textfiles/politics/SPUNK/sp000975.txt

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Born to be Wild!
And so it begins....
Wimpey, finally, has started the rape of Pollok Estate in the
name of "progress" (read profits). But so has
the resistance!
As soon as the tree choppers arrived on the 14th of February,
people went into action. Over 100 people, from all across Glasgow,
soon faced Wimpey employers across a line of over 100 police. Obviously
"protecting" a bunch of tree killers against non-violent protesters
is more important than stopping crime. Abuse was hurled, people
tried to D-lock themselves to trees, but the thin blue line held firm, making sure
that profit not people was on the agenda.
Then, across the road bed, came help. Gathering like a storm, the
weans of Pollok exploded into the struggle, blowing the cops away and
the minds of the protesters. Soon the destruction halted as they
jumped on tree cutting equipment and reminded the workers of the
human costs of their work.
"Have you got asthma? I've got asthma!" went the cries. Some of
the workers realised the results of their action and quit. 26 left
that day, many joining the protesters. z3 an hour (and that's
double time!) cannot buy an individual's humanity and feelings, no
matter how much Wimpey hope. Lets hope the rest of their
employees realise that "just following orders" impresses no one.
The next day, Wimpey tried again. After initial success near Hagg's
Castle, protesters again brought work to a grinding halt. They
surrounded a landrover and stopped it in its tracks. The action
allowed protesters to talk with the workers, urging them to think
beyond money, to act against what they know is wrong,
destroying the environment and the health of people like
them. The cutting was stopped and they did not
reappear.
Again, victory.....
It says a lot for the Pollok Free State and Earth First!
that Wimpey is now running weeks behind schedule. They should
have started chopping trees at the start of January! They
finally got the bottle mid
February.
And no wonder. You can feel it as soon as you enter the Free
State. History is being made. The very process of struggle is
creating a new community, a new vision of what should be
and what can be. A practical anarchy is being formed within
the system. A community of resistance, a commonwealth of
cooperation within humanity and within nature.
This vision can be felt everywhere, from everyone. It is
liberating. You feel it, you know it. We can change
things by ourselves, we can win, we can create a better
society. We, by our actions, our decisions, our
feelings, our hopes, make history, create the future.
Its in our hands, its our lives....
This is why the Criminal Justice Act exists. It tries
to ban direct action, limit our freedom to protest and
party. Why? Partly because direct action is effective.
But direct action does more than get results. It
changes people. It produces communities, it creates a
new way of thinking and looking. What seemed
"normal" before becomes oppressive and unnecessary
after.
The CJA is the latest in a long line of attacks on our
class. The latest attempt by the state to keep us
isolated. Isolated people are no threat to power. Isolated
people cannot challenge their authority or their
system. Isolated people cannot make history.
That's what direct action changes. It breaks down
the barriers. It creates alternatives. That is why power
hates it.
Pollok Free State shows what is possible. We need to fight
the whole culture that has been built up around
delegating activities and power to others. Anarchism is
trying to oppose this culture of dependency and
build a new kind of culture that is based on mutual
aid, self-activity, self-organisation, self-help and self-
liberation, as individuals and as a class.
We must not think that the anti-M77 resistance is just
about motorways. No, its far more. Its about putting
life before profits. Its about how we live. Its about
why we live. We must create more examples of
practical anarchy, in our communities and workplaces.
Only by supporting and spreading this struggle can
we stop the motorway madness. The school revolt is just
one example. By working together we can enjoy
the freedom of protest and create a community of hope. By
resistance we can change the world.
We have a new world in our hearts, its time we created it!