Street Medics were born from the civil rights movement in 1960’s and 70’s America. Autonomous health and emergency care was seen as ‘self defence’ as demonstrators and activists were being attacked by the police and had no access to emergency or long term health services (an idea that many street medics see as just as relevant today). They were inherently revolutionary and worked alongside and within groups such as the Black Panthers, the Indian Youth Movement and later with Anti Vietnam War groups.

Street medic collectives:

• Are organised non hierarchically (however recognise differing levels of medical knowledge and specialisation)
• Generally work by consensus
• Are ‘non official’ (a street medic can get nicked just as easily as any other demonstrator),
• Are sometimes made up of smaller affinity groups
• And most importantly work under the philosophy of ‘Do No Harm’. Meaning no treatment carried out by a street medic will create risk or cause possible further injury.

Street medics have a range of training and skills. From anarcho anaesthetists (really), doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, acupuncturists, herbalists, paramedics, wilderness first aiders to basic first aiders. Many street medic collectives offer activist-focused basic first aid trainings that cover treatment of chemical weapons (such as tear gas and pepper spray) and incorporate action-based scenarios. These trainings are held for those wanting to either become street medics or who are just wanting to learn some relevant first aid skills and are often tailored to the needs of participants.

Street medic teams can be found on the streets during demonstrations and providing a range of health care cover at convergences (such as site clinics). Often they participate on ‘affinity group direct actions,(as the group medic) or are sometimes involved within autonomous community health projects. North American street medics still operate a community health centre in New Orleans and were the first to provide medical support in some of the worst hurricane hit areas. (I’m endeavouring to get an email interview with some of the people involved for the next issue maybe?)

Collectives exist across North America, Europe, the UK, Israel and Australia (I’m sure I’ve missed some out). During large convergences (such as the G8 and WTO summits) international street medic groups work together to develop a strategy of cover, and often local/national groups (if they don’t already exist) are formed to help with coordination and pre summit trainings, to make sure as many activists as possible have some level of first aid.

A lot of info was ripped from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_medic. See also: http://smontour.livejournal.com for Palestine street medic mishaps, www.ukactionmedics.org.uk (which hasn’t been updated in forever but has some great resources), http://www.commongroundrelief.org/

My Brief and Garbled History as a Street Medic

I got involved with the UK Action Medics just before the G8 in 2005. The collective had just formed and was busy training activists across the country(ies). I ran as a medic for the first time at the pre G8 conferences in Sheffield, learnt the value of having a good buddy (including how to escape police horse manoeuvres) and why medicing for munter parties is a no-go. I then went up to Scotland with my affinity group to help with the Stirling camp set up and provide medic cover for the anticipated hammer/nail/thumb injuries. Instead, the first serious incident was this muppet taking a load of shrooms, stripping naked, jumping into the (tidal/dangerous/no one’s been pulled out alive in 30 years) river, backstroking into the distance, proclaiming to be Jesus. Sigh.

**insert rescue helicopters, ambulances, police and site meetings here**

The G8 was short lived for me and my medic buddy Ruth. We were front line medics at the ‘carnival for full enjoyment’ - a street party to which the police responded with intense violence. We were kept busy primarily treating foot impalations (activists were forced to climb over spiked fences into a central park and in the process, many spiked their feet *insert blood here*) and dehydration. The two of us were snatch-squaded at the end of the day, smacked around, interviewed by special branch, made a brief court appearance and then shipped back to England. Gutted.

After the madness of the G8, and getting the court case out the way, I got involved more with trainings. First just going along to brush up my skills. Then teaching the easy sections before being confident enough to become a trainer.

I went over to Russia to help with pre G8 trainings in 2006 and smuggle cold packs over the border (apparently hard to find in the eastern Europe?!) Last year I was over in Palestine and Israel with my medic affinity group. Running trainings with the Israeli Anarchists, medicing at demonstrations and actions and doing a bunch of other solidarity stuff (all whilst trying to consume my body weight in falafel).