4 . t h e state i s p r ovo ke d ! (j u ly 1965-marc h 1966)
The thesis of provocation was to prove a huge success , and a major component of its success lay in the unwit ting but indispensable participation of the government . E s sentially, with limited means , the Provos managed to dupe the Dutch government into bringing in heavy artillery to kill a fly. And the fly somehow managed to orchestrate the ensuing events to its own best advantage . The government was provoked ! And it swallowed the bait ! But the factor that might have really ensured government involvement may have been that the Provos were self-proclaimed anarchists , so their anti-monarchist position led the authorities to fear that a Provo or someone indirectly influ enced by the Provos might attempt to assassinate a member of the Royal Family. The first confrontation between the police and the Provos took place over an innocent presentation on the ecology of the au tomobile : the White Bicycle Plan. The plan was authored by Provo Luud Schimmelpennick, an industrial designer and future member of the rotating Provo seat on the Amsterdam city council. It was the first of the celebrated White Plans that comprised the Provo politi cal platform. Provokatie # 5 PROVO 's Bicycle Plan Amsterdammers ! The asphalt terror of the motorized bourgeoisie has lasted long enough. Human sacrifices are made daily to this latest idol of the idiots : car power. Choking carbon monoxide is its incense, its image contaminates thousands of canals and streets . PROVO's bicycle plan will liberate us from the car monster. PROVO introduces the WHITE BICYCLE, a piece of public property. The first white bicycle will be presented to the Press and public on Wednesday July 28 at 3 P.M. near the statue of the Lieverdje , the addicted consumer, on
•••••••- p rovo: amsterdam 's anarc h ist revol t•47
