It is a great idea to go out into the night and attack the structures of domination. It is a terrible idea to film yourself doing this and post the video on the internet. Yes, even if you covered up impeccably in clothing you never wore before and destroyed after, even if you used a pawn shop camera and cleaned the video of metadata, even if you submitted using Tor running on Tails at a cafe. When you film you are always snitching on yourself and encouraging others to do the same.
Everything in one of these videos is evidence: your height build and gait, the tools you used, how many of you were there, what you touched at the scene. The video’s pixels can be traced to the recording device using digital forensics just like a bullet can be traced to the barrel it came from. If you used a phone to record, cell towers tracked your location every step of the way, even if location services or the phone itself were off. Think the cops won’t go this far for some broken windows and paint? Are you willing to bet your freedom on it? I wouldn’t.
If you agree that symbolic arrest is meaningless, if you would grab your comrade from a cop’s grip, if you would spray a surveillance cam or smash an OMNY, if you value your freedom and continuous ability to act against the state, why would you turn yourself in for a cool tweet? There are other options for making propaganda and encouraging people to take action that do not needlessly create more political prisoners. Make a flier out of your communique and paste it around. Add an inspiring graphic, song, or quote to your anonymous submission. Emphasize how your tactics are reproducible and urge others to do more than applaud as spectators. Be creative, be bold, be dangerous. But I’m begging you, don’t film yourself.
Submitted anonymously over email.
