Inexperienced protestors returned again and again to the torture of tear gas to maintain a presence at perimeter. Beyond the clowns and the costumes, the drumming and the rage, mostly inexperienced young people returned again and again to the torture of tear gas so they could maintain a presence at the perimeter. Suddenly there is stasis. A frozen frame. In the shock of it all, no affinity group is ready to sit down and link arms.
Demonstrators mill tentatively, police seem stunned.
The charming catapult starts shooting teddy bears. The question now hanging in the air like the stale smoke is how much force is too much. To the great credit of even the unrelenting Black Bloc, green actions on Thursday tended to stay green. The green torchlit march that sent thousands surging through the narrow streets in utter darkness remained peaceful. No one messed with the yellow women's march either.