CLAC spokesperson Jaggi Singh argues that the leaders of the countries involved in the Summit of the Americas, and the police and paramilitary they are bringing along are the real perpetrators of violence in the world -- not the 'black bloc'.

As the Quebec Summit approaches, the corporate media have circulated many horror stories about protesters who will be attending the Summit, and what actions they are likely to take. Boarded windows can be seen throughout the city, as these reports have unnerved shopkeepers, who are expecting windows to be smashed by a group called the “Black Bloc”.
“There are violent people coming to Quebec – the 34 leaders of the countries attending the summit have been responsible for thousands of deaths,” says Jaggi Singh, a media spokesperson for CLAC (one of the groups organizing Summit protests). He also noted that they will be accompanied by a large complement of police and paramilitary, who have also been responsible for violence in the past. “Don’t worry about the Black Bloc; worry about the Blue Bloc [the police]”.
“These leaders are not committed to non-violence. They have bombed Baghdad, Belgrade, and they have refused life-saving drugs for people with AIDS,” he says.
CLAC is a French acronym for “Anti-capitalist convergence”. Jaggi Singh says that their organizing is distinct in three ways. First, their organizational style is non-hierarchical, in that they try their best to have open meetings and to make decisions by consensus, rather than having leaders or select committees. Their analysis gets to the root of problems – capitalism and imperialism – instead of just opposing specific trade agreements. Finally, they support a ‘diversity of tactics’ – realizing that different people and groups have different ideas about effective protest, and different definitions of non-violence.
“The media tries to portray ‘good’ activists and ‘bad’ activists,” he says, arguing it is better to stand together with mutual respect for others in the same struggle, and discuss our differences, rather than dismissing the tactics of other groups.
The ‘Black Bloc’ is a collection of autonomous individuals who are identified by black clothing, and tend to use more confrontational tactics. Their analysis is similar to the CLAC group, but their tactics tend to be more spontaneous than any of the other organizations involved. Their members may be seen participating with other groups and activities as well.
On Friday, CLAC and CASA (the Quebec City group), will be involved in a “Carnival Against Capitalism” -- a variety of actions, ranging from street theatre, cheerleading, and puppets, to militant confrontation. Their goal is to educate and to disrupt. How these actions will play out, and what the police response will be, is anyone’s guess at this point.