Protesters burn cars in Rome as 'Occupy' protests spread worldwide

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: Telegraph

Demonstrators in Rome set fire to two cars and broke shop windows during a protest in the Italian capital, as activists organised a series of rallies in 82 countries.

Inspired by the Occupy Wall St movement and Spain's "Indignants", demonstrators from Asia to Europe took to the streets.

In Rome the violence was said to be caused by hooded militants known as "black blocks," who have infiltrated demonstrations in the past. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Television images showed one of the cars in flames and spewing thick black smoke over the route of the demonstration, which was otherwise peaceful.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8829005/Protesters-burn-cars-in-Rome-as-Occupy-protests-spread-worldwide.html

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BreakingNews Breaking News
Reports: Italian police charge violent protesters in Rome, fire tear gas and water cannons - @AP
21 minutes ago

EDIT: better article at Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2011/10/2011101515123592784.html?utm_content=automateplus&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=SocialFlow&utm_term=tweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Violence has no place in the message of the Occupy Mission.

It doesn't make our message more profound, more correct, more persuasive. Just the opposite: it detracts. Likely outside agitators hoping to decimate the campaign with "spontaneous violence".

[ixion]

6. I agree 100%

it should be accomplished with non-violence, otherwise, it is a failure.

[elleng]

9. I agree. Was going to post this:

Protesters Take to Streets; Clashes in Rome.

However,

'In other European cities, including Berlin and London, the demonstrations were largely peaceful, with thousands of people marching past ancient monuments and many gathering in front of capitalist symbols like the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. Elsewhere, the turnout was more modest, but rallies of a few hundred people were held in several cities, including Sydney, Australia, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Protests were also held in New York and several other cities in the United States and Canada.

But just as the rallies in New York have represented a variety of messages — signs have been held in opposition to President Obama yards away from signs in support — so Saturday’s protests contained a grab bag of messages, opposing nuclear power, political corruption and the privatization of water.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/world/occupy-wall-street-protests-worldwide.html?_r=1&hp

[The Stranger]

12. The taboo against violence is often cited by those empowered who wield power through extraordinary

and unprecedented violence.

Then, sometimes, sadly, it is cited by those who are kept in place by that same threat of extraordinary and unprecedented violence. By means of this, others can be kept in the same place.

It is an interesting phenomenon, actually.

[aquart]

22. It isn't their taboo. It's ours.

But thank you for attempting to incite violence in a peaceful revolution.

[The Stranger]

23. What the fuck are you talking about?

Making an observation about power and society is "inciting violence"?

[boppers]

25. "sadly"

It wasn't just an observation, it was a statement of opinion.

[The Stranger]

31. Sadness that the disempowered are recruited to keep others disempowered.

Certainly that.

[LanternWaste]

33. It's also cited by those who believe violence as nothing other than an absurd reaction

"often cited by those empowered who wield power through extraordinary ..." It's also cited by those who believe violence as nothing other than an absurd reaction to an absurd situation.

Although I do find those who rationalize violence and minimize those who don't use it an interesting phenomenon in and of themselves-- by means of this, they wind up justifying the very things they tell us they are working against...

[The Stranger]

35. I can't comment on absurdity.

But making a point about society, power and violence is neither "inciting violence" nor "minimizing those who don't use it." And it isn't "justifying the very things they tell us they are working against."

But it is interesting the number of posts there are so fearful of a simple observation about society, power and violence. Almost as if it isn't safe to make such observations, to question the underlying assumptions.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

34. while i agree with you

could you please point me to where the guidelines of the occupy movement is located.

[Odin2005]

2. Nice spin by the Torygraph.

Intentionally associating the Occupy Movement with vandalizing cars. :eyes:

[OHdem10]

3. Are the "Black Blocs'" , Protestors always dressed in black Anarchists?

The Anarchists are a group unto themselves. They
show up all over Europe and create problems.

Especially when there are Summits of WORLD LEADERS
and if there is a peaceful Demonstration, the Anarchists
show up and do their damage.

Do not let this dissuade the real Protestor' peacefully
protesting just causes.

[iamthebandfanman]

5. its hard to say

since anarchy is defined different by alot of people (depending on what former ideology they had) ..

back in the 1900s it was fascists in the streets burning things and beating people ... fascists typically will ride on the back of social revolution (specifically in workers movements) and then hijack it for themselves (usually though force and intimidation)

this kind of activity is actually pretty normal in italys history as far as i can tell lol

[iamthebandfanman]

4. THIS JUST IN, italians doing what they always do

when theres political unrest in their country...

omg!


apparently the telegraph knows nothing of politics in italy over the last 120 years ;)

[krabigirl]

10. yep, seriously.

[dotymed]

7. How is the media in Rome reporting (or spinning) this?

It is my understanding that in America we have stayed non-violent as a strategy to win over the MSM. The reasoning is that if the MSM portrays us as violent thugs in the street, TPTB will face little resistance in using force (which they are already doing but not nearly to the degree that they are capable of) to stop the violence and the protest.

