http://boulevardier4eva.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/black-bloc-fashion-ya-basta-enough-already/

Are you dressed for success in Quebec?

As you know, dressing well is SO essential for today’s sassy militant. After
all, this is Quebec. We are chic, while being anti-FTAA, anti-hypothermia and anti-chemical weapons.

Today’s fashion advice from us emphasizes treating your body to as sensual an experience as can be imagined in Quebec City where it is still fucking snowing and raining and windy!

So, let’s go over our essential dress again, with mention of accessories.

Today’s well dressed militant in Quebec City for the Summit is wearing long underwear made of the new synthetic materials like soft warm polyester that
WICKS away sweat from you skin. Much of the Summit’s perimeter is perched on
a hill, and climbing up streets to reach it, or running here and there, will make you sweat. And sweat next to skin can make you cold.

You should have many loose layers that can be removed if you get hot, and put back on when cold. Extra dry clothes in a bag in your pack sack is a very smart idea. If your feet tend to sweat, it will only increase your risk of cold feet. So using anti-perspirant on your feet for a few days is a nice touch. Again, nylon, polyester or wool socks are IN, Cotton socks are OUT! Wear at least two layers if they fit comfortably in your boots.

Your outer layer should be water proof. We HIGHLY recommend a cheap rain
suit – not only will this keep you dry against the rain or snow, but also keep those nasty pollutants like tear gas and pepper spray from being absorbed by your clothes. As a bonus, it will block the wind too. If you wear fleece, make sure it is beneath your rain gear if you are in a chemical weapon risk zone (near the police). Pepper spray & tear gas gets sponged up by fleece, and then released over time into your face. Yuck! . For that extra sexy look, try out those cheapo translucent ponchos folded up in a little plastic bag – it will look like a condom, and you will get extra kudos for your safe sex message!

We understand the objections you might have to not being able to get rain gear in basic black. However, your plastic rain suit is a perfect medium for spray painting (black, right?), magic markers and all your stickers. Black garbage bags can also work against water and chemicals.

Boots are important. If you get corralled onto the Plains of Abraham, expect
to be wading through some snow, or at least a lot of mud if the snow melts
over the next 10 days. Shoes or sneakers are just not a great idea for those
leisurely promenades.

Gloves, of course, or mitts. A good hat, and a waterproof head cover if getting near tear gas or pepper spray.

Let’s go over accessories. Cover up as much as possible from head to toe to
prevent tear gas or pepper spray (if you are near the stuff). NO CONTACT LENSES! The chemicals can get trapped between them and your eyes, causing damage.

The best face protection is a quality gas mask with shatter resistant plastic lenses. However, they are expensive, cumbersome, and might be stolen
by the cops.

At least have: Sealed eye goggles (swimming or ski). They come in many funky
colors. Workshop goggles that are sealed with tape might fit over eyeglass frames.

Cover your mouth & nose with either:

-A filtered respirator from a hardware store. The filters must be good against paint solvent or chemical solvent.

or

-A fiber mask (looks like a hospital face mask) that is also good against
paint solvent or chemical solvent.

or

-Bandanna soaked in apple cider vinegar. You can substitute regular vinegar -
but it is nastier to breath through at first. Lemon juice also works. Carry several wet bandannas in a zip lock bag.

Bicycle helmets also help prevent baton bumps.

Padding in sensitive areas if you might be fox trotting with a clumsy policeman.

Speaking of padding, make sure you add insulation pads between you and the ground if you plan on sitting down. Hockey pants work too. Knee pads if you are fixing people or things that are low down. Be creative in you look!

To prevent hypothermia, you need to eat plenty of high calorie foods for energy drink plenty of water (no caffeine or alcohol – diuretics are bad) for warm blood circulation. This should make you pee.

If you are having such a swell time at your blockade that you simply can’t skip out to the bathroom, don’t pee in you pants. It is not chic and will only make you cold and miserable. You could wear a synthetic wick-away diaper.

or

Have your buddies form a banner barrier around you while you pee.

or

Wear a urinary catheter attached to a tube (for men, there are external condom catheters).

We love your piercing, and so do the cops. They may grab them, or use giant
magnets to capture you. If you can’t remove them, tape them over.

If it’s sunny, we would be awfully silly getting sunburned, but it happened last week at the Ottawa demo. We recommend bringing along water-based or
alcohol-based sunscreen.

Cheers,
The Quebec Medical Fashion Brigade

Hiding one’s identity doesn’t necessarily have to happen in black, either; if the bloc happened to be wearing head-to-toe turquoise or hazmat suits, the advice here would still stand.

I think what is most especially true is make sure to practice these guidelines if you and your crew are engaged in some serious shit. If you are just blockading the streets a la Funk the War or something, I’m not convinced its necessarily important to always go head-to-toe in Black. Funk the War works because of its colorful, dance-filled nature. The Campus Antiwar Contingent similarily didn’t need to go all black either. In the latter two cases (Funk the War and CAN), bandanas were needed not to disguise identity but to block the effects of chemical irritants.

But yes, people on the smashy-smashy tip should definitly practice strict protocols such as covering up head to toe in black. This is a good blog post.

I’m assuming from statement it’s not just the Far East Cell or which ever one is primarily responsible for running this website and that a number of other cells have been allowed to upload posts to this blog. This raises the question, at least in my mind, how does a CrimethInc cell become one which participates in this blog?