Sharing Info on an Infiltrator: Solidarity with Arrested Enviros

Three enviros doing actions associated with Earth Liberation Front (ELF) in the U.S. were nabbed by cops thanks to two years of work by Anna, the infiltrating snitch. Now the word’s out and folks are tracing her movements – courting activist trust, all her emails signed off with “solidarity” or “resist”. For the full expose of a lying, snitch infiltrator, click here. Forgive a wee rant here – the lesson is NOT that we should respond by treating each other with suspicion. The lesson is that there is RISK associated with planning SOME actions – autonomy is good. So, is legal support. “We” are prone to internalize the criminalization of dissent by becoming our own police, dividing ourselves into “cool” and “not cool” when, in reality, it is RARE that we need to actually plan in private and, as “Anna” proves, we will NOT know who the undercover is! I was part of an action that included an anarchist block – one of the key organizers turned out later to be a cop (arrived at a demo in uniform!). He was involved in the organizing of the action as long as any of us and was as involved in the (stupid corporate security culture) discussions about who was cool and not cool as anyone. He seemed more cagey and suspicious than average, less open and outreach-y than average and totally a part of planning/proposing edgy actions (face piercings, native, had all the lingo, I could go on). WE WILL NOT KNOW THE UNDERCOVER (tho we successfully picked off a few fifty-buck-a-day informants). We need to stop “blaming the victim”, stop spreading corporate security toxins within our community, and get on with the business of building for better days.