Faceless

Ancestral Pride, January 18, 2017

What I know on the subject of why I mask up. There are many times when people are at “political” actions or see pics/footage of direct actions pertaining to Indigenous Land Defence or any kind of resistance to the government or corporations and we are masked up. There is always people who take it upon themselves to question you as if they are the grand arbiter of how you can or cannot participate in resistance.

How North Dakota police used Facebook to issue warrants for #NoDAPL water protectors

Kyle Thompson on right with rifle is confronted by camp security and warriors, three of whom now face charges. A good example of why warriors should wear masks…

by Jorge Barrera, APTN National News, December 1, 2016

North Dakota authorities used Facebook posts and video to issue arrest warrants for three men to face charges in connection with a confrontation between anti-Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) demonstrators and an armed security contractor working for the pipeline company.

Video: Mask Up from Standing Rock

Click below to view video:

Warriors speak on why they wear masks at #NoDAPL actions

Why Wear a Mask 101

Toronto G20: Arrest of bandana wearers subject of police tribunal

During the Toronto G20 protests in June of 2010, police mass arrested over 1,000 people over the course of two days.  Most were held in cages at a prison facility established for the G20, and most were later released without charge.  A police tribunal is currently underway in Toronto for 30 officers charged under the Police Act for offenses ranging from wrongful arrest to unnecessary force.  The tribunal was established and is overseen by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD).

Masked Militants March in Anti-Pipeline Protest

Masked militant holds up banner as screen during anti-Enbridge rally in Vancouver, Jan 14, 2013.

by Zig Zag, Warrior Publications, January 15, 2013

As many as 1,000 people gathered in downtown Vancouver on Monday, Jan 14, 2013, to protest the Enbridge hearings. Organized by Rising Tide and a coalition of community groups, the demonstration occurred on the first evening of hearings held by the National Energy Board’s joint review panel in the city. Citing security reasons, the panel hearings are closed to the public and only those who have registered to make submissions are allowed entry.

The Masked Rebellion

The following text has been posted by the Women’s Coordinating Committee for a Free Wallmapu, a group of Mapuche women from Chile residing in the Toronto area:

[Intro from Hommodolars] The following is an “academic” text (rare for our website to publish) however offers an interesting analysis regarding the issue of violence. The central question still lies in the significance of violence as part of the communist movement, in the various forms it can develop and in the necessity of its fluidity in the greater picture. We do not however share that violence is a mere response to social inequities. Clearly that can be a reason, however we insist in taking it as an element of negation to the established order in its totality.

Mohawk warriors wearing masks, Kanesatake 2004

It is in this way that the title may not be fully appropriate in only speaking of those who are “masked,” taking into account that this can be an element of security, as well as a tool for social war. Nonetheless, the text allows for the (de)stigmatization of violence in various struggles, offering a historical panorama which moves away from the idea that it surges from solely an individual will or idea, as if it were the simple action of people who wish to “devastate” mass public demonstrations; where clearly violence is present in every mass class conflict in the country.