What is "black bloc"

n. an affinity group of individuals, that come together during some sort of protest or demonstration, and wear all black, often engaging in violence and vandalism

A black bloc is a tactic for protests and marches where individuals wear black clothing, scarves, sunglasses, ski masks, motorcycle helmets with padding, or other face-concealing and face-protecting items. The clothing is used to conceal marchers' identities and hinder criminal prosecution, by making it difficult to distinguish between participants. It is also used to protect their faces and eyes from items such as pepper-spray which law enforcement often uses to stun. The tactic allows the group to appear as one large unified mass, and promotes solidarity. Black bloc participants are often associated with anarchism.

The tactic was developed in the 1980s in the European autonomist movement's protests against squatter evictions, nuclear power and restrictions on abortion among other things. Black blocs gained broader media attention outside Europe during the 1999 Seattle WTO protests, when a black bloc damaged property of GAP, Starbucks, Old Navy, and other multinational retail locations in downtown Seattle.

The Black Bloc was a political organization in Sudan, seeking to defend the interests of Black Sudanese. The Black Bloc faced resistance from other Sudanese political parties, who labelled it as a 'racist' organisation. The British colonial authorities caved into the pressure from these groups, and denied the Black Bloc the ability to register itself as a political party.