[imc-uk-emergency] Mayday feature as plain text with index of links
Chris Croome
chris at croome.net
Fri May 2 17:07:18 BST 2003
Hi
This is what the feature had in it at 5pm 2nd May, a list of the links
is at the end:
Mayday May 1st
Around the world people were out on the streets [1]celebrating
Mayday. In [2]London the stage was set for a series of protests
making the links between Arms and Oil as well as other issues (see
[3]ourmayday.org), with further protests set for [4]Glasgow,
[5]Edinburgh, [6]Manchester, Liverpool, Leicester, Bradford and
beyond. London's Metropolitan police had issued [7]"advice" to
companies and City police were running their own [8]timeline until
7:20pm when "no demonstrators within the City boundary" were left. In
the days building up to Mayday there had also been a series of
supporting [9]actions and protests by Campaign Against The Arms
Trade. This Mayday was also the 3rd birthday of Indymedia UK.
The annual Trade Union march to Trafalgar Square continued to gather
support this year, with [10]Globalise Resistance, [11]Stop the War
Coalition, [12]War on Want, [13]World Development Movement, and the
[14]TUC coming together to oppose war, racism and privatisation. In
joined as well the [15]Socialist Stockbrokers, and in the City of
London people [16]vacuumed up after capitalism.
Press hysteria surrounding the protests has been at a lower level
than in previous years, although there have still been a flurry of
articles and some terrible journalism / propaganda ([17]1 | [18]2 |
[19]3)
Bristol: Dozens of protesters outside the [20]army careers office at
around 15:40.
Also in Bristol, the Labour Party headquarter was [21]occupied early
this morning. 5 protesters were arrested.
Glasgow: Mayday celebrators occupy a [22]petrol station in the
Southside of Glasgow.
Sheffield: Sheffield STWC staged a visual display of photos of people
protesting all over the world outside the Town Hall at 5pm. There is
another Mayday demonstration in Sheffield on Saturday, details are on
the [23]Sheffield Against War website. [24]Pictures
London Timeline of Events
10:13pm More than an hour later and people are still being released,
some searched and photographed.
9:17pm Almost half an hour later, police are still letting the crowd
out one at a time and dispersing them - but now there is a spitting
rain
8:50pm Centre of Trafalgar Sq.: Riot police are identifying and
arresting people from inside the cordon. 50 people have already been
arrested and taken away in vans; a bus has arrived to get more. The
charges are unknown: no one can even approach the scene to ask. Those
who are not arrested are body searched and identified, then escorted
out of the scene by riot police.
8:46pm Cordoned people are allowed out one at a time, escorted by and
dispersed at Embankment tube. Also. a group of 8 is reported to be
beaten up in St. James's.
8:39pm Piccadilly: 30 protestors have sat down at the fountain of
Eros. FIT (Forward Intelligence Team, i.e. police with cameras) and a
few riot police are looking on.
8:34pm In the middle of Picadily Circus, some protestors are
surrounded by riot police - legal observers are with them.
8:15pm Riot police charge against people, who run off to Picadilly
with the sound system. Once there, 20 get brutally beaten up by
police.
8:08pm While riot police charge in surrounding streets, main group is
still held at Strand, off Trafalgar Squate.
8:05pm Hundreds of riot police have cleared off the square, while 20
more police vans are being deployed and more are getting ready. They
have also charged against people standing on The Mall. Protestors see
it as a wild over reaction by police.
8:04pm Two more arrests made: one in Trafalgar Sq. and the other in
Charing Cross Station. Police haven't disclosed the charges.
7:58pm Riot police are moving into Trafalgar Sq. Some people break
away from the containment including sound system.
7:50pm Whitehall and The Mall still sealed off completely. The
cordoned people are totally hemmed in on road into Trafalgar Square
[[25]webcam].
There is also another group of riot police moving in. According to
BBC 24 news there are 400 protestors and 4000 police
7:48pm Many reports of people beaten badly after the square has been
cleared. A considerable number of head injuries.
7:40pm Police without riot gear are clearing the square - Riot police
are waiting to move against the main group.
7:30pm Police increased numbers and is apparently donning the riot
gear. The crowd of 1500 protestors is very fluffy but stands firm.
Whitehall and The Mall sealed off completely.