With our corporate owned media and the propaganda they and their masters get the RW to believe, it is a reasonable strategy. Possibly (I don't know) the media in Rome is reporting this differently and the majority in Italy

view these actions as justified. If we did not have the huge MIC and we had a independent media that reported honestly, as our MSM, then, IMO, our OWS movement may be violent. It may end up becoming violent anyway.

I hope it doesn't because of our MIC and our MSM along with millions of RW non-thinkers. I do not condone violence but I believe that should apply to both sides, so far it hasn't.

[sce56]

8. In our movement there is always the threat of Agent Provocateurs starting something I believe we've

seen a few instances already with people asking for volunteers to attack the police barricades!

[iamthebandfanman]

18. i think youd be surprised

how many people just have the impulse to be violent..

anger is a crazy emotion that can get to all of us if pushed enough.. and all of us have different thresh holds..

you cant just proclaim paid off people every time someone over reacts..

in their eyes they arent.

we are human beings, and we are flawed in every way.. including our ability to be patient while perceived wrong is being done to our well being ;)

thats the thing about a mass movement made of up of all types of people, you just dont know what type of personalities you are getting into the mix and how they will all coexist.

every movement has people who do these types of things..
in same cases its helped, in others its severely hurt..

just depends on how bad times really are and how drastic measures have to be i suppose

[ChandlerJr]

11. Just your everyday garden variety street scene

LA DIRETTA. Roma, ore di scontri e terrore durante il lunghissimo corteo degli Indignati. Gruppi incappucciati in azione, contestati dai manifestanti. La polizia interviene a San Giovanni con idranti provocando il panico tra la folla: è la prima volta che accade. Occupazione simbolica dei Fori. Manifestazioni in molte città nel mondo (video) di M.LUGLI, G. FERRANTE, M.BILLECI, F. COCCO, M.DAVIA e G. CERINO

http://www.repubblica.it/

[aquart]

26. Nothing to do with the MSM.

It's the rest of the country and the world. Yes, it matters that we give them no video that shows US as violent...but they aren't the ones who matter. The people watching are the ones who matter.

[Rozlee]

13. It's bound to happen here.

Not with the protesters. The FBI and the CIA have a long history of infiltration of peace groups, environmental and civil rights organizations and other, especially left-leaning activist organizations. COINTELPRO has done it in the past with the Southern Baptist Leadership Conference, NAACP, Vietnam era peace groups and nowadays, other government entities have done it with Peta, Greenpeace and the Minneapolis Anti-War Committee to name a few. They won't be able to resist a movement like Occupy. I don't know if I can take comfort in the fact that we have Obama and Democrats in power. I've wondered so much lately on whose side they're really on. I really believe that it won't be long before intel groups will plant outside agitators by conscripting felons, informants, their own agents, etc., to stir things up. By doing this, they can try to de-legitimize Occupy and effectively end the message the movement is trying to send.

[brooklynite]

14. Well, so far my record is perfect this year...

I've visited Syria before the uprising, London before the riots, and Rome last week...

[iandhr]

15. violence delegitimizes...

... the movement.

[tcaudilllg]

17. nah

only in your eyes. No one said we NEEDED you... you're in this if you want, and if not, you can sit on the sidelines. We're going to win regardless.

[unionworks]

27. violence is the tool

Of the provocatuer and the1%. And I would never put an ounce of trust in anyone who advocates it.

[tcaudilllg]

29. Vandalism =/= violence.

I daresay we need a storm of vandalism to get people working again. Certainly the rethugs would vote for funds to rebuild badly damaged public buildings.

And I'm still looking forward to the occupation of the NYSE itself. I think it will happen... maybe not this year though.

And BTW, I don't care for your approval. You are with us, or against us.

[bengalherder]

16. Violence is slippery.

It is par for the course in Italy and Europe, due to political traditions which are long standing. But we must avoid it. It only takes us back to the same mentality where nothing lasting will come of it. PK Dick said it succinctly:

41:The Empire is the institution, the codification of derangement; it is insane and imposes its insanity on us by violence, since its nature is a violent one.

42: To fight the Empire is to be infected by it's derangement. This is a paradox; whoever defeats a segment of the Empire becomes the Empire;it proliferates like a virus, imposing it's form on its enemies. Thereby it becomes its enemies.

[clinton4life2011]

19. This should be peaceful....

Nonviolence is truly the only way!

[Iliyah]

20. I see the goper aka tea brats

going in as OWS protesters and creating havoc so that the corporate media can pounce on them as being violent. Corporate media already is spewing that OWS has NO MESSAGE unlike the tea crazed party.

[aquart]

21. They seem to be having trouble getting into the spirit of the thing.

Bad Rome.

[roamer65]

24. Tensions are high in Europe right now.

I can see this getting ugly in Europe very quickly.

[AndyTiedye]

28. Civil Unrest or Insurance Fraud?

2 cars? Black Block must be slacking.

"People wearing black" burned 2 cars. Italian cars, presumably, since this was in Rome.
I wonder if the cars actually ran (Fix It Again Tony) and if the owners were making the payments.

[JI7]

30. These are the Anarchists causing trouble , right ?

[dipsydoodle]

32. Would seem so

search black bloc rome to confirm reports.