# Your Mayday Experiences



## RubyToogood (May 1, 2002)

Post your reports and thoughts here...


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## bruise (May 1, 2002)

A great turn out at 9 am

FreeThePeeps in great spirits and looking forward to hearing from his arresting officer exactly WHAT he was supposed to have done

WellRed followed by several cameras continually as they seemed to assume he was some kind of 'organiser' or something!

Stig and Oksi trying for the 'longest travelled' to be there on time

Nice to meet Ali again

Then the critical mass turned up, YAY!

Then I had to go to work. Bummer.  But went in a Womble outfit, which was fun 

Hope everyone has a great mayday, and keep it going until J-day


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## kea (May 1, 2002)

wah, i've got flu! feel like shit and look like rudolph the red nosed reindeer. so disappointed. oh well, i'll have to sit at home and monitor the media coverage instead ...    best of luck to all who are there, or are heading over later. have fun.


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## Coffeegrind (May 1, 2002)

*Racsim at Mayday who would have thought it*

I have just left the march from Clerkenwell Green and there were loads of Anti War demo-All good. But there is loads of Anti Semetic, anti Zionist type mularkey going on. Any battle or war is 50/50 , Six of one.. you get the idea.

I would like to have seen a more anti road and perhpas a Anti globalisation take on the war rather than a hijack by Palistinean groups


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## chieftain (May 1, 2002)

critical mass from camden road was great, I left 'em at 9.30am at Parliment  to go to work (not in parliment) but had a great first time ride and will be going again on the next one


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## bruise (May 1, 2002)

Coffeegrind, Why do you think these two things are the same?



> Anti Semetic, anti Zionist



The first is racism, the second is protesting against support for a racist state. The first is completely out of order, the second should be second nature for every liberal, anarchist, socialist, anti-racist person. 

And not all wars (think about the recent massacre in Jenin) are 50-50, either in terms of ethics (there's a difference between imposing oppression and fighting against it) and there's a difference in power (one side supplied by the richest nation on earth, the other... er, not). 

What was racist about the protest? (Honest question, I didn't pass it)


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## Trotboy (May 1, 2002)

*Good Mayday, but SLOOOOW Demo*

Just got back from MayDay, I only managed to get along after 12, but the Clerkenwell Demo hadn't left when I got there at nearly 1, so I went along on it, but was it ever SLOW, it took about 3 hours to get to Trafalgar Square. 

I'd say there were about 5000 on it, and a few hundred more turned up later in Trafalgar Square off the Mayfair demo. Our comrades who went up to Mayfair said it was great fun.

Coffee is absolutely correct about the SWP's hysterical ultra-left position on Palestine 'Victory to the Intafada' - 'No to the two state solution' etc, etc. In fact when you adopt that one-sided rant, it does lead you down the path of anti-semitism. If you reject implicitly the right to a state of Israel, you effectively adopt the 'drive them into the sea' approach. Quite what happens to the millions of Israeli Arabs with this solution, who knows.

The fact is that only unity of the Palestinian, Israeli Arab & Israeli Jewish workers can defeat Imperialism, divide & rule, and Capitalism from both the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority (Which has done nothing to raise Palestinian workers out of poverty) There is no solution to the problem under Capitalism.

Anyway, that aside, and the ludicrous claim by some anonymous bod on the platform that this was the 'biggest Mayday since WW2' (- Where was he in the 70's, or the miners strike, or 1986, etc, etc?) It was a good day out, and good to see so many young people there.

Steve Bush,
Lambeth Socialist Party.


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## Wolfie (May 1, 2002)

I've been here since about 2.00
Marched/wandered round Mayfair - all pretty good natured stuff. Loads of shops closed and/or boarded up so it had some effect on capitalism for a day.
Best placard I've seen was a hand scrawled one that said "end capitalism, stop bush's war

PS and cruelty to animals"

Just taking some time out from the samba fun in Soho to post this from an easy everything place.
Back to the fun now ...


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## Struwwelpeter (May 1, 2002)

Critical mass from Camden was very peaceful - my first one!  We probably didn't piss off enough car drivers though.  My favorite moment - some suited "gent" shouting "you're all wankers!"  However, I regret slowing to let him cross the road in front of me.  

