Black bloc
Tactic used by groups of protesters
Why this is trending
Interest in “Black bloc” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-26.
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Key Takeaways
- A black bloc is a tactic used by protesters who wear black clothing, ski masks, scarves, sunglasses, motorcycle helmets with padding, or other face-concealing and face-protecting items.
- It is also used to protect their faces and eyes from pepper spray, which is used by police during protests or civil unrest.
- Black bloc participants are often associated with anarchism, anarcho-communism, communism, libertarian socialism and proletarian internationalism.
A black bloc is a tactic used by protesters who wear black clothing, ski masks, scarves, sunglasses, motorcycle helmets with padding, or other face-concealing and face-protecting items. The clothing is used to conceal wearers' identities from both the police and politically opposing organizations by making it difficult to distinguish between participants. It is also used to protect their faces and eyes from pepper spray, which is used by police during protests or civil unrest. The tactic also allows the group to appear as one large unified mass. Black bloc participants are often associated with anarchism, anarcho-communism, communism, libertarian socialism and proletarian internationalism. A variant of this type of protest is the Padded bloc, where following the Tute Bianche movement protesters wear padded clothing to protect against the police.
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