Anarchists in New Orleans Sabotage Surveillance Cameras in Solidarity with LA, Atlanta, and “Occupied” Lands
Executive Summary
A self-identified group of anarchists in New Orleans has claimed responsibility for disabling ten police surveillance cameras on the eve of the Day of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners, according to a post on the radical blog Dirty South. The action, described as a show of support for the “uprising in Los Angeles,” Weelaunee Forest defenders in Atlanta, and broader struggles “under occupation,” is part of a growing trend of decentralized sabotage and anti-state resistance that links domestic unrest with international solidarity. The group denounced city council facial recognition efforts, traditional protest methods, and law enforcement more broadly, stating plainly: “There is no peace.”
Analysis
The camera destruction in New Orleans is the latest in a wave of anarchist-driven direct actions that frame sabotage not just as protest but as necessary resistance. The blog post links the action to several hotbeds of resistance: Los Angeles, where massive anti-Trump protests recently turned violent; Atlanta, where opposition to the “Cop City” training center has morphed into one of the nation’s most polarizing protest movements; and Palestine, referenced repeatedly in leftist solidarity language.
New Orleans, nicknamed Bulbancha by Indigenous communities, has come under scrutiny for its growing use of facial recognition technology. As reported by The Washington Post, the city has secretly employed surveillance tools in partnership with Project NOLA, a nonprofit that manages over 5,000 cameras, 200 of which reportedly use facial recognition without formal city contracts. The ACLU has warned the program could become a surveillance nightmare, especially for communities already overpoliced.
The timing and language of the anarchist communique reflect a radical ecosystem that sees interconnectedness between urban surveillance in U.S. cities and systemic oppression globally. This group calls not for reform or visibility but for direct attacks on state infrastructure—highlighting the strategic pivot from protests to sabotage.
The New Orleans sabotage comes days after violent street clashes in Los Angeles where police were pelted with concrete and fireworks during a “No Kings” protest, and amid ongoing legal fallout from the “Stop Cop City” movement in Atlanta. A recent federal lawsuit in Georgia alleges a systemic campaign of illegal arrests and intimidation against protestors like Jamie Marsicano, charged with domestic terrorism and RICO violations.
The New Orleans action serves not just as a symbolic gesture, but as an operational warning: increasingly, anarchist movements are targeting surveillance infrastructure directly, viewing it as both the frontline of state power and a tool of authoritarian control.
