We’re Pro-Choice and We RIOT!
ARA Reportback From the Anti-Fascist Bloc at the March for Women's Lives

Chanting, “We're pro-choice, and we shoot back” members of the Anti-Fascist and Radical Cheerleading Blocs, numbering about 1000 people at this point, confronted a large group of anti- choicers near 7th and Constitution just as the March for Women’s Lives was starting. Members of the Anti-Fascist Bloc were seen loudly confronting these pro-lifers, who were at first protected by only a handful of police officers. An impromptu kiss-in, led by some radical cheerleaders also took place. Eventually more police officers moved in and the Bloc moved on to join the main march. This group of anti-choicers, made up of mostly teenagers and college students, was the first of many pro-lifers we were forced to deal with that day.

Our day started at 9AM in Stanton Park, where both the Radical Cheerleaders and the Anti-Fascist Bloc were meeting up. People milled about the park - some greeting friends they hadn’t seen in a long time, others preparing for the possibility of violence from the anti-choicers during the march, and others practicing their cheers. Food Not Bombs provided a pancake breakfast, and around 11AM the feeder march started.

In order to prevent confrontation with the anti-choicers who had already begun to gather around Pennsylvania Ave, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) had shut down most of the Northwest quadrant of DC, forcing the feeder march to first march south and partly out of our way. We went all the way down Independence Avenue, until we arrived at 7th Street, where we then joined the main crowd. This route limited our public visibility, as most of the route was through streets surrounded by gray government buildings, empty on a Sunday morning. Still, we had a festive and spirited march that was greeted warmly by the DC residents who did see us.

The police presence during the feeder march was interesting and worth mention. Aside from the motorcycle and bicycle cops that mostly rode ahead of the march, controlling traffic and our general movement, the only other noticeable police presence were single officers spread out on the sidewalk throughout the march. There were all a good distance from one another, and probably couldn’t see their fellow officers amidst the crowd. This was surprising, at least to me, someone who has grown used to the hordes of RoboCops who are everywhere at anti-nazi, anti-war, and anti-globalization protests these days.

Arriving at the Mall, we joined the huge crowd listening to speeches and getting ready for the march. Many of us spent our time handing out flyers, which ranged from ARA’s perspective on pro-choice politics and our position on anti-choicers as well as Zabalaza’s History of Anarchist Women flyer.

Eventually the Radical Cheer and Anti-Fascist Blocs made their way across the Mall in an attempt to join the main march. Scouts who already gone ahead to Constitution Avenue came back to report that there was a large group of anti-choicers on the corner of 7th and Constitution, largely unprotected by the MPD. We made our way, now as one unified radical contingent, to the corner, where the initial incident described at the beginning of this account took place.

For the first and pretty much only time of the day, there was a large and aggressive MPD presence around the Bloc as we left the corner of 7th and Constitution headed for the main march. Motorcycle cops tried to pull alongside and in front of us, and while several marchers attempted to block the path of these officers, they were summarily plowed into and almost run over. Not only that, but some liberals from the main march had decided to tag along, in an attempt to mute our radical politics. They were being overly confrontational with marchers, with one woman repeatedly riding her bicycle into people, while her friends on foot attempted to physically assault us. While most participants in the “March for Women’s Lives” either welcomed our presence and militancy, or respectfully disagreed, there were some who were displeased that we were there and treated us accordingly. (See the Mobilization for Global Justice’s “Open Letter to the Liberal Organizers of the Pro-Choice March” for a good account of such treatment – www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php)

After joining the main march, we carved out a space for ourselves by putting all of our banners in front of the radical contingent, and tried to keep people tight behind the banners. Several undercover cops tried to keep tabs on us, from both within and outside the Bloc. At least three undercovers walked between us and the contingent in front of us for most of the march route.

The anti-choicers, lead by Operation Rescue fundamentalist Randall Terry, did not live up to their promise to pack both sides of the march route. Instead, they barely had enough people to line one side of the street, and were interspersed by hundreds of vocal pro-choice supporters. There were, however, several blocks lined by Operation Witness – Terry’s new group – and Army of God members.

The police presence for the counter-protest consisted of a single officer stationed every 25 feet or so, giving the anti-fas ample opportunity for confrontation. While there was a lot of verbal confrontation and many signs stolen and destroyed, we were unsuccessful at physically confronting these fascists.

Now we have seen how minimal the police presence is at these types of demonstrations and how unwilling they are to get physically involved in a confrontation between the two sides. We have also seen how supportive most of the people in the main march were for our tactics. Now that we have experienced all of this, we will be better prepared next time to deal with those pro-lifers who support bombing abortion clinics and assassinating abortion providers; the same ones who are directly connected to prominent leaders in the white supremacist movement.

Just as we helped to destroy the National Alliance and the World Church of the Creator, so too will we destroy the violent elements of the anti-choice movement.

Anti-Racist Action is planning on having a counter-demonstration against Operation Witness when they protest the Democratic National Convention in Boston and the Republican National Convention in New York City this summer. To get involved, or to find out more about ARA and our pro-choice work, please email newjerseyara (at) ziplip.com or mobtownara (at) hotmail.com. You can also visit us online at www.antiracistaction.us.

Related Links:

Mobilization for Global Justice’s “Open Letter to the Liberal Organizers of the Pro-Choice March” –
www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php

Anti-Fascist Bloc Call to Action - www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php