Clown Army
What ?
The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (also known as CIRCA and Clown Army) was an anti-authoritarian left-wing activist group primarily active from 2003 to 2005 in the United Kingdom.
The Clown Army used clowning and non-violent tactics to act against corporate globalisation, war, capitalism, and heavy policing of protests, among other issues.
The Clown Army used clowning and non-violent tactics to act against corporate globalisation, war, capitalism, and heavy policing of protests, among other issues.
G8 Protest Recruitment Tour
Prior to the 31st G8 Summit in Scotland, CIRCA travelled to various cities in a caravan pulled by a biodiesel-fueled van, courtesy of the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination.
In each city, CIRCA would put on a performance involving puppetry, origami, performance art, and video presentations that would spread their message and raise consciousness about the issues that the Clown Army was fighting against. They would also hand out organic chips to their audience, and explain that the leftover fat from the chip fryer would fuel their van to get them to the next city.
In each city, CIRCA would put on a performance involving puppetry, origami, performance art, and video presentations that would spread their message and raise consciousness about the issues that the Clown Army was fighting against. They would also hand out organic chips to their audience, and explain that the leftover fat from the chip fryer would fuel their van to get them to the next city.
Operation Brown-Nose
[...]
When a group of black bloc protestors were surrounded by police, the Clown Army encircled the police until the protestors were released.
Carnival for Full Enjoyment
J'aurais tellement voulu être au Carnival for Full Enjoyment
10'000 flics mobilisés face à des clowns
les flics qui finissent par hug les clowns après avoir fait égalité au pierre feuille ciseau
10'000 flics mobilisés face à des clowns
les flics qui finissent par hug les clowns après avoir fait égalité au pierre feuille ciseau
Operation HA.HA.HAA
Everything is so cool
Individual rebel clown names typically parody military ranks, such as
- General Confusion
- Major Disaster
- Private Parts
- General Confusion
- Major Disaster
- Private Parts
Any decisions that affect the larger group were made through consensus via clown council.
Clownbattant's pockets were stuffed to the brim with absurd things such as strings of sausages, rubber ducks, flower petals, and sex toys. In cases of searches by police or arrests, the pockets would be emptied, and the items documented and itemized.
The rebel clowns also perform a maneuver they call fishing.
This movement involves a tightly clustered group all moving in one direction at the same pace, sometimes making the same sound and gesture, then seemingly simultaneously changing direction, with a different clown heading the group each time they rotate.
This brings a collectivity to the Clown Army and makes their movements more unpredictable.
This movement involves a tightly clustered group all moving in one direction at the same pace, sometimes making the same sound and gesture, then seemingly simultaneously changing direction, with a different clown heading the group each time they rotate.
This brings a collectivity to the Clown Army and makes their movements more unpredictable.
Clown Logic
CIRCA utilized 'clown logic', a form of associative logic which plays upon perceived stupidity, using improvisation, spontaneity, and humour. Clown logic assumes all of those around them are friends, including police trying to control them at protests.
So smart
They did not respond to police officers with confrontation; rather, they aim to confuse them.
The clowns will deliberately misunderstand orders given by police. This fearlessness and refusal to acknowledge the power dynamic of police and protestors is meant to take power away from the authorities.
They fraternize with the police, playing games and collaboratively building on their orders to establish a human connection and break stereotyping.
The methods of CIRCA disrupted the media narrative of protesters as angry and dangerous.
If any potentially violent confrontations with police arise, the Clown Army will often step in front of other protestors, because, in the words of co-founder Larry Bogad, “it is politically more costly to club a clown on camera than it would be to do the same thing to a demonstrator”.
The clowns will deliberately misunderstand orders given by police. This fearlessness and refusal to acknowledge the power dynamic of police and protestors is meant to take power away from the authorities.
They fraternize with the police, playing games and collaboratively building on their orders to establish a human connection and break stereotyping.
The methods of CIRCA disrupted the media narrative of protesters as angry and dangerous.
If any potentially violent confrontations with police arise, the Clown Army will often step in front of other protestors, because, in the words of co-founder Larry Bogad, “it is politically more costly to club a clown on camera than it would be to do the same thing to a demonstrator”.
I think sometimes we don't think enough about the public image. The goal should be to convince, to gather
CIRCA drew in media attention through their absurd appearance and actions, which stand out from the typical protestors with signs. This attention allows them to speak through the media to spread their messages to a larger audience. Their method of clowning and active engagement with audiences is also intended to make the public more receptive to their ideas.
Police officers are trained to deal with angry protestors, not giggling clowns
Embrace Tactical Frivolity