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The WOMBLES (White Overalls Movement Building Libertarian Effective Struggles) were a loosely aligned anarchist and anti-capitalist group based in London. They gained prominence in the early 2000s for wearing white overalls with padding and helmets at protests, mimicking the Italian group Tute Bianche.

Beginnings

The WOMBLES formed as a group in the early 2000s in London. The name stood for White Overalls Movement Building Libertarian Effective Struggles. Activists who had witnessed first hand the tactics of the Tute Bianche in Italy decided to use similar methods of protest in London. Tute Bianche ('White Overalls') had formed in 1994 and were known for storming barricades whilst dressed in comical padded outfits and helmets to protect themselves from police violence, as for example at the 27th G8 summit in Genoa.

Social centres

The WOMBLES were also inspired by self-managed social centres in Italy and therefore began a series of social centres in London. Firstly, they squatted the Radical Dairy on Kynaston Road in Stoke Newington. This lasted from 2001 until 2003. The aim was to build long-term relationships with local people and to avoid capitalist property relations. From this centre, participants were then involved with other projects such as the Ex-Grand Banks, RampART, the Institute for Autonomy and The Square. The Ex-Grand Banks at 156-158 Fortess Road, in Tufnell Park, north London was opened in March 2004. It became an activist hub before being evicted in August.

As well as organising in physical spaces, the WOMBLES used the internet to reach a wider audience, enabling solidarity networks.

The third European Social Forum (ESF) was held in London in 2004. The WOMBLES organised a countersummit held at Middlesex University called 'Beyond ESF' which provided a space for European radical social movements to meet and engage, focusing primarily on the issue of precarity.

In the media

External audio
Interview with a member of the WOMBLES

The WOMBLES quickly became used by much of the UK's mainstream media as a personification of the anti-capitalist and anti-globalisation movements. The Evening Standard in particular decided to 'infiltrate' the WOMBLES before the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Mayday protests in London. Even after the WOMBLES had ceased to organise large scale demonstrations the UK media continued to use their name, as shorthand for a "notorious group" of anarchists. For example, the 2006 Sack Parliament demonstration was linked to the WOMBLES in the Daily Mail, whilst the WOMBLES were said to be organising against the G20 according to the Mirror.

Police infiltration

Between 1999 and 2010, the WOMBLES were infiltrated by at least three British police officers, namely Mark Kennedy, Rod Richardson and Jaqueline Anderson. Kennedy later apologised for his actions, saying "I hate myself so much I betrayed so many people. I owe it to a lot of good people to do something right for a change... I'm really sorry. If I can help in any way then I'd like to." Anderson was involved with the Radical Dairy and was known then as 'Massage Jacky' since she offered massage sessions. She told other activists she lived in a flat with Carlo Neri, who was also later exposed as a police spy.

See also

• Anti-globalization
• Civil and social disobedience
• Disobbedienti
• London Action Resource Centre
• Ya Basta
• Zapatista Army of National Liberation

References

1. ^ Hodkinson, Stuart; Chatterton, Paul (22 January 2007). "Autonomy in the city?". City. 10 (3): 305–315. doi:10.1080/13604810600982222.
2. St John, Graham (September 2008). "Protestival: Global Days of Action and Carnivalized Politics in the Present". Social Movement Studies. 7 (2): 167–190. doi:10.1080/14742830802283550.
3. "Today in London's squatting history: Ex-Grand Banks social centre opens, 2004". past tense. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
4. Lacey, Anita (18 August 2016). "Networked Communities". Space and Culture. 8 (3): 286–301. doi:10.1177/1206331205277350.
5. Mattoni, Alice. Media practices and protest politics : how precarious workers mobilise. Ashgate. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-409-42678-3.
6. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-935389-prepare-for-may-day-madness.do
7. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-443423-inside-wombles-hq-with-target-h.do
8. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-4646991-underground-with-the-wombles.do
9. "Womble riot threat as Commons opens". Retrieved 15 October 2018.
10. "Mirror Online: The intelligent tabloid. #madeuthink". www.mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
11. "UK political groups spied on by undercover police – search the list". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
12. "Undercover Pc Mark Kennedy 'really sorry for betrayal'". BBC News. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
13. ZB (18 April 2018). "Spycop Inquiry: six more cover names released". Freedom News. Retrieved 24 November 2019.

External links

• Official website archived in 2002

• Articles with deprecated sources from September 2019
• Activism
• Anarchist organisations in the United Kingdom
• Direct action
• Squatting in the United Kingdom