H O R S E P L A Y Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army

Clandestine Insurgent 

Rebel Clown Army 

G8 Briefing and Operations Information 

Table of malContents 

MISCHIEF PRANKS HORSEPLAY 

Essential Summary and Introduction 

o Contacts 

o Timetable 

Detailed Briefing 

o CIRCA: What is it? 

o How do I get involved with CIRCA at the G8? Clown 

Gaggles and Trainings 

o How do you organise a bunch of Clowns? – Clown 

Councils and Coordination 

o CIRCA G8 Listserve 

o What do rebel clowns wear? 

o RESOURCES and details of Hori- Zone – rural 

convergence centre.

SECRET NOSES ONLY 


Essential Summary and Introduction 

Numerous CIRCA groups will be converging in Scotland for the G8 

actions. So that we can all meet up to plot and play, CIRCA will 

have an HQ (solar Powered Caravan) based in Edinburgh from 28th June – 3rd July outside Teviot Students Union, Bristo Place, EH1 and 

at the Hori-Zone rural convergence centre from July 3rd to 9th . 

(see address in resources section). We cannot arrange 

accommodation or transport for you. Accommodation is being 

sorted via dissent who have a 24 hour info space at 10 Albert 

Place, Leith Walk, Edinburgh. EH7 5HN. Tel: 0131 554 2440 

There are two major focal points for CIRCA actions that have 

been proposed: 

Operation Brown Nose – to coincide with the Make Poverty 

History March on July 2nd . 

Operation HaHaHa (Helping Authorities House Arrest Halfwitted 

Authoritarian Androids) which will begin during the July 6th global day of action and Blockades. 

(http://clownarmy.org/operations/hahaha.html) 

Communiqués about these operations will be sent out soon. Other 

actions will be proposed and discussed by clown gaggles during the 

Clown Councils (see timetable). 

To contact us ring: 07910 082234 

Email list for CIRCA G8 organising: sign up at 

http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/circag8 

www.clownarmy.org 

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G8 CAMPAIGN TIMETABLE 

Friday 1 July 

Thursday 30 June 

CLOWN COUNCIL 

10-11:30am 

Caravan outside Teviot Union, 

Bristo Place, Edinburgh 

CLOWN COUNCIL 

10-11:30am 

Caravan outside Teviot Union, Bristo 

Place, Edinburgh 

Basic Rebel Clown Training, 

cont’d. - For all new recruits. 

EDINBURGH – 

12- 6pm Dissent Workshop Space, 

Teviot Student Union, Bristo Place, 

Edinburgh E1. 

Basic Rebel Clown Training - 

For all new recruits. 

EDINBURGH – 

12- 6pm Dissent Workshop Space, 

Teviot Student Union, Bristo Place, 

Edinburgh E1. You should be able to 

attend both days. Please book a place 

by emailing - trainings@gn.apc.org 

Sunday 3 July 

Saturday 2 July 

CLOWN COUNCIL 

10-11:30am 

Caravan outside Teviot Union, 

Crickton St, Edinburgh 

CLOWN COUNCIL 

9am Pre-Make Poverty History Rally – 

Edinburgh - CIRCA Gathering to 

coordinate ourselves, share make up, 

play and prepare for the day. In Teviot 

Union, Bristo Place. 

Operation Brown Nose – during 

MPH march 

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Tuesday 5 July 

Monday 4 July 

Costume 

EDINBURGH 

GLASGOW 

Army Surplus Stores 

Brush Up Training 10 am – 

1pm 

At the HORI - ZONE Rural 

Convergence Centre - for people 

who have done taster workshops 

and need to brush up on their 

socking, fishing and drilling. 

Rebel Clown Taster - for those 

who aren't sure a life in CIRCA is for 

them. In the People and Planet part of 

the Rural Convergence Centre. 

Monday 9.30 - 11.30am. 

Army Surplus Store 

Leith Army Stores 

www.leitharmystores.com 

9-10 Brunswick Place 

EH7 SHW 

tel: 0131 556 2337 

Clearwater Work & Leisure 

www.cafs.co.uk 

1016 Argyle Street West 

G3 8LX 

tel: 0141 248 8100 

CLOWN COUNCIL 

5pm Rural Convergence Site, 

Stirling 

Brush Up Training 10am – 1pm 

At the HORI - ZONE Rural 

Convergence Centre - for people who 

have done taster workshops and need 

to brush up on their socking, fishing 

and drilling. 