Spotted the TUC march past my work.  I don't have any sympathy for folks carrying pictures of Stalin and Mao.  Yes I know that most on the march wouldn't have supported that but that's not the message the public gets - my colleagues certainly didn't.  You Reds are going to have to throw off the Soviet/Trot baggage if you want to get the peeps going.  

I'm about to cycle home now - past the remaining cops'n'protesters I spose.


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## JHE (May 1, 2002)

I was in Trafalgar Square to see the marchers come in and listen to the speeches.  Pretty good turn out, for a working day.  Lots of young people (and others).  Lots of TU (and other) banners.  But I was very surprised when we were told it was the biggest May Day march for fifty years.  I'm not really convinced.

I agree very much with Coffeegrind and Trotboy on the Isreal/Palestine question.  It's very sad and quite worrying that sections of the left (inc. the SWP) are completely opposed to the existence of Isreal.  Trotboy, could you let me know what the Socialist Party view is (or point me towards something fairly brief to read)?


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## Phototropic (May 1, 2002)

It was a really cool peacefull day. The police looked really confused but I feel it was good of them to stand back a lot of the time. It was a nice chilled day


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## Cautious Fred (May 1, 2002)

> I don't have any sympathy for folks carrying pictures of Stalin and Mao


These large pictures seemed to be being carried by the same family, little kids and all! They also had pictures of Lenin, Marx and Engels. Presumably these usually adorn the family's living room wall. 

As for





> 'Victory to the Intafada'


 , Trotboy, you're wrong to reject this. At one point you say (rightly) that there's no solution under capitalism, but you go on to argue for a two-state solution (!). The two-state solution is a concession to the racists that the Palestinians and the Israelis can never live together peacefully.

Perhaps start another thread to discuss it if you want? Don't want this thread to get sidetracked, really.


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## JHE (May 1, 2002)

To propose a two-state solution is just to recognise that there are two nations each of which demands a state of its own.  There is no realistic prospect of the two peoples uniting peacefully in the near future.

Any resolution of the problem other than a just establishment of a Palestine alongside an Isreal is *horrendous*:  it would mean either getting rid of the Isreali Jews or of the Palestinian Arabs.  I'm sure you, Cautious Fred and other leftist anti-Zionists, don't really want either of those things, any more than I do.  Some other anti-Zionists, on the other hand, certainly are outright anti-semites.  Doesn't it bother you that you have the same position as them?


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## Cautious Fred (May 1, 2002)

Perhaps discuss this on another thread? 

Otherwise the peeps who want to discuss what happened at Mayday today are likely to hate us forever.


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## John Wisehammer (May 1, 2002)

I don't want to turn this particular thread into an Israeli-Palestine discussion but I think there are serious holes in what Steve says. Otherwise, I had a good day riding around on my bike, not getting section 60d (or "illegally and arbitrarily arrested", as they call it in non-copper English), bumping into nice people and chatting to punters.

However, I notice that the telly coverage for both here and other citiies has only been concerned with a body count. If there wasn't violence, it didn't get mentioned. I notice that a guy from the Countryside Alliance (speaking at some C4 debate) said, "if the government won't listen to democratic peaceful debate and harass protestors, how will people be able make their point?". 

It's such a quandry: if there's no windows getting kicked in, the fact that some of the central rules of London society (that cars rule; that people walk with their heads down and fast; that people need to be told how to organise themselves; that the police are free to brutalise and gang up on people) have been temporarily changed and can be changed again forever won't be mentioned. But if McDonald's gets a window kicked in, it makes the news - but only as a broken window.

Personally, so long as people aren't hurt (including workers and guests inside) I couldn't give half a shit if a Starbucks gets kicked in, and I know quite a few Middle England types that feel the same way as a result of their unstoppable takeoever of small towns. It's about 0.00000025 of a second's profits for Starbucks to build a new one, and it's nothing compared to the destruction they're causing to high streets, to job security and to lives of the children they use to pick their coffee beans (it ain't Fair Trade). Watching video from Seattle, I couldn't help feeling a bit of contempt for the wet lettuce types holding hands to protect a Nike shop (or something) while CS gas missiles were landing around them. Having said that, I'm not going to bother trashing anything myself, the message it sends is not very articulate and easily taken out of context, and I'm not going to hand other people bricks so they can indulge my "puerile smashy-uppy wet dreams". But really, who cares?


