Part of the mutual aid activism training I did with many new activists, over 3 decades, sometimes solo teach-ins & sometimes collab teach-ins - always included training several folks to work in relay teams to spot/document possible state agents/agent provocateurs & how to kettle & remove them from crowded protests & active large blockades. It's ESSENTIAL proactive training. There's always state agents & also right wingnuts who try to infiltrate big activist movements.
We had them at Clayoquot, at Mt Currie, at Haida Gwaii, at Wetsuweten, at Fairy Creek - they always attempt to sneak in as allies & they're only there to spy & destroy shit - then blame destruction on actual activists. It's been happening for longer than I've been alive. I've been alive to witness it, in person, multiple times. It's usually state agents, working with industry agents - when outside city limits. It's state agents working with fascist politicians & corporations, within cities.
Do you know what the easiest way to spot a state agent in midst of huge blockade is?
You look at their shoes. One of the quickest ways to spot them is by the shoes they wear & condition they're in. I spotted 3 RCMP agents, trying to look like environmental allies by how spotless & how identical their shoes were. Then, struck up convos to flush them out more. I was looking at their waistbands - 2 of them had taser holsters on. We isolated, then kettled the 3 & gave them walk of shame - OUT.
Taser holsters were hidden under their shirts & jackets. I saw 2 of them & know 3rd one had one on too(when RCMP send spy agents in - all get same gear). I only saw them because I was able to infiltrate back, in light conversations. Then asked for some help to lift up a few heavy boxes. While they were lifting, I was documenting their faces/body/shoes/hats/clothes. That's when I also saw the tasers in holsters - they forgot when 'helping' me lift boxes - shirts went up & I saw tasers holstered.
#Autistic#activists are best at training to spot state & #fascist spy agents in midst. It's because of high level of natural #observing skills. Patience with focus. Ability to be detached from emotional pulls. Few other reasons but these are some of the reasons that autistic activists, like me, do well with this type of movements work.
I'll tell ya what: Cops, whether undercover or not, absolutely are TERRIFIED, when citizens flip things on them. By using similar kettling tactics against them. They are a bunch of highly armed COWARDS - end of day. You've got to be a coward to threaten killing people on cameras because you know government will protect your illegal cowardly acts - if you're RCMP.
@aredsquirrel I don't freaking care at this point. My photos are in RCMP offices. Some of the RCMP address me by my first name, to try to intimidate me. I've offered to sign autographs (since they're obviously fans🤣) & started giving their staff photog several portraiture tips, after I told him, he's a quite a shitty photog - on blockade frontlines. They get boggled by how I responded to their veiled threats.
I organized mass mobilization protests against them too:
@aredsquirrel I autographed my photos for them. All of my autographed photos to them said - You cops love me! Unfortunately, it's a one way love affair. I hate you. Hope you burn in hell or die from covid. No well wishes. Quit your job.
Why shoes?!?
I got asked this a lot by newbies to activism. Especially newbies to outside of urban cities activism - but same - pay attention to shoes advice applies to urban protests too.
Why?
Many militarized urban cops & militarized state state cops have several former military on staff. Almost all of them are unable to stop polishing their shoes, years after leaving military. Many cops get drilled about keeping shoes shined. You LOOK at shoes & they'll inform you.
For one RCMP infiltrator, I had to be more brutally direct & tell him, straight up - If you're unwilling to declare this statement, on camera, you're shady AF & you're gonna be ousted. The statement was:
I declare, that I (insert name), am not working for RCMP or any other law enforcement, I don't work for any ecocidal industry company & if it's proven that I have lied, on camera here, I'll sell my family home to pay for legal fees of all activists who are fighting for more than any paycheque.
I am highly confrontational towards fascist cops. I don't care that they have more power than me. What they get away with is freaking evil. I won't ever be silent, compliant to injustices & will always be thorn in sides of asshats & all their enablers too.
@msquebanh My dad loves telling the story of organizing the Gastown smoke-in, which turned into the gastown riot when the cops started a riot. There was a guy in their cell called "Sharky" who they made for a VPD officer immediately, so they had fake meetings for Sharky and real meetings for the real event. Then, on the day, told Sharky to fuck off and they'd filled him with disinformation for weeks. Ha ha ha ha.
@OrionKidder That's Van PD! I freaking hate them. Ever since early 90s. They ignored over 15 high risk missing women & I was friends with 2 of the missing. They freaking ignored our concerns for years. We kept trying to report new missing women & get follow ups on past ones. They're responsible for letting Pickton kill more women.
@msquebanh Oh hell yes. Pickton was able to do so much damage because VPD is actively hostile to women, indigenous people, or sex workers. That's at least half in their heads.
@OrionKidder I just remembered that VanPD also tried threatening to arrest me & 2 other BIPOC women in 2000. For setting up a Winter soup kitchen out of back of a van & feeding hungry houseless & sex workers hot nourishing meals & giving out free safe sex & basic first aid supply packages.
We wouldn't have needed to do that frontlines work to help marginalized folks, if govt hadn't abandoned them & if inhumane privileged citizens didn't treat them like they don't deserve to live!
@OrionKidder They're like: You're unlicensed! You can't just feed people without an official license! You're breaking the law & if you don't stop, you will all be arrested!
Me: Will you say you've arrested 3 BIPOC women, working outside Winter storms, feeding hot meals to needy peoples, during your PR media show or should I be present to tell media what you cruel cops are really trying to do here - in the name of laws? Please, arrest us, if you want. I won't be quiet about it!
The weird part is... why can't people feed people? You're not selling food. It's not a business. You're sharing food. It's the most basic human thing there is.
@Pagan_Animist@OrionKidder I understand that. Except it doesn't apply well when people are homeless, hungry & government treats them like they're disposable because they are marginalized citizens. I still feed hungry people whenever & wherever possible. I led teams of volunteers to deliver hot meals to homeless people, through blizzards & really bad weather before & I'll do it again & again & again. I organize these grassroots help on urban frontlines, by myself.
@Pagan_Animist@OrionKidder I don't think about bylaws & such, when doing active citizens helping citizens efforts. My parents taught me to fill needs, when & if I'm able to. I don't make anyone fill out forms before they're fed or given basic living essential needs either.
@msquebanh I'm forgetting what the demonstration was by now but ~20 years ago in Quebec there was a cop agent provocateur who forgot to change out of his standard issue shoes/boots and from that one mistake other things were figured out and he was outed🤭 shameless
@msquebanh@carkner most people only own a few pairs of shoes, they take time to break in and reflect personal style choices, economic background, etc. It's easy to put on jeans and a T-shirt, everyone owns an outfit like that, and maybe they keep costumes but people aren't going to wear unfamiliar shoes to go undercover, that would require a lot more commitment to the bit.
@raven667@carkner It is more the longterm compliance & indoctrination that happens in military. Many struggle to break from unconscious robotic kinda actions, many years later.
In Canada, we've busted RCMP agents, dressed like some of our allies & we got most of them out pretty fast. One state agent wasn't detected for over 2 months & got info out to RCMP before big raids happened. Part n parcel of this part of activist training is also knowing how & when to remove people doing harm to the activist community & unable to respect safety protocols for all of us. You can't keep very unsafe ppl at ANY encampment & need to be strong enough to remove some folks, as needed.
Add comment