Complexity and Social Movements: Multitudes at the Edge of Chaos ...

50 Identities, protest dynamics and technology
These fears are reflected in the sophistication of the legal briefings
provided by the organization OPH which provided details of participants’
rights. Another important ‘local’ actor, the ‘third element’, with an ambiguous
relationship to the Czech state proved to be a critical channel of
communication between protestors and authorities and was prominent
within respondents accounts.
The third element
The ‘third element’ arose through the concerns of ex-dissident, turned journalist
Jan Urban over the Czech state’s lack of knowledge of contemporary
protest repertoires and policing techniques. Through foregoing dissident
associations a meeting with members of Vaclav Havel’s friendship networks
and key Ministers took place in March 2000. At this meeting Jan Urban
emphasised the importance of dialogue, conflict mediation and conflict
resolution, themes which finance Minister Pavel Mertlik was particularly
supportive of. The ‘third element’ was thus conceived as a ‘communication
channel’ as ‘even in war time, warring parties communicate’ (Interview
Czech Activist [9]) and gained financial support from Comercni Bank, one
of the largest Czech clearing banks.
The third element scrutinised video footage of events on the streets of
Seattle and Washington and actively sought to mediate between the police
and INPEG, eventually focussing their efforts through a key British
‘International’ having failed to gain the trust of Czech activists. The
presence of ‘free radicals’ thus played a central role in structuring communications
throughout this particular plateau. The third elements’ extensive
video capture during S26 contributed significantly to their interpretation of
events and subsequent views on the actions of both protestors and police
authorities, themes addressed below. Most importantly, the third element
effectively communicated their ‘win–win’ strategy across the AGM/Police
boundary. This was based on the protestors blockading the IMF/WB
delegates inside the meeting whilst demanding the self-dissolution of their
organisations. The protest would thus appear successful whilst the meeting
could be concluded with delegates leaving via the public transport links
beneath the conference centre. Accounts of the event suggesting that the
aim was to ‘storm’ the conference centre are profoundly misleading.
Internationals or ‘free radicals’
Computer mediated communications are central to network analyses
through the constitution of virtual activist communities across geo-political
borders. S26 illustrates some of the key strengths and weaknesses associated
with communicating within ‘cyber-space’. These are addressed here in
terms of their impacts upon the event and subsequent networking.