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## Mad_Sk8er (May 1, 2002)

First Mayday:

I realy enjoyed the march (when finaly found it), but didnt like the SWP rally at all. It was overun by the anti-israelies. Although id definately side against the war crimes n shit, i find it very hypocritical that nothing was at all said abour israelis and palestinians making peace, just that anything israeli is wrong. If ur gonna say zionism is racism, then so is any other form of nationalism, including that of the british, palestinian, irish, basque, wotever. Fuck, i realy dont wanna turn this topic into another israel topic, pls excuse the above if u dont agree.


memory: police knocking over protester with dog, dog running away, me literaly jumping on the running/scared dog, holding this mad panicking dog untill the owner was allowed up and reclaimed his dog. Aghh, aint i nice.


BTW, i was handing out Neitzches _Revolution_ poem, any1 get it? wot u think


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## Matt S (May 1, 2002)

*Mayfair*

K...my day. I can't quite work out whether this Mayday (or at least my experience of it) should be seen as a step forward or back. I shall elaborate...

I started off my day with the WOMBLES solidarity demo, on which it was good to see a nice bunch of suited-up protestors, as well as the appearance of Critical Mass (along with Mark THomas). After that I wandered for quite a while (I do have a degree, and thought I'd better do some reading) before distributing some leaflets along Oxford Street and then making my way to Hyde Park for the circus. Unfortunately, the circus block had precious little circus activity, and no band (I can't complain, I have no drums either, but it wasn't ideal). THis led to us very quickly fragmenting and going our seperate ways...I ended up with a group of maybe 50 people...unfortunately not very militant, and so we ended up wandering the streets for ****ing ages just looking confused, which wasn't exactly good for the image of the protests. "Join us in Mayday, get lost and wander like a drunken fool". We managed to get a few chants going, but at that stage it was not looking good for the forces of goodness and light.  

HOwever, things brightened up as we decided to chance our luck at going to Grovesner Square...as we went along Marble Arch again we picked up a fair few people (people who were confused by all the decentralised actions were often wandering around until they found something to join) and by the time we hit the US Embassy must have been a few hundred strong. We couldn't get to the Italian Embassy to protest Carlo Guiliani's death, as we would have been trapped by the police (it looked as if some already had been) so we turned down another road...and really started to pick up steam, intersecting with several other groups until we were going down small streets in SOho with at least 800 people. "WHose streets! Our Streets!", people were finally chanting. That was the high point, tho there were lots of other adventures until I went home about 5.00 (sounds like, from Indymedia at the moment, that I missed some dramatic events afterwards).

So...how did it go? We certainly avoided being boxed in this time...although we did so by confusing our own side as well as the police. The totally decentralised nature of this years protest meant that a lot of people were left feeling isolated...but on the other hand, when groups did meet up it was a very powerful, quickly building thing, which the police couldn't necessarily react to and channel. I was worried by the seemingly high proportion of people who were blatantly there to get pissed, and weren't concerned about the political aspect of it all...I'm not being a snob, fair enough people want to enjoy themselves, but when they obviously couldn't give a shit about the reasons for Mayday as a festival, it gets a bit worrying. THis was compounded by the non-militancy of a lot of the groups I was with...probably due to the constant walking for miles and miles. Basically, it was a decentralised Critical Mass for people without bikes! This led to tiredness, and quite often onlookers just laughing at us as we tried to work out where the fuck we were going. ANy actual explanation of why we were there didn't often get given.

I was going to say that on the plus side it was totally nonviolent...but that looks like it may be untrue (I'm not prejudging, I don't know the facts so it may be police intervention...don't jump down my throat!), which I think would be a shame if it was caused by us. I'm not anti-property destruction per se, but with all the predictions of gloom and doom by the media I would have loved to have proved them totally wrong. 'Hardcore mob of anarchists' my arse.

I've probably forgotten stuff, but i'm tired...

Venceremos!

P.S. Ken Livingstone is a tit.


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## RubyToogood (May 1, 2002)

Livingstone is indeed a tit. I heard him pontificating on the news to the effect that the protests had nothing to do with third world debt or any other issue and that people should stay away.

madsk8er, is that poem really long or could you post it? Either here or on the poetry please thread on general .


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## jimmer (May 1, 2002)

was anyone else involved in trying to push through that cop line in trafalger sq.?


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## Mad_Sk8er (May 1, 2002)

RubyToogood:
course m8, its in 'poetry please' on general now.


