Masks in action

IØd like to start by saying that Philip Preville can go fuck himself, because his article on the anarchist scene sucked so much [¹Fight club goes global,œ Dec. 30]. ThatØs what he should be told for comparing masked anarchists with KKK bigots.

I consider that this sort of tactical debate belongs primarily to those who are directly involved in the struggle, more specifically to those who share the risks and hard work of organizing direct action. Outside contributions to these tactical debates are, of course, welcomed when they are done with a dose of respect. What pissed me off most is that Preville is using his position as a journalist to drag ¹masked activistsœ through the mud and give everybody a condescending moral lesson.

What problem does it pose to Preville that individuals are using the minimal means necessary to shield themselves from repression? Not only anarchists but union members too occasionally wear masks in an effort to protect themselves from bossesØ repression.

ThereØs growing awareness in the activist milieu that not only are the pigs filming demonstrations, but theyØre also using the eyes of the mass media to criminalize demonstrators. To simplify the gathering of intelligence, the pigs use TV stationsØ images as criminal evidence in political court cases, like for the nine individuals still accused for the Queen Elizabeth action on Dec. 3, 1997, or for those arrested following the demo on the International Day Against Police Brutality, March 15, 1999.

But Preville prefers to describe masked activists as paranoid romantic morons. He wrote about the rotten ¹democratic deal,œ but didnØt mention that the pigs themselves often hide their identification, which is an offence to their own code of ethics. When authority figures arenØt playing by their own rules, fair play in ¹democratic protestœ only exists in the imagination of those who romanticize todayØs capitalist democracy.

Finally, Preville seemed to suggest that masked anarchists arenØt really taking any risks at all. Just tell that to a friend of mine who did two-and-a-half months behind bars for throwing a bunch of rocks during a riot. He had a Palestinian scarf, but got arrested anyway. Whether youØve got a mask or not, illegal direct actions which are 100 per cent risk-free donØt exist in the real world.

†-Alexandre Popovic

American ugly

Matt Hays considers American Beauty number one film of the year [¹WhoØs on top,œ Dec. 30]? Am I the only person in the world who found this film pretentious, contrived and about as subtle as a heart attack?

First of all, how is Kevin SpaceyØs performance in this film any different from his performance in The Ref, which at least attempts to tackle the same subject matter with a grain of originality? Why do film critics rejoice every time someone makes a film about how boring, alienating and predictable suburban life (and life in general) can be?

I wholeheartedly agree with HaysØ other choices (well, except Eyes Wide Shut†an embarrassing last film by Kubrick that reveals him to be a perverted old man with about as much insight into females as a 13-year-old boy). But I wish he would rethink his top choice and see American Beauty for the exercise in excessive B.S. that it really is.

†David Hall

Praise for Pimple

Once again, the Mirror has knocked our socks off with real ¹insiderœ information! In the Noisemakers issue [¹Surly Pimple,œ Jan. 6], we discovered that Rick Trembles can be counted among thousands of ex-groupies of famous Montreal filmmakers!

But what Mr. Trembles forgot to mention in his mean-spirited cartoon is that Shirley Pimple in the John Wayne Temple of Doom, Dimitrios EstdelacropolisØ film that everyone talks about but few have actually seen, has been invited to two of EuropeØs most prestigious film festivals, Berlin and Rotterdam. After much thought, Estdelacropolis has wisely decided to open in Rotterdam at the end of January 2000. (Anyway, heØs already been to Berlin.)

Congratulations are in order for Dimitrios and, especially, for Shirley PimpleØs incredibly productive producer, Malcolm Guy. This team deserves full credit for the noise they will be making at the opening of the third millennium.

†Michael Hendricks and Ren³ LeBoeuf

Correction

Due to a mistake in the Noisemakers issue, please note the correct spelling of Oblik Creation Marketing [¹Not straight, not curved,œ Jan. 6]. We regret the error.