7:22pm Strand end: Riot police forming up in front of the surrounded
crowd - many supporters outside the blocked area in Trafalgar Square
- Police put away their shields for some reason.
7:21pm [26]Audio report about people being let out from the cordon at
the Strand end of Trafalgar Sqare, then chased up and truncheoned by
riot police.
7:15pm More arrests, more riot gear brought out.
7:00pm Deadline for dispersal approaching (7:05pm), police getting
into riot gear ([27]audio). At the strand end, two cordons of police
build up.
6:45pm Police attacked camera crews, several arrests made.
6:35pm The Samba band joined the sound system - demonstrators push
through police line but are violently pushed back.
6:00pm Protesters still dancing in Trafalgar Square.
5:20pm A group of stock brokers are rapping and breakdancing in
Trafalgar Square. Police have declared that protesters will have 2
hours to disperse, then they will be forcibly removed.
5:10pm A "Section 14" order has been placed on about 400 protesters
at the junction of Trafalgar Square and the Strand ([28]audio).
Police are giving protesters two hours to disperse completely, or
face arrest. Unperturbed, people are dancing to the music coming from
a mobile sound system and a violinist.
5:00pm Police have lifted the Duncannon Street cordon, but it appears
they now want to surround the whole of Trafalgar Square, with around
1,000 people in it.
4:55pm Mounted riot police in Trafalgar Square are now heading
towards Whitehall.
4:45pm Some protesters were surrounded by police in Trafalgar Square
but managed to break out and are joining demonstrators coming up
Whitehall. A heavy police presence is holding back a crowd of 500 at
[29]Duncannon Street, on the north east side of Trafalgar Square. The
sound system continued to play and police charged again.
4.40pm Trafalgar Square: The police charge against the dancing crowd.
Approx 700 protesters inside cordon at Strand end of Trafalgar square
have been ordered with section 14 of the public order act 1986: for
disruption of the business community. Meanwhile, one arrest on
Duncannon Street. When asked about the charges, journalists are
pushed away.
4:30pm Parliament Square: Fluffy protest with people stage diving
from a crane into the crowd. Police are still trying to get
protesters elsewhere to go to Trafalgar Square.
4.30pm Trafalgar Square: Protesters are still cordoned in at the
north east end by Duncannon Street, while a sound system arrives on a
bike and the rest of the crowd in the square dances to it.
4:25pm Protesters pushed further down Charing X ([30]audio report).
4.20pm Approx 20 - 30 police vans and 2 rows of police lines are blocking Whitehall.
4:10pm A demonstration numbering about 200 moving down Charing X to
Trafalgar Square is being "escorted" by 500 police and a column of
60-80 riot vans. Police are pushing marchers into a very narrow lane
and trying to stop anyone from joining them. At present the Square is
almost empty, but a handful of people are heading down Whitehall,
with dozens of riot vans in hot pursuit.
4:00pm Protesters confuse police by running past Trafalgar Square and
towards Picadilly. Almost no police up there.
3:55pm A group of protesters has appear on Picadilly. The cordon at
Cambridge Circus has now been opened and protesters are marching
towards Trafalgar Square. It has been confirmed that one person was
carried away on a stretcher from the Lockheed Martin protest at 3
o'clock.
3:45pm Protesters outfox police by breaking into side streets before
being sectioned, and running towards Trafalgar Square.
3:40pm Having steered protesters towards Trafalgar Square, police are
now using force to stop them from entering it. Strand protest now
stationary at Adam Street, unable to reach TUC demo in the Square.
Meanwhile, police are getting heavy-handed at a sit-down protest at
Cambridge Circus. Those trying to break out of a cordon there are
receiving "special treatment".
3:30pm Cordoned march arrived at Trafalgar Square, but held at the
North East end of it while other marches arrive to the square from
other corners and police start to line up at the entrances to the
square.
3:20pm Samba band and cyclists continue to elude police, now heading
south down Kingsway and dancing on the Strand. At Lockheed Martin,
police have released protesters from the cordons.
3:10pm The protest that started in front of Lockheed Martin has been
[31]served a 'Section 12' order to join the official march down
Charing Cross and towards Trafalgar Square - or face arrest. On
hearing this, protesters staged a spontaneous mass sit-down.
On Shaftesbury Avenue, around 2,000 people are being forced to march
or stop as they are cordoned by two lines of police and followed by
20 police vans.