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## bi0boy (May 1, 2002)

I wondered around Mayfair about 12ish and it was pretty quiet so I decided to make for Speaker's Corner to see about meeting up with some other peeps. There was quite a crowd when I arrived around 1, and we set off wondering around Mayfair, Oxford street etc.. all good natured, mainly I think due to the fact that there were no riot cops to be seen anywhere. Occasionaly some police in knife vests and shirt sleeves would half-hartedly try to block the route, most of the time we just changed direction but a couple of times we surged through their lines with a bit of scuffling- they didnt really seem to know what they were meant to be doing. Eventually we made it to trafalgar square, and there was a bit of 'disorder' near the national gallery when the police formed a line accross the road for no apparent reason. I didnt see any arrests and it seemed like quite a fluffy day.


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## WasGeri (May 1, 2002)

Just got home and my feet are absolutely killing me! Must have done about 50 miles of walking...then the fuckers at Paddington wouldn't let us on a train until 6.30 as they said our tickets were not valid until then.

Glad the march was peaceful, saw some old faces there from my past (I'm sure some people will know Steve Nally).

All in all, a good day out!


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## Cautious Fred (May 1, 2002)

Latest from Indymedia:

19.40 
Riot police have cordoned off the Soho streets where the carnival is taking place. The carnival crowd has been divided by a police line, and officers are violently pushing people into Old Compton St. Celebrators are using non-violent resistance -- linking arms and refusing to move -- in an attempt to remain partying together. 

20:30 
Around 500 people, including a samba band, are still penned in by riot police in Old Compton St. Despite continuously chanting "let us out", they are not being allowed to move. Soho has been smoothly taken over by police, and it has been confirmed that a Section 60 order has been issued for Central London, stripping citizens of their usual rights. Police are taking away many people, but it is not clear whether they are being arrested or just removed from the area.


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## bi0boy (May 1, 2002)

hmm just been looking at indymedia, seems there wasnt enough violence for the police to justify their expenditure so they have been donning riot gear and harrasing people at the soho carnival...


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## Bucksta (May 1, 2002)

> _Originally posted by japoulte _
> *was anyone else involved in trying to push through that cop line in trafalger sq.? *



Yeah I was.  But I moved out of the way before the line was broken coz i was on skates and in serious danger of falling head over tit.   

I spent the morning with some friends trying to locate the crowds.  We missed BARF by a few minutes unfortunately.  Eventually found our way onto a huge procession coming from the U.S Embassy.  We then marched around for a couple of hours.  

at 1 point, a bloke in a suit came out and started asking "who's the daddy here then?".  Fucking funny - i guess you had to be there?  anyone?

moved on to trafalgar, listened to some of the speeches and then decided to call it a day.

To be honest all teh marching around seemed a bit pointless.  Nobody was really making any kind of political statement.  The main talk was about which direction to go to evade the police.  The footballs flying around was a laugh tho.  I think in future something more exciting needs to be planned.  The idea of mayday is surely to attract people - and i dunno if i'd bother going again just to march with no real sense of purpose.


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## Anneth (May 1, 2002)

shame

had a quiet day as couldn't get the day off work (boo)

very positive to see that because there was no violence to report BBC local news tonight actually did a piece on why people were protesting . . . a whole half hour.

also on pm on radio 4 a good report on the demos elsewhere in the worls and why people had such serious concerns about the power & influence of big business and in particular the WTO.

yey.


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## bi0boy (May 1, 2002)

Buksta - yeah that suit guy! He stood in the middle of the road as the protest went by saying "look people, will you all go back to work now?" he seemed quite serious about it too.

I agree it did seem a bit pointless just walking around, but planning anything more constructive is going to require set meeting point etc. and just get us boxed in for 8 hours.


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## enigma (May 1, 2002)

Forgive me if I seem a little naive, but if 'collective decision-making' and 'autonomous action' can't even effectively organise 6,000 people for 1 day, how on earth do you expect the majority of people to buy into the idea of 'collective decision-making' and 'autonomous action' for 60 MILLION people for 365 days a year??


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## RubyToogood (May 1, 2002)

Perhaps the lesson for "next time" is not to go expecting to join in an event organised by someone else but to prepare particular activities with a small group of people beforehand yourself, as part of the larger picture. Which seems to me to be in the spirit of things...

edit to reply to enigma's post, which is totally relevant to the point I was making - people are conditioned in this society to wait for the powers that be to make decisions for us, to passively consume what is produced for us and to produce only what we are told. It takes a change in thinking, which applies to protests, to daily life, and to society at large.


