[wordup] Internationalism Meets Globalization

[Adam Shand]

From: The Eristocracy <Eristocracy at merrymeet.com>
URL:  http://www.urbanreflex.com/monopoly.html

Large-scale, Global Anti-capitalism Protests Putting Smaller, Local,
Anti-capitalism Protests Out Of Business

There were calls today for multinational pro-anarchy pressure groups to be
investigated for monopolistic practices after the NW3 branch of the London
Radical Left Movement For Socialist Revolution was disbanded due to lack
of interest.

The group's spokesperson, leader, treasurer, secretary and only member,
Nigel Wilkinson, believes that global anarchy movements such as the ones
responsible for the G7 riots in Seattle and the disturbances expected in
London on May Day are to blame for forcing out smaller, independent
operations like his.

"These large American anti-capitalist movements have effectively taken
over the militant scene in this country," he said from his bedsit in
Highgate. "There used to be lots of small, independent groups all with
their own unique character. Now it's the same old anarchy all over the
world."

Wilkinson has seen his group's membership dwindle by almost 70 percent
over the last year from a peak of three members to just one - himself. "We
used to stand outside shopping centres and try to sell Socialist Worker to
students. Now its all balaclavas and spray paint and massive crowds of
people. I dunno. The character of these protests has totally changed."

However, Kyle Redmond, spokesperson for WorldProtest, which has thousands
of members in 20 countries and co-ordinates protests all over the world,
defended his organisation's approach: "We give anarchists what they want.
It's a supply and demand situation. We offer a basic menu of building
defacement, vandalism of a McDonalds outlet and general looting, ending
with a confrontation with the local police. All our research shows that
this is what the average anarchist on the street wants."

(c) urbanreflex.com 2001