3:05pm Critical Mass and Samba band crossed through Covent Garden,
past the Masons' Lodge, and are heading towards Southampton Row. Lots
of dancing, drums, fancy dress.
2:57pm A demonstrator inside the cordon is smashed against a fence
and left unconscious. Police prevent journalists from photographing
the scene and those who protest are violently thrown into the cordon.
When the crowd is against forced to move one, there is no trace or
news of the uncnscious demonstrator.
2:55pm 5-10 people have succeeded in breaking out of the police
cordon around the Lockheed Martin protests. The rest of them are
forced to march or stop at Police's commnd as they are pushed slowly
towards Trafalgar Square.
2:45pm Critical Mass has joined the breakaway branch near Charing X,
and together with a samba band they a blocking the traffic with music
and dancing.
2:30pm A couple of hundred people have split off from the main march
down Shaftesbury Avenue. Nervous police are in hot pursuit. The group
held in front of Lockheed Martin on Endell Street is still cordoned
off by cops.
2:25pm The police line dividing the two groups turns into a closed
cordon. People are not let in or out in order to 'prevent a breach of
the peace'. 2:20pm The Samba Band livens up the demonstration and
people join and start marching down Shaftesbury Avenue. Police split
up the crowd by charging the end of the march.
2:15pm Around 600 people have gathered outside the offices of arms
manufacturers Lockheed Martin in High Holborn. Demonstrators have
blocked the traffic and are shouting anti-war slogans. Atmosphere is
calm but large numbers of police and surveillance teams are in the
area.
1:50pm The Trade Union demonstration was joined by [32]Socialist
Stockbrokers!
1:30pm The TUC [33]march has now reached Holborn. Large numbers of
police are in the area and reports of Kingsway being blocked off by
police lines. Reports of a few demosntrators being stopped and
searched by the police for wearing masks.
1:20pm Reports of one arrest for criminal damage and posession of an
offensive weapon in Regent St.
1:15pm Critical Mass has now stopped and having a rest in St. James'
Park. They plan to move on shortly.
1:00pm The Trade Union March from Clerkenwell Green [34]set off.
1:00pm Reports coming in that all bus routes from Totehnham Court
Road to Holborn have been stopped. Hundreds of commuters are
currently stranded in central London.
12:47pm Critical Mass has now stopped outside Downing St and people
are [35]dancing to the sounds of the mobile sound system.
12:45pm Thousands are marching in the Trade Union's demonstration
from Clerkenwell Green ([36]audio). 2 police helicopters are now
hovering over the demonstration.
12:00pm Critical Mass participants has now increased to 300 cyclists
and a mobile sound system. It has now reached Fleet St in The City
where traffic has been blocked.
11:30am Critical Mass has now set off with around 200 ciclists taking
part.
11:00am 150 people are assembling outside London's South Bank NFT for
the Critical Mass bycicle ride.
10:00am Around 4,000 police are on stand by in London for today's
protests, whilst many shops and business in London's West End,
Mayfair and The City have been [37]boarded up through the night
([38]report).
Global Reports [39]Sweden |
Mayday Archive: [40]Mayday 2002 | [41]Mayday 2001 | [42]Mayday 2000
References
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8. http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/incident-room/latest-details/details1.htm
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10. http://www.resist.org.uk/
11. http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
12. http://www.waronwant.org/
13. http://www.wdm.org.uk/
14. http://www.glatuc.org.uk/mayday.html
15. /front.php3?article_id=66023
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23. http://www.sheffieldagainstwar.org.uk/events/mayday-weekend-03/
24. file://localhost/front.php3?article_id=66027
25. http://www.camvista.com/england/london/trafsq.php3
26. http://images.indymedia.org/imc/uk/m1_03_1921_beatenup.mp3
27. http://images.indymedia.org/imc/uk/m1_03_1732_pol_announcement.mp3
28. http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=66000&group=webcast
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34. http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=66002&group=webcast
35. /front.php3?article_id=65909
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37. http://www.thisislondon.com/til/jsp/modules/GalleryPopup.jsp?itemId=4627154
38. /front.php3?article_id=65886
39. http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=65999&group=webcast
40. /index.php3?resist=reports&stance=mayday02
41. /index.php3?resist=reports&stance=mayday
42. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/newsite/index2.php3
Hidden links:
43. /mayday.html
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