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## enigma (May 1, 2002)

R2B - absolutely. But will it happen? I doubt it. Contrary to all the opinions of the anarchists on this site, people in general would much prefer someone else do all the 'organising' stuff. Much easier that way. 
Personally, I'd love to see an truly autonomous society, but pragmatically, given human nature, I really don't see it happening. Today was just one more example of that reality.


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## enigma (May 1, 2002)

R2B - to reply to your edit  ... is it just a change in thinking, or human nature. 
I guess we're back to a Nature vs Nurture argument..., and I think you're far more optimistic than me!


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## Tromaville (May 1, 2002)

Very nice half day milling around.... lots of niceness from everyone.

Only thing I wish was I had a camera for when the A.L.F fella was stood facing MacDonalds on Oxford Street with his flag - it was a kodak moment. 

Then headed off down to Traf Square and left about 4:30 ish ... quite a nice chilled day all in all  was a bit of a "thing" when a ball was kicked at a cops head and then "confiscated" ...could have been handled with a bit more humour but ended up well..

Good day all in all..

Just a couple of things why were police in Rental vans?? kenning Sixt or summat like that - what that all about? A|nd were they remaking Apocalypse Now with all those helicopters..

Anyway great day 

Getting back to the time when we can bring some sand along and have a proper decent sandpit   -I missed that

Trom


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## rorymac (May 1, 2002)

The fluffiest protest I've ever been to.
That twat in the suit...ooh he was one lucky bugger...
Hopefully he'll be feeling full of himself so he may surface again. 
A damp squib but that's how it goes sometimes I suppose. 
As Well Red said it's only the tip of the ice berg...a nice squishy/fluffy one this year.


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## cousin scampi (May 1, 2002)

Started off on the Revo march, which joined with the main one, which just CRAWLED along to Trafalgar Sq, so I found myself gallabanting up front on my deck.

Had fun dancing in one of the fountains in Traf. Sq.    My friend in the pink is on the front page of one of the tabloids of tomorow's papers. Wow! Speeches got tedious though.

The sex worker's party was where the real fun was had, right up to when plastic men moved in  .  Saw the line forming and managed to duck in behind it before solidified. Very dramatic.

Wikid day all in all though.


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## Phototropic (May 1, 2002)

I was watching the BBC and the news only ever said "trouble in Soho blah blah blah" but they did not once mention that there was a SeX Workers Parade going on. Not once.


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## discodamage (May 2, 2002)

well, had a wierd day, mostly due to not knowing which hat i was supposed to be wearing- _student journalist_ or _protestor_. eventually the two came together but only after a bit of intellectual wrestling on my part.

i think my basic problem is that im used to single issue protest, and the disparity of mayday just confuses me. this is not maydays problem, its mine, but the lack of coherence bothered me. from the point of view of someone who cares about the issues the groups within mayday are trying to address, but who is also aware of 'audience', im confused as to what the protests achieved. we're saying 'we care a lot', but im not sure if anyone outside the movement is going to get what we care about, even those who might be interested.

example: possibly due to my inability to be everywhere at once, the only moment of real cohesion i felt was around the international union of sex workers march. in terms of crowd, it had momentum just through volume of numbers at the time, and the atmosphere was lovely for the first hour and a half or so, and the sambanistas rocked, and it was great. but more importantly, i witnessed a lot of people who didnt have a clue about the point of the march talking to the sex workers present, and getting to grips with what they were marching for, which was fantastic. did you know that the indian sex workers union had over 35,000 members in calcutta alone? i didnt. its a little issue, maybe, but as a feminist the fact that women and men had come from south africa, cambodia, thailand, aus, india and brazil to march for their rights as workers meant a lot to me. 

 at the same time, marching (or, rather, dancing) down shaftesbury avenue, at one point the focus turned quite noticeably towards the maccyd's (which was a flashpoint later, predictably and understandably enough) and i felt quite angry, because it seemed as if the sex workers could go take a flying one as long as macdonalds was there to serve as a totem for peoples anger. 

i dunno. im being too utopian. its great that all these hardcore women and men marched, under a pride banner, for their rights and recognition as workers and people. but at the same time, i wonder how many people actually gave a fuck what they were marching for. even on this thread, people have referred to 'soho', but not why people gathered there in the first place. and that is i think the problem- mayday stands for something, but outside of our special interests, no-ones quite sure what.

edit: lol, phototropic got there before me. props to you.


