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

The street tactics on S26 found guarded support from within the
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) a significant political
party holding 41 parliamentary seats in 2000. Their formal participation
was limited to the unified march on 23 September in an attempt to avoid
further depictions of the party as a return to communism, re-nationalisation
and a centralist state (Interview with Czech Activist [3]). Our respondent,
with 40 years of experience within the organisation viewed the media campaign
preceding S26 as ‘psychological war against our people, against this
demonstration and this protest’. The official recognised the need ‘to learn
more in the new condition, in the class condition’. In particular, it was clear
that any attempt to mount other significant mass protests over neo-liberalism
in the face of the new policing tactics required ways of protecting protestors,
an area where the activities of the Italian tuti bianche, or white overall
movement, were held in a favourable light and jokingly referred to a model
for a ‘new vanguard’ (Interview with Czech Activist [3]). The repertoires of
S26 thus exerted influence within established communist organisations.
Tactical Frivolity and hybrid communication
techniques
Identities, protest dynamics and technology 53
The trajectory of Tactical Frivolity’s (TF) from the United Kingdom’s
Northern Green Gathering to Prague involved the nucleus of the group
driving across Europe in an old van. Their departure was delayed by the
adoption of direct action techniques by those protesting at the price of fuel in
the United Kingdom. Their progress across national borders had been facilitated
by the press credentials of the Guardian reporter who also paid for the
diesel. Unlike the internationals, TF were newcomers to AGM events,
marginal actors with little standing outside the United Kingdom. Despite
remaining marginal to convergence centre exchanges their stance embodied
the commitment to non-violence and carnival which became a prominent feature
of the Prague plateau. Their use of pink and silver carnival dress codes,
rehearsed at various stopovers during their journey time, was combined with
a determination to tactically utilise frivolity as a means of engaging directly
with Kevlar clad riot police. Their en-route discussions prioritised the importance
of manoeuvrability and communications to maximise their impact and
resulted in one of their number gaining access to the fortified IMF/WB
conference complex. To observers associated with the third element, their
resultant progress across Prague appeared chaotic and uncoordinated as they
lacked local guides. This perception belies a lack of understanding of the
sophisticated hybrid communication strategies in use during S26.
INPEG and convergence centre discussions had initially focussed on
acquiring sophisticated radio communications system to facilitate events on
the street. This reflects the wider tendency to prioritise ‘modern’ technologies
including CMC in accounts of AGM activities. TF’s progress towards the