The Post Bag: Letters To Squall

Love & Rage

Squall 9, Jan/Feb 1995, pg. 46.

Dear Squall,

I feel obliged to reply to the article ‘Love Over Pain', by C J Stone in Squall 8.

There is no division between love and hate, each of them is futile if applied indiscriminately on its own. The lion only lies down with the lamb in dreams, and if you suspend ‘confrontation’ I’m sure the capitalists will gladly ask you to bring your own mint sauce.

Creativity is more than dyed hair and juggling - it’s about changing how we live, work and all aspects of our society. When such changes work they are a threat to the current set-up, because of that they are attacked (no other justification is needed) either by the police, the media or both. The media and police follow orders or their own interests - they don 't change sides because you smile at them!

The ruling class has power, this is a fact that affects all our lives (improves theirs, ruins ours - which is why they won’t give it up). How does change happen? Every concession has to be forced from our rulers. Yes, escalation is a threat - but what do you think the CJA is? Look at how police armaments have been refined over the last few years. They don’t care about levels of violence, they just want to effectively repress dissent.

Escalation is not our response alone and, in fact, we have a choice - to continue opposition or to go home and give up! If we oppose repression we can either choose a policy of symbolic martyrdom (“come and see the violence inherent in the system”) or we can do all we can to resist. Those who think that attacking the police is never a threat to the state must have forgotten the lessons of Trafalgar Square 1990. If we are not prepared to defend ourselves from police attacks we will achieve nothing. These attacks are not an emotional reaction - they are a tactical move designed to show that anyone who protests is a legitimate target.

Anyone who wishes to unite “a massive portion of British culture” would do well to understand the nature and tactics of the police and follow the example of the Trafalgar Square Defendant’s Campaign in defending all victims of police attacks rather than dismiss those who you disagree with as “agent provocateurs” .... “nutcases” and “paid agents of the state”.

In love and rage,

Makhno’s Outraged Ghost.