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## Phototropic (May 2, 2002)

One day certain people will have to realise that certain things are not going to go away from our society. Drugs, prostetution (sp?), gays are not going to go away. Why can't the right just include everyone in society? Give prostitutes a union to protect them as they are workers and deserve rights, give equal rights for gays because, well its obvious, legalise drugs and put controls on and remove it from criminal hands, selling it through licensed premises using the profits to fund the NHS and re hab clinics and sell dope completly separetly and openly. 

All the problems in ociety seem to originate just from sheer bloody minded blind moral stupitity. 

THESE THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO GO AWAY BECASUE YOU REGARD THEM AS IMMORAL YOU SILLY DAILY MAIL PEOPLE.

(nb: this is a half hearted post because I am tired and want to go to sleep but I can't sleep so before you pick holes I ain't thinking strait so I will babble at you and you will regret slagging )


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## soulrebel (May 2, 2002)

Oh buggery! I just started this thread in general...



> so we turned down another road...and really started to pick up steam, intersecting with several other groups until we were going down small streets in SOho with at least 800 people. "WHose streets! Our Streets!", people were finally chanting


this was where i was! did u get "trapped" in that bottleneck alley too?



> on which it was good to see a nice bunch of suited-up protestors, as well as the appearance of Critical Mass (along with Mark THomas).


Mark Thomas was there? Didnt see him. Wicked.



> the sambanistas


LOL!


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## marko (May 2, 2002)

not that many of my piccies came out well (those who have seen my camera know why) but here's one to illustrate disco-d's post







excellent samba 

a more considered reply tomorrow, possibly


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## discodamage (May 2, 2002)

lol, id love to pretend id made up the phrase 'sambanistas' myself, but i didnt. i got the phrase off one of them, shouting at their fallow drummers to move down wardour street.

damn, i wish id had a camera, though. those dancers were fantastic!


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## editor (May 2, 2002)

It's clear that the media-hyped, paranoid levels of impending doom had made themselves felt in Mayfair:





, 
although my fave pic was this one taken of two Southwark pensioners in Trafalgar Square. Respect!






Loads more pics to follow!


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## pooka (May 2, 2002)

Lovely picture Editor.

Isn't there an expression "Speak softly and carry a big stick"?


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## cyberpixie (May 2, 2002)

<<<sycophant fawning alert>>>

Mr Editor, a hearty round of applause for your appearance on BBC London News last night! Mike Slocombe, the Voice of Reason!  Seriously, I liked the point you made about meeting up with likeminded groups of people and learning more about each other's problems/protests. Although I did notice that when you mentioned the Sex Workers' protest the bloke interviewing you went 'Steady on, we're on before the watershed' LOL  ! What did he think you were gonna do ? 

Zee and I were sooo proud...


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## John Wisehammer (May 2, 2002)

*Boarded up windows*

I notice that that twat Nicky Clarke had his hairdresser's boarded up for the second time running. Possibly more to do with his overestimations of his importance and symbolism than anything else, as nobody (except me) even looked at it!

The funny thing about McDonalds and stuff was that we'd be marching along 1000 strong and complete ignore all these places - until a line of twenty cops would run down and stand in front of them, at which point everyone would start booing at them (the message of their actions was obvious in terms of their priorities and who they work for).

Vignette: two fatsos from the City police running down Park Lane, trying to get ahead of a Critical Mass column, causing a "wa-hey! run! run! run!". Their colleagues walking behind them were pissing themselves laughing.

Vignette: at Trafalgar Square, a guy lining up a football on the penalty spot, pretending that the line of police 5 metres away was a defensive wall in front of a goal. "Hold on, who's going goalie in that team?", "tell you what guys, we'll go shirts, you go skins, alright?", "that football's a dangerous Anarchist weapon, you know!"

Personally, I think the right to protest without the control or imposition of will by the police and refusing to be corralled or mass arrested for our views are important values/issues in themselves, and even if you missed out on the significance of Critical Mass, of solidarity with the Wombles, of sex workers event and the link-up with trade unionists, you could still pick up on that.


