Invented by the Italian student movement in November 2010 against Berlusconi's education reform, a book bloc consists of book covers scaled to shield dimensions. The same year it was adopted by the student movement in UK as well. They were basic but sturdy, consisting of plexiglass, foam and a spray painted cover. The book bloc tactic is a remarkable example of how critical thought makes us rebel against injustices, but also illustrates that critical thought can protect us while doing so.
Rome, 2010
The repeated and violent evictions of student encampments in Amsterdam prompted us to reactivate this tactic: a walking bibliography on Palestine to protect protestors from police brutality. One aspect we wanted to improve was the cover designs; instead of only hand-written titles, we wanted to reproduce iconic book covers as faithfully as possible. For this, we printed the outlines of book covers and worked toward efficient methods of colouring them by hand. The updated book bloc has a two-fold function: providing protection to the user while communicating that encampments are informed by literature found within university libraries.
University of Amsterdam, 8 May 2024.
We launched our prototypes at the nation-wide university walk-out. We weren’t yet a proper brigade, but people proudly and enthusiastically carried the shields. Book blocs made their way into the spontaneous occupation of a university building, and soon after to the defence of the frontlines when riot cops came to evict. People who carried them later expressed they felt safer when carrying the shields; book blocs received widespread praise. While they made for some epic photos, we admitted that the materials we improvised prototypes from were quite brittle - they did not survive the police brutality.
University of Amsterdam, 15 May 2024.
We went on to improve the design, now using two sheets of honeycomb cardboard and one sheet of foam - this made the book blocs lightweight, sturdy and relatively cheap. The materials of each shield cost around €10. We also streamlined the assembly line to maximise the output of shields - after all, every extra shield is potentially one less broken bone. We called this assembly line a “sweatshop” as a provocation, but in reality these are factory floors meant to accelerate the revolution.
BAK Utrecht, 1 June 2024.
Open-door drop-in sweatshops are hosted in collaboration with artistic and cultural organisations. This way, organisations can demonstrate their support by allocating resources to this cause. Working with cultural organisations also gives us increased legitimacy against potential repression. In one day, a sweatshop can produce 40 to 50 shields with a great sense of joy, purpose and empowerment. People expressed that this form of collective action was a moment for healing after months of feeling powerless against the ongoing genocide.
Sweatshop participants, some of whom are unable to join the frontlines themselves, can write a message on the back of the shields for the comrades carrying them. In this way, we hope to provide protection that is not only physical, but emotional. We also organise tactical choreography trainings alongside the sweatshops, to stress-test the shields, to practice formations and to rehearse for eventual confrontation moments. They also serve as fun energiser breaks in long days of painting or building.
Once delivered to the encampments, book blocs take on a life on their own. They become front banner, background decor, mobile bibliography, and of course, defensive shields. Thanks to the funding we have received, our book bloc library is growing. There are about 200 shields across the Netherlands, produced in six sweatshops with the participation of around 200 people. They have been distributed to six encampments across the Netherlands.
Rotterdam, 9 June 2024.
We are still receiving plenty of requests to organise trainings with the shields, to deliver them to actions, and even requests to exhibit book blocs in cultural institutions. Depending on the capacity of our collective and the level of mobilisation September onwards, we might kick-off another cycle of production/training/distribution. We have a work-in-progress knowledge base, but we have yet to produce a proper instruction manual and how-to videos. With those, we hope to disseminate this tactic beyond the Netherlands as we globalise the Intifada.
University of Amsterdam, 17 June 2024.