... the chalk action was also a lot of fun. The idea was to write our messages to the world on pavements in very public places. Our first choice was Trafalgar square, right outside the National Gallery and so on one sunny afternoon we headed down with a box of chalk and a list of slogans.
We kicked it off by asking a question: What do you think of society? and then drew empty thought bubbles for people to fill in.
We of course started with a few of our own. I can remember writing something about education and schooling and of course about my favourite topic - surveillance.
At first people were shy and stood at a distance, waiting and watching to see what was going to happen. But soon, as one or two people were coaxed into expressing their opinion, person after person started to come up write their own thoughts down.
Nowadays, with rights and left wing politics pitted against each other, creating emotional polarities, I wonder if some kind of chalk war would have ensued. But back then, public opinion was less divided and most of us were wary of being watched constantly and aware of the illusion of freedom that the system was doing its best to convince us was real.
Yes, we had a few penises and some people just wrote their names. But the overall sense was one of freedom, a freedom to express oneself in a public space, in an anonymos and safe way without getting into too much trouble.
We chose chalk especially for this reason. Chalk can wash off, its a dig at the establishment without given them an excuse. Spray painting the pavement outside the National Gallery would have created a very different response.
Community Support Officers did come and circle our activity fairly early on. However, they didn't seem too bothered and kept their distance. Eventually, the security guards were the ones to move us on. Trafalgar Square, as turns out, isn't public space at all and is in fact owned by private landlords. We found the same response at Leicester Square We were trespassing and had to leave. It seems the Queen doesn't like chalkers on her property.
I don't remember any of us putting up much of a fight. By that time a 5 square metre space of pavement was covered in the thoughts of Londoners and tourists alike. Our mission had been accomplished.
Incidentally, tourists are another reason why public displays of resistance are important. I remember going to China just before the Olympics and being told that every month on the 11th was national cue day. Usually the Chinese culture isn't too bothered about cuing - a sacred cow on our own shores here in the UK - but due to the belief that the rest of the world were bothered the Chinese government were worried about losing face and had these national days to train their citizens. They were also discouraging spitting and I'm sure telling everyone to look happy and as un-oppressed as possible as well.
When we hide our civil disobedience away from the rest of the world - and only express this on the internet - we do the rest of the human race a disservice. Showing our discontent in such public, touristy places shows solidarity with the rest of humanity. It tells people that they are not alone in their own countries and that, although we have it pretty good here, our government and systems are also seriously flawed and people here realise that this is the case.
Drawing on a pavement with a bit of chalk is hardly going to bring down civilisation - but what we hoped it would do would give those of us questioning the status quo in what ever part of the world they grew up in had a sense of support in a world that does its best to isolate and divide us...
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