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## John Wisehammer (May 2, 2002)

"we were somehow hemmed into a bottleneck of an alley off Oxford Street"

Yeah - this was a fucking nightmare! What happened was that two columns of people met each other walking in opposite directions down the road parallel to Oxford Street, joined up and instead of one lot doubling back, people cut down a narrow alley to Ox Street. Unfortunately, this meant that of the three exits from the t-junction, one was too narrow to get out and the other two were blocked by the police that had been following the marchers. Very nasty! The fuzz spontaneously decided to try and kettle everyone, and held peeps back for a couple of minutes, but due to the weight of numbers, they eventually had to let us go. It was very hairy for a minute. If we had pushed our way through - which we could have - there would have been serious injuries on the police side.


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## TinyCrendon (May 2, 2002)

I was pleased to see everyone marching together. 
There was a good atmosphere.
The trouble was very small and the media didnt get too hysterical about it. Which was good.

Tony Benn was funny.

One minor thing: whilst the BNP were out filling in people's benefit forms and the like in Burnley `anarchists` were walking about with balloons pissing off delivery chaps and taxi drivers. Although there is always a place for the baloon/fancy dress brigade (and everyone seemed like a nice person please dont get me wrong) I think its time everyone took their politics seriously.

Next year everyone should march togther, like we did in France against Le Pen. And in between the whole lifestyler thing has to expand into everyday life. We exist now, they can't get rid of us, but we have to take it on, we have to take the ideas you have about society and use them to help people in a PRACTICAL way.

You are only taken seriously when you take yourselves seriously. Let's do it.

And lets make a big red and black section to the march next year.

"Nous sommes tous les enfants des imigres"

Ciao innit.


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## helen (May 2, 2002)

*SEX WORKERS MARCHING....*

SEX WORKER MARCH WAS SOOOO HAPPY!! LOTS OF COOL DRUMMING AND DANCERS ALL ALONG THE STREETS, IT RAINED BUT IT WAS COOL, LOADS OF POLICE, REMAINING CLAM...NOT SMILING , BUT ALSO NOT PROVOCING WHICH WAS GOOD. IT IS SO NICE WHEN EVERYONE DANCES TOGETHER AND LETS GO...CARNIVALS LIKE THAT ARE WELL WORTH TAKING THE DAY OFF WORK FOUR...THIS WAS MY FIRST MAYDAY AND IT WAS GREAT...ROLE ON JAYDAY....2 DAYS TO RECOVER..HARRAHHHH


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## TimothyClaypole (May 2, 2002)

if all i did this year was to take part and give my support for the protests in London 2002, then i would be a happy chappess.  i was a Mayday Virgin, and i was broken with ease, comfort and fluffiness.  joined the wombles but very aware of police photographers so wore mask with white suit.

although it seemed like we were marching (or wandering) with no purpose, it was an incredible feeling of solidarity that was wafting over us.

how fantastic a feeling to sit in the capitolist centre of London, overshadowed by GAP, Macdonalds, blahblahblah and to sit in the sun in the middle of the road at piccadilly.  grand.

Samba made wardour street fab for at least 2 hours and HUGE raindrops made it even better.

what really got me was the fact that these divvy's from dartmoor had come up to london.  we asked why they wanted to take part.  they said "to fight the fucking police and to have a riot".  damn them!  too much beer too many lightweights...  

but anyway, i'm still grinning and even more insensed to protest our right to protest... in a fluffyway!

Tim (miss) xxx


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## tomas (May 2, 2002)

it was absolutly wonderfull to be out and about. started at the barf, but 20 min late. eat some breakfast and joined up with cm when they came. whent allong with them to speekers corner and had a picknick there, the wether was exelent. met up with my wife ther and we folowd the prossesion into mayfair.

i got stuck in that alley as well. feelt like "not agin".

took a break in soho square and rejoind with the sex workers parade at 5. realy nice samba band and exelent spirit untill i left.

heard about the riots later but i didn't see it my self.

i think that the hole thing was realy good, it felt like the whole west end was a party zone for the day and that in it self is a good message.

as said before it's up to every individual to make of it what they want. if you and your mates have a specific message to get accross then you'll have to make your own banners and organise your self.


