Anarchists Emerge as the Convention's Wild Card

Correction Appended

Their reputation precedes them.

Self-described anarchists were blamed for inciting the violence in Seattle at a 1999 meeting of the World Trade Organization in which 500 people were arrested and several businesses damaged. They have been accused by the police of throwing rocks or threatening officers with liquid substances at demonstrations against the Republican convention in Philadelphia in 2000 and at an economic summit meeting in Miami last year.

Now, as the Republican National Convention is about to begin in New York City, the police are bracing for the actions of this loosely aligned and often shadowy group of protesters, and consider them the great unknown factor in whether the demonstrations remain under control or veer toward violence and disorder.

The city is trying everything from giving protesters discount coupons to using an army of police officers to deter violent protests, and police officials said yesterday that they had identified about 60 people as militants, some of whom were arrested for violent acts in past protests.

In a show of force yesterday, the department rolled out its arsenal to show reporters the techniques it is using during convention week. [Page B1.]

But even anarchists who are against violence are warning of trouble and admit that they are planning acts of civil disobedience, including blocking intersections, staging ''chaos on Broadway'' when the delegates attend Broadway shows on Sunday night, holding a ''die-in'' near Madison Square Garden, sneaking into parties and other functions and generally harassing the 4,853 delegates and alternate delegates.

''This is where much of the real business happens, the business of buying and selling our laws to the highest corporate bidder,'' said a message on an Internet discussion list on Tuesday that included the sites of several corporate parties planned during the convention. ''Excellent targets for street actions! Please spread the word.''