we are all planning on participating in the demo and then heading our separate ways. To tell the truth i am quite anxious at this point and just want to hop on my bike and start going. The Kopi defense action will be an incredible way to say goodbye to everyone in my affinity group - afterwards I feel that I'll be able to get out on my own and really explore.

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There are lots of fleeting memories from the camps and days of actions which I want to record before they drift away. These are the moments amazed me: the group of Greek anarchists that occupied a section of a train headed for Berlin when it was stopped by police and they were told they would not be allowed to enter the country. They were able to hold the train car for close to 24 hours. The Black Bloc in Rostock, numbering in the thousands, all marching through downtown and chanting together, with fireworks exploding overhead. The industrial towers in camp Reddilich being occupied for scouting purposes and having messages scrawled on the sides. The barricades. Squeezing 15 people into that tent, all being ready to defend the camp at a moments notice. Some awful memories, but things I do not want to forget: the searches and checkpoints and helicopters and sirens. The wonderful kitchens scattered across the camp with delicious food. The bar. The nightly screenings of g8tv. All of the friends and comrades who were so helpful and nice in every moment of need. Laughing with David and Marla at the convergence center. The countless internationals whom we shared drinks with. The Israeli and Palestinian anarchist cluster. There is really too much to write, but this week will live with me for a long time to come. I'm inspired and changed by the incredible nature of the camp, and am looking forward to what i will find on my bike travels. Until next post...