
Born to be Wild!

And so it begins....

Wimpey, finally, has started the rape of Pollok Estate in the 
name of "progress" (read profits). But so has 
the resistance!

As soon as the tree choppers arrived on the 14th of February, 
people went into action. Over 100 people, from all across Glasgow, 
soon faced Wimpey employers across a line of over 100 police. Obviously 
"protecting" a bunch of tree killers against non-violent protesters 
is more important than stopping crime. Abuse was hurled, people 
tried to D-lock themselves to trees, but the thin blue line held firm, making sure 
that profit not people was on the agenda.

Then, across the road bed, came help. Gathering like a storm, the 
weans of Pollok exploded into the struggle, blowing the cops away and 
the minds of the protesters. Soon the destruction halted as they 
jumped on tree cutting equipment and reminded the workers of the 
human costs of their work. 

"Have you got asthma? I've got asthma!" went the cries. Some of 
the workers realised the results of their action and quit. 26 left 
that day, many joining the protesters. z3 an hour (and that's 
double time!) cannot buy an individual's humanity and feelings, no 
matter how much Wimpey hope. Lets hope the rest of their 
employees realise that "just following orders" impresses no one.

The next day, Wimpey tried again. After initial success near Hagg's 
Castle, protesters again brought work to a grinding halt. They 
surrounded a landrover and stopped it in its tracks. The action 
allowed protesters to talk with the workers, urging them to think 
beyond money, to act against what they know is wrong, 
destroying the environment and the health of people like 
them. The cutting was stopped and they did not 
reappear.

Again, victory.....

It says a lot for the Pollok Free State and Earth First! 
that Wimpey is now running weeks behind schedule. They should 
have started chopping trees at the start of  January! They 
finally got the bottle mid 
February. 

And no wonder. You can feel it as soon as you enter the Free 
State. History is being made. The very process of struggle is 
creating a new community, a new vision of what should be 
and what can be. A practical anarchy is being formed within 
the system. A community of resistance, a commonwealth of 
cooperation within humanity and within nature.

This vision can be felt everywhere, from everyone. It is 
liberating. You feel it, you know it. We can change 
things by ourselves, we can win, we can create a better 
society. We, by our actions, our decisions, our 
feelings, our hopes, make history, create the future. 
Its in our hands, its our lives....

This is why the Criminal Justice Act exists. It tries 
to ban direct action, limit our freedom to protest and 
party. Why? Partly because direct action is effective. 
But direct action does more than get results. It 
changes people. It produces communities, it creates a 
new way of thinking and looking. What seemed 
"normal" before becomes oppressive and unnecessary 
after.

The CJA is the latest in a long line of attacks on our 
class. The latest attempt by the state to keep us 
isolated. Isolated people are no threat to power. Isolated 
people cannot challenge their authority or their 
system. Isolated people cannot make history.

That's what direct action changes. It breaks down 
the barriers. It creates alternatives. That is why power 
hates it.

Pollok Free State shows what is possible. We need to fight 
the whole culture that has been built up around 
delegating activities and power to others. Anarchism is 
trying to oppose this culture of dependency and 
build a new kind of culture that is based on mutual 
aid, self-activity, self-organisation, self-help and self-
liberation, as individuals and as a class. 

We must not think that the anti-M77 resistance is just 
about motorways. No, its far more. Its about putting 
life before profits. Its about how we live. Its about 
why we live. We must create more examples of 
practical anarchy, in our communities and workplaces. 
Only by supporting and spreading this struggle can 
we stop the motorway madness. The school revolt is just
one example. By working together we can enjoy 
the freedom of protest and create a community of hope. By 
resistance we can change the world.

We have a new world in our hearts, its time we created it!
 



