The Black Bloc Papers: An Anthology of Primary Texts from the North American Anarchist Black Bloc 1988-2005 The Battle of Seattle Through The Anti-War Movement (Second Expanded and Updated Edition)

The Black Bloc Papers is a set of documents preserved from the anti-globalization movement from 1999 2001. It serves as a punctuated beginning by way of calls to action, manifestos, and action reports of a new era of anarchist organizing and activity. Rather than organizing to last or to win the black bloc enters from stage left as a disruption; to global capital, to protest politics as usual, as ephemeral and ubiquitous. "Suddenly anarchy and the black bloc were front page news in the US and soon would become synonymous with each other. I, like others around the world, watched it on the nascent Indymedia, and was inspired. The raw emotion and energy was a rude awakening for Power and a clarion for the disaffected amongst us. We were breaking free of the confines of polite protest, and were never going to go back." -scott crow From the Forward The Black Bloc Papers is intended for those who would like to understand the vigorous protest politics of anarchism, the tactic of the black bloc as practiced over a decade ago, and as a historical signpost reminding us of how far we've come and how far we have left to go. LBC Books is publishing this title in the spirit of anarchist attempts at publishing this document over the past decade. We have used the work of Breaking Glass Press, the Alternative Media Project (Infoshop.org), and the Green Mountain Anarchist Collective in this publication

You've seen them on the front page of the New York Times and on 60 Minutes-now hear them in their own words. With the rise of the global anti-capitalist movement, from the WTO in Seattle to the G8 in Genoa, street protesters are in the public eye. The masked and militant Black Bloc is the most visible and controversial of these protesters.

Here are the collected communiques issued periodically from within the Bloc to explain their tactics, which include property destruction and police confrontation. Articulate, feisty, smart and surprisingly funny, these communiques have circulated widely in the underground and are now available for the first time to a general audience.

A passionate manifesto in the rhetorical tradition of the Situationists, the book also includes an analysis of the meaning of Black Bloc street actions in context of the larger anti-capitalist movement, written by members of the Green Mountain Anarchist Collective. As the movement gains momentum, demand for documents like this will only increase. The Black Block Papers pulls off the neat trick of being both an important historical document and an indispensable guide to the road ahead.

With twenty pages of photos from the actions discussed, this beautifully designed and affordable book is both a collectors' item and a pocket bomb for activists of all stripes and anyone interested in the cutting edge of politics today.

These communiques were written anonymously by various members of the Black Bloc and other activist groups. Commentary was written by members of the Green Mountain Anarchist Collective who are based somewhere in the Green Mountains.