Going Native
So where the hell have I been for almost 12 months? What is going on with Bash The Rich? Why hasn’t this blog been updated?! Well the honest truth is for the past 12 months I have been living in Whitechapel and getting up to all sorts. Firstly I have made a new feature film called “SSDD: Same Shit Different Day”, my third independent feature made on 10 Grand, and I have been keeping an online blog on the full in’s and out’s of it’s making at BrokeButMakingFilms so check it out! Above is the trailer, it is close to completion and will be screening before the year ends, with possible public screenings next year. So keep your ear to the ground!
But secondly, as Mr. Bone himself predicted, I went “Native” for the past twelve months being heavily involved in the founding and running of the Whitechapel Anarchist Group. Though there aren’t too many comparisons to be drawn between WAG and Class War, apart from the obviously same class outlook and pro-active attitude, I have been able to get a taster of what it must have been like for Mr. Bone being involved in a tight group of friends, producing a popular paper and getting into all types of mischief.
The past twelve months have been a roller coaster being involved in WAG, from absolutely nothing a strong group was formed and built over the months, as thousands of our WAG paper were distributed, social events such as Radical History Pub Crawls and The Spitalfields Fair were put on, from local organising and local struggles (Tower Hamlets College Strike to gentrification of Brick Lane market) to being involved in big mass demos from Gaza, G20, Mayday to Climate Camp. WAG have been in the thick of it as the most active and exciting group on the anarchist scene (Yep “scene” not “movement”) for a good few years.
The highlight had to be 6 months into the group around March / April when we produced the “Storm The Banks” posters for the G20 which created a media shit storm! Appearing on almost every TV Station! The newspapers went crazy for WAG and Mr. Bone was also thrown into the mix. Below I can be seen in the photo from The Independent article which wrongly claimed Mr. Bone was the leader of WAG!
Despite the false claims of Mr. Bone and Mr. Chris Knight as our spiritual gurus we continued to wind up the media over the course of the G20. The most funniest thing to happen to us as a group around that time was the completley fabricated The Daily Mail infiltration article. It made me so proud. To have been heavily involved in a group hated by the Daily Mail and described as a “Bizarre Group of Misfits”. Thank you Arthur Martin.
During my period of “Going Native” with the WAG’s, Mr. Bone has also been keeping himself busy and living up to the moniker of most dangerous grandad in britain.
During the “Put People First” March (28th March 2009) a brilliant speakers corner rally was held, video of Mr. Bone above, despite the fact I was almost arrested for disturbing an agent provocateur over some odd catapults.
The final video above is from the May Day rally of Ian’s stirring speech. It’s great to look back at this year and what a year it has been. I have decided to take a back seat with my political activity and get back onto this film. Though I know the sound people in WAG will keep the torch burning and are definitely one to watch in the future. From G20 to Brick Lane Market to Climate Camp it’s been a fucking laugh comrades!
