Election Day In Manchester - Another Perspective
In issue 76 we reported on Election Day activities in Manchester.
Afterwards we received a response from someone who’d had very different experiences organising in Manchester at this time. Though not an action report we felt it was important to give some space to this report.
“a group in Manchester planned another day of action for the first week in June, we saw the two actions as separate therefore not a problem. However other ‘activists’ decided that this action should not take place. So, flyposters were torn down, postered over and destroyed plus constant pressure to call off the action.
The reasons we have been given for this prevention and sabotage were 1) Our action - a political action will have a detrimental effect on the squat cafe/club. 2) The police won’t like 2 actions occurring in one week and it will have a bad affect on the June 7th action by ‘provoking’ the police to clamp down. 3) June 7th was seen as ‘non confrontational’, it was presumed the other action would be confrontational, or provoke the police to be confrontational.
Since when did confrontation become unacceptable? Since when do we take into account if the police are happy about our actions or not!? Actions don’t have to be the same. We don’t have to always work together, to reach a consensus where no one is offended. This always comes down to the lowest common denominator where a few leaflets are handed out, cake is eaten, samba played and another photo opportunity arises.
We were an autonomous group of people who came together to work on one day of action. Non-hierarchical organisation should allow people to do this, not create a panic that an action is going ahead beyond the control of some people who like to maintain control over people and activities. Makes you wonder who and what you’re fighting against.”