WOMBLES
Encyclopedia
The WOMBLES are a loosely aligned anarchist and anti-capitalist
group based in London
. They gained prominence in the early 2000s for wearing white overalls with padding and helmets at protests, mimicking the Italian group Tute Bianche
.
They should not be confused with the British animated children's television characters, The Wombles
from whom they drew their name.
, €uroMayDay and Gleneagles. They claim to operate in a "non-hierarchical but self-disciplined way".
"On Mayday
2000 the cops gave [the protesters] a good kicking", their website says. In response to this, the group was started to provide "self-protection from the depredations of the constabulary" (the police
).
They have since abandoned their trademark white overalls because they found it made them too visible and open to attack, instead favouring clothing that enables them to be anonymous.
In July 2004 they attended the Peoples Global Action Conference in Jajinci
, Serbia
. In October 2004 they helped organise Beyond ESF at Middlesex University's Tottenham campus. It was organised as an anti-authoritarian alternative to the European Social Forum
, happening in London at the same time.
in particular decided to 'infiltrate' the WOMBLES before the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Mayday protests in London. Even after the WOMBLES had ceased to organise large scale demonstrations the UK media continued to use their name, as short hand for a "notorious group" of anarchists. For example, the 2006 Sack Parliament demonstration was linked to the WOMBLES in the Daily Mail
, whilst the WOMBLES were said to be organising against the G20 according to the Mirror.
Anti-capitalism
Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system....
group based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. They gained prominence in the early 2000s for wearing white overalls with padding and helmets at protests, mimicking the Italian group Tute Bianche
Tute Bianche
Tute Bianche was a militant Italian social movement, active from 1994 to 2001.Activists covered their bodies with padding so as to resist the blows of police, to push through police lines, and to march together in large blocks for mutual protection during demonstrations.-Name:Tute Bianche means,...
.
They should not be confused with the British animated children's television characters, The Wombles
The Wombles
The Wombles are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures that live in burrows, where they help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in useful and ingenious ways. Wombles were created by author Elisabeth Beresford, originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968...
from whom they drew their name.
History
The group was founded by some of those who came together as the September26Collective to organise transport to Prague for actions to disrupt the meeting of the World Bank and IMF, on their return. Since then they have participated, and helped organise, various protests, including the Halloween 2002 protest, and May Day 2001, ThessalonikiThessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, €uroMayDay and Gleneagles. They claim to operate in a "non-hierarchical but self-disciplined way".
"On Mayday
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
2000 the cops gave [the protesters] a good kicking", their website says. In response to this, the group was started to provide "self-protection from the depredations of the constabulary" (the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
).
They have since abandoned their trademark white overalls because they found it made them too visible and open to attack, instead favouring clothing that enables them to be anonymous.
In July 2004 they attended the Peoples Global Action Conference in Jajinci
Jajinci
Jajinci is an urban neighborhood located in the municipality of Voždovac, in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It was the site of the worst carnage in Serbia during World War II when German occupational forces executed nearly 80,000 people, many of them prisoners of the nearby Banjica concentration...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. In October 2004 they helped organise Beyond ESF at Middlesex University's Tottenham campus. It was organised as an anti-authoritarian alternative to the European Social Forum
European Social Forum
The European Social Forum is a recurring conference held by members of the alter-globalization movement . In the first few years after it started in 2002 the conference was held every year, but later it became biannual due to difficulties with finding host countries...
, happening in London at the same time.
Relationship with the mainstream media
The WOMBLES quickly became used by much of the UK's mainstream media as a personification of the anti-capitalist and anti-globalisation movements. The Evening StandardEvening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
in particular decided to 'infiltrate' the WOMBLES before the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Mayday protests in London. Even after the WOMBLES had ceased to organise large scale demonstrations the UK media continued to use their name, as short hand for a "notorious group" of anarchists. For example, the 2006 Sack Parliament demonstration was linked to the WOMBLES in the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, whilst the WOMBLES were said to be organising against the G20 according to the Mirror.
Aims
Some of their professed aims of the WOMBLES include:- to facilitate free movement and communication during protests;
- to stop attacks on demonstrators - such as baton charges, horse charges, CS gasCS gas2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile is the defining component of a "tear gas" commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agent...
and sprays; - to be living examples of our libertarian solidarity, organisation, and humour;
- to promote mutual respect and protection among demonstrators.
See also
- Anti-globalizationAnti-globalizationCriticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
- AnarchismAnarchismAnarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
- Civil and social disobedience
- Disobbedienti
- London Action Resource CentreLondon Action Resource CentreThe London Action Resource Centre is a meeting centre and planning area for several protest groups, including Queeruption and Indymedia in London. It also functions as a planning and information centre for Peoples Global Action. It was originally known as the Fieldgate Action Resource Centre...
- Tute BiancheTute BiancheTute Bianche was a militant Italian social movement, active from 1994 to 2001.Activists covered their bodies with padding so as to resist the blows of police, to push through police lines, and to march together in large blocks for mutual protection during demonstrations.-Name:Tute Bianche means,...
- Ya Basta
- Zapatista Army of National LiberationZapatista Army of National LiberationThe Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....