Newington Army Stores 

10 Clerk Street, Newington 

EH8 9HX 

tel: 0131 667 8963 

Makeup Store 

CLOWN COUNCIL 

5pm Rural Convergence Site, Stirling 

Thursday 7 July 

Wed 6 July 

CLOWN COUNCIL 

5pm Rural Convergence Site, 

Stirling 

CLOWN COUNCIL 


Makeup Store 

Arty Party 

73 St George's Road 

Charing Cross 

G3 6JA 

Operation HaHaHa begins as part 

of global day of action and Blockades 

Costume HAHA 

88 Grassmarket 

EH1 2JR 

tel: 0131 225 3388 

tel: 0141 331 0707 

fax: 0141 331 0890 

email: info@artyparty.com 

Saturday 9 July 

Friday 8 July 

CLOWN COUNCIL 

12 noon: this is to organize support 

for any arrested clowns and any 

needed follow up if needed 

CLOWN COUNCIL 


Below are details of how the process will work for planning actions and a 

timetable of meetings, trainings and operations. 

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CIRCA: What is it? 

The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) is 

developing new methods of radical activism that bring together the 

ancient practice of clowning and the more recent practice of nonviolent 

direct action (NVDA). CIRCA is not a just a street tactic 

but a deeper process that liberates people with weapons of love 

and laugher. 

RESOURCES and details of Hori-Zone – rural 

convergence centre. 

STIRLING CONVERGENCE 'HORI-ZONE'. THE RURAL 

CONVERGENCE SPACE 

Borrowmeadow Farm, FK7 7SQ 

Following Basic Rebel Clowning Training (BRCT), during which 

recruits begin the process of finding/uncovering their “clown” and 

learning NVDA skills, clownbattants take part in various forms of 

action against war and capitalism. Some recent actions have 

included occupying and closing down army recruitment centres and 

welcoming George Bush to Buckingham Palace with a cardboard 

cannon firing pink pretzels. We see innovative forms of action as 

key for building dynamic social movements, but realise that the 

psyche is as important a site for struggle as the street. CIRCA 

believes that a self destructive tendency within many social 

movements is forgetting the inner work of personal liberation and 

transformation. This is an area our rebel clown trainings works on 

deeply, while also providing creative tools to confuse and befuddle 

authority. 

The convergence space is less than one mile east of the city centre 

on the banks of the River Forth near Stirling Albion football club at 

Forth Bank Stadium just off the A91 Stirling. It was known as 

Burrough Meadow in loop of river Forth. See map at 

www.g8convergence2005.org 

Once you are in Stirling simply follow the signs to the Forth Bank 

Stadium, and you will soon see signs to HORI-ZONE. 

There will be frequent pick-ups in the convergence space minibuses 

from the Stirling train and bus station. Limited shuttles will also run 

from Edinburgh and Glasgow. There is some car parking next to 

the site, and only limited on site parking. The best way to get there 

is by bus or train. 

How do I get involved with CIRCA at the G8? 

For more information and to register: 

www.g8convergence2005.org 

e-mail: info@g8convergence2005.org 

Clown Gaggles 

Every one in CIRCA is asked to form or join a Clown Gaggle (a 

group of clowns which you can name Battalion/ Contingent / 

Brigade / Division / Regiment or any other suitably stupid title). 

Gaggles can be based around your locality, a pre-existing affinity 

group or group of friends, or around a common interest or identity 

(like doing a similar style of clowning, a specific clown action or 

having a focus like “no borders”). A suggested size is between 5-20 

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Making up 

Make up is expensive so we suggest you share it among your 

Clown Gaggles. Cheap makeup tends to be what it says on the tin 

and will either look crap or fall off your face within a short period. 

(Kryolan or Grimas are good makes) You can use any colour – but 

think simple, bold shapes that emphasize your facial characteristics. 

clowns. These Clown Gaggles 

will function in a similar way 

to affinity groups, and will 

form the basic planning and 

decisionmaking bodies for 

CIRCA operations. Several 

Clown Gaggles can work 

together in a Clown Cluster. 

There is oil or water based theatrical 

make up, beware that water based 

runs in the rain and with sweat! 

Other possible additions are noses 

(although not at all obligatory in 

CIRCA) you can also sport wigs and 

false facial hair. 

Things to stuff your pockets with 

In order to mock the stop and search terrorist 

laws, which are regularly used to intimidate 

protestors, CIRCA clownbattants fill their 

pockets to the brim (which often makes 

CIRCA members seem more portly than they 

actually are!) with stupid things – strings of 

sausages, underwear, rubber ducks, pink furry 

stuffed pigs, sex toys, miniature garden 

gnomes, old bones, small tanks, rubber ducks, plungers and more, 

which all have to be laid out on the street and documented by the 

police during searches. Dozens of police officers searching an army 

of clowns is a weird enough sight, but when members of the public 

see all the objects being taken out the absurdity of the situation 

overflows. 

