Actually can I take this back because sometime it is fuckin embarrassing when all any layperson knows of an anarchist is someone dressed in black or some ejit appearing before the corporate television responds to a question of what is anarchism as 'oh against poverty'.
Just as well, cause in Belfast we generally have a good, reputation- ask boul
Actually Alan, I'm back in the UK now and was on the demo as I thought was obvious from what I wrote. And in Oaxaca most anarcho types avoid masking up (on demos) for exactly the same reasons that people on here are objecting to it. otherwise, i pretty much agree with you.
As for whoever said that masking up doesn't prevent you getting your ass kicked, that it true. but it does make it harder (though not impossible) for you to be identified. which is obviously the whole point.
Like I said, my experience of the day was that alot of people were interested (though not necessarily receptive after having it explained). not one person that i encountered seemed to have a problem with the mask (though doesn't mean no one did), and the thing that most people centred on were the red n black flag, asking what they represented. i'm not saying that masking up can't have a negative effect but its kinda hard to quantify unless there's some specific instance of it happening. The point is that the masking up (and black clothes) is supposedly a security measure. I agree its doubtful that the black clothes are much use unless the vast majority of people present are dressed like that but covering your face if engaged in anything a bit dodgy is just common sense. again wheher its necessary to parade around in it the whole time is open to debate.
to me the issue is whether the possible security risks of not being masked up outweigh the possible advantages in terms of outreach, both of which can be fairly difficult to determine.
i largely think this is a bit of a fuss about nothing, on both sides. in situations like saturday i'm fairly ambivalent about the general need for masks, but certainly don't think that we've missed a golden opportunity because of their use. Far more constructive were Raw's comments about what we should have done that we didn't or what we could've done better. That being said, I masked up at various point where i thought it was a good idea, and didn't get nicked as often seems to happen to me through my own stupid fault. maybe that was cos of the mask,maye it wasn't. but it certainly hasn't done me any harm. if we were really doing everything we should be in terms of link-building and outreach etc to the best of our abilities then i really think the whole mask issue would be relegated to the sidelines, where it belongs.