report from sao paulo a20 protest
the protesters gathered at the end of paulista, the main financial strip and major artery for the cities auto-spasm car cult, and a festive group over a thousand came together with the infernal noise brigade (can't remember the portugese name) kicking the crowd into gear
there was very light poolice pressence, some said because there was a soccer match that day which has a tendency to turn quite out of hand
a short speach about ALCA (FTAA) and the events of last year
the protest was both in solidarity with the protests in dc and even more of a local gathering against ALCA and in remebrance of the extreem police violence on the streets and in the jails exactly one year to the day when protests rocked quebec city
the crowd swelled and hit the streets increasing in number as they marched toward the financial center and attempts by the police to secure a lane for traffic were soon overwhelmed and the crowd growing to almost two thousand owned the street
at one point police tried to make off with a protester but the crowd wasn't having it and pulled their friend out of the melee and held their ground in the front of the march and the police backed off
there were sporatic outbursts of joyful scoccer playing in the march and passers by joined in
small shoving matches with the police occured en route but the anti-capitalists kept the flow picking up a crew of street kids who were overjoyed at the masked up mass and ran barefoot along the side walk raising their fists
a green anarchist group MAR, formed a blockade in front of the mcdonalds and the security started freaking out inside
the walls shook a bit with protesters banging on the glass a the crew of street kids found a side window to bang on all there own
the march continued past the headquarters of the major banks of brasil and transnationals quickly cashing in on the deepening economic crisis and sucking the country dry, claiming new teritory of conquest for the evil empire
this is also the most expensive real estate in the whole of south america, and blocks away are the whores, street peddlars and riff raff squeaking out their existence
as they reached the central bank of brasil, the site of unwarranted police attack and extreem violence, they delivered a letter" to the head of the bank, who is handing over the reigns of the local economy to the empire through the support of ALCA
the letter was about four feet high and eight feet wide and for some reason the security guards wouldn't open the door to recieve it
after a short speach about the action and a raucous dance party in the street
the chant of the day took the word ALCA'ending was the beginning of the word fuck and flowed nicely into stop the imf . I wish i could trasnlate but it is particular to portugese and anarchist outpooring of rage
the march snapped a u turn and headed back toward a huge park where there had been set up a projector on and sound systen on the broad sidewalk and the entire crowd sat down and enjoyed a film "It didn't start in Seattle and it Won't End in Quebec"about the protest one year ago that day
apparently the soccer match was over because the police force doubled and doubled and after the film was over word was that a couple inspired street kids had thrown rocks at the police and they called in the riot troops
these police are not ordinary cops but special forces whose only job is to fuck people up bloody
people were heading out when the riot troops arrived and predictably most decided to stay to make sure nothing happened
a breif stalemate was broken wheneveryone headed out together waving goodbye and leaving the police mob no one to crack open and the night was hearalded a big success by organizers
this event was organized by anti-authoritarian and anti-capitialists and party flags were not allowed to fly
the anarchists had a overwhelmingly strong showing and didn't let the police start any trouble and kept the atmosphere festive and positive and sent a strong message to both the people on the street, handing out informational newspapers on ALCA, and to the authorities
ALCA will not go please check out the brasil imc for more coverage and some video and photos are coming to the us of a so get in touch
love and revolution brad