Gaggles are the best way to 

provide emotional and 

physical support during and after actions, make people on actions 

feel less isolated and part of a powerful collective. They can act 

autonomously, initiate proposals and actions (through the Clown 

Councils – which will be occurring regularly during the G8 – see 

Schedule below) that others can join and join or support other 

groups actions.Clown Gaggles should plan to be self reliant 

including providing for their own logistics, needs and support 

before, during and after actions. Each group should try to have 

people within them who take responsibility for: Communications ( 

e.g own a mobile phone), Scouting ( maps, etc), and Legal Support 

(have a list of every ones personal information, friends and family 

contact information and keep track of anyone arrested, etc) and 

First Aid (bring a first aid kit and ideally have some one in your 

gaggle with some basic first aid experience/training). Gaggles should 

arrange how they will stay in touch (mobile phone list) and when 

and where they will meet up. Gaggles should also consider a buddy 

system during actions (working in a pair that stay together and 

watch out for each other during the action), so no one gets 

isolated. 

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Clown Gaggles should choose one or more people that they are 

comfortable with to be spokespeople to participate in the Clown 

Councils where all the clowns will coordinate, and share 

information. This reduces the need for everyone to sit through 

meetings and allows other clowns to participate in action 

preparations, other trainings and events. Spokespeople are 

responsible to bring their gaggles ideas, proposals, concerns and 

opinions to the clown council and to report back info, decisions etc 

to their group. 

What do rebel clowns wear? 

Here’s a suggestion of what to discuss in your gaggle to prepare 

for Clown Councils: 

• Report back from the last Clown Council: decisions, 

proposals, invitations, info/updates, needs. 

• What does our group want to do today/tomorrow? What is 

our opinion of the proposals? Do we want to join other 

gaggles invitations? 

• Do we have any invitations (an invitation is an action we are 

doing that we want to invite other gaggles to) or proposals 

(proposals involve the whole of CIRCA) Can we circulate 

them soon to other groups—through written copies, verbally 

or over the listserve? 

• Who will our spokes people be for the next council meeting? 

Kit/Uniform 

There is no regulation CIRCA 

uniform. However experience has 

shown that a large block of clowns 

dressed in similar uniforms can be 

very powerful (which is why the police 

and army do it). There is safety in mild 

anonymity, However each clown has 

his/her/its own unique uniform, based 

on a basic theme, that your clown 

chooses. The basic theme that has 

developed is Military /Camo/Khaki 

gear from Army surplus store (see resources for suppliers) 

subverted and demilitarised with additions eg. Hearts, stars, bright 

pink/green fun fur anything that your clown desires. Clown 

costume is not a disguise, something to hide behind, but a way of 

accessing the clown inside. 

Although some clowns like big shoes we don’t recommend these 

during actions – hard to run with and uncomfortable. We suggest 

you find reasonably comfortable shoes for walking / 

marching/playing over long distances. 

I haven’t got a Gaggle to Join? 

If you are a clown that has already trained but have not formed or 

joined a gaggle, you can come to one of the Clown Councils and 

plug into appropriate groups or you might find some friendly 

clowns to join up with by participating in the brush up trainings that 

will be held during the G8. 

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you do this the more time there will be for gaggles to discuss the 

proposal fully.) 

I’ve never done Basic Rebel Clown Training? 

Decisions that affect all CIRCA gaggles will be made by consensus 

during the Clown Council. In the unlikely result of failing to reach 

consensus, we will revert to a three quarters majority. 

Like all armies recruits should have participated in a training before 

joining up. We are doing a series of trainings during the G8 if you 

are new to CIRCA you should sign up to the training on 30th /1st July. If you have already trained you will be very welcome to the 

Brush up trainings on 4th /5th July at Horizone. 

A spokes person may stand aside from a decision if their gaggle 

chooses not to participate in it. A block (affecting the whole of 

CIRCA) should only be used if a decision is seen to violate 

CIRCA’s basic principles (such as a radical systemic critique and 

non-violence). 

How do you organise a bunch of Clowns? 

CIRCA G8 Listserve 

Clown Councils 

CIRCA works horizontally, we have no leaders, no centralised 

command – everyone is an officer, a general and a private. During 

the G8 we will be making CIRCA wide decisions using a system of 

autonomous Clown Gaggles coordinating via a series of Spokes 

Councils. 

A listserve has been set up for CIRCA clowns and clown gaggles. It 

is intended to be used by and for CIRCA gaggles and clowns for 

announcements, updates, proposals from and key information 

related to G8 CIRCA activities. Please respect our time and 

inboxes and don’t use it for general info and announcements or 

discussion. Sign up at http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/circag8 

This form of direct council democracy has been used by diverse 

direct action movements throughout history – from the anarchist 

federations of the Spanish Civil War to the shut down of the WTO 

in Seattle, from the Argentine self-managed factories and to the 

recent Bolivian uprisings. 

Each Gaggle will send spokes people to the Clown Council, 

members of the gaggle can accompany their spoke to the councils 

and are encouraged to sit behind them so that they can 

communicate directly with their spokes person during the meeting. 

If your Gaggle has a proposal that you want others to get involved 

with, write it up, send it out to the circaG8 listserve and make 

copies to pass out during the spokes council (the more in advance 

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H O R S E P L A Y Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army

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