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## General Ludd (May 2, 2002)

*Whose Streets? Our Streets!*

My day started badly with a nightmare on the trains, I got chucked of the first one I got on because my cheap day return wasn't valid so sat around for an hour waiting for the next one so didn't get to london till 10 and by the time I found the court there was noone else there (it was almost 11 by that time: I spend ages on the tube going the wrong way) so went to Hyde Park (via some other park out west which I thought was the right place )  and joined the critical mass which was happy and fluffly before sitting down and resting for a while in Hyde Park. I got bored after a while so went of to Mayfair with some anarchists to find something or someone and joined the Animal Rights march which somehow joined lots of other little marches to form the march that it sounds like lots of the rest of you were on. We wound round in circles apparantly with the aim of meeting up with another large march (fortunately ignoring the guy suggesting we go and storm the American embassy  ) but either we can't navigate or because of the occasional police lines which formed (just went another way at them all so they weren't really a problem although some of us at the front surged through one and got seperated for a while until the police let everyone else through) until we ended up in Trafalgar Square where the police started to get nastyish and tried to block us off. I was in the small group that pushed through but more lines formed around us so we just stood around arguing with the police and trying to urge everyone else through. The police eventually let us through so I went of to Cambridge Circus (I think) where we blocked the road and danced a bit until lots more people arrived and we headed towards Soho. It got a bit messy on the way there at one point with batons out (I'm still not really sure what kicked that off though) but we did meet the Sex Workers with their dancing and samba. I danced there for a while but left when the police lines started to form to make sure I got the train so I left it in a nice fluffly state. 

Overall a nice happy fluffly day, although one which highlighted the role of the police: they claim they are their to facilitate peacful protest but we were entirely peaceful and didn't damage any buildings (I think the worst I saw was an attempt to steal an alcopop from the a terrified van driver trying to unload and he was told he was out of order) and they still constantly tried to restrict our movement and stop us going where we wanted. 



Whose Streets? Our Streets!


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## Abu Arak (May 2, 2002)

We walked around Mayfair, meeting various marchers at various points, it was funny to see them march in various directions while the cops were trying to keep up and pretend to be “in control”. The Yank embassy looked under siege. 

Didn’t bother with the other march at all, it was probably full of Adam Porter types.

The samba band in Compton St. was brilliant. We disappeared into a pub in China town for a few drinks when we came out again the riot cops had sealed off the whole area.

Initially they were letting people out but not in, then they brought in the mounted cops and started clearing the area “for our own safety”. It was not over when we left around 9:00 PM.

I don’t know what set the cops off, but when they choose to get nasty it is not fun, at least one cop had his face partially covered under his riot helmet, I wondered if he was Paddick.

In the main it was a good day, but ended on a scary note of cops asserting their “authority”.

Regarding Adam Porter’s comment about the BNP and taking one’s politics “seriously”, what a load of bollocks. The BNP and the rise of the right phenomenon have nothing to do with apathy or the “disintegration” of the left, and everything to do with living in a crap dog eat dog capitalist culture. If you feel like tackling the symptoms be my guest, but don’t tell me how take my politics “seriously” because the BNP were filling out DSS forms in Burnley. Ask yourself why there is poverty in the first place, not why the BNP capitalise on it with their scummy agenda.

Lots of love

Abu Arak.


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## TinyCrendon (May 2, 2002)

where did you read into what i said that poverty etc arent the root cause. where did you read into what i said that apathy and the disintergration of the left have anything to do with what i said ? where did you read about my reasons for the `rise` - such as it is - of the BNP ?

if you think `anrachy` and `anarchist` thought are about body piercing, balloons and a few stand offs with police then fine.

and i said everyone was nice, you dont have to be so aggresive.


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## Abu Arak (May 2, 2002)

> if you think `anrachy` and `anarchist` thought are about body piercing, balloons and a few stand offs with police then fine.



If I did think that, then indeed that would have been fine.

If you don’t like people being “aggressive” then stop making patronising statements about “taking one’s politics seriously”, and bringing the BNP in to it as well.

Lots of love

Abu Arak.


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## Spymaster (May 2, 2002)

*As an onlooker*



> .... and quite often onlookers just laughing at us as we tried to work out where the fuck we were going.



I know what you mean. I was watching from outside the Coach and Horses on Bruton Street as a large group came down Bond Street led by three or four guys carrying a banner between two poles. For some reason these guys did a right towards Berkeley Square whilst everyone behind them went left down Conduit St. The chaps with the banner made a full 15 yards until a couple of coppers pointed them in the right direction to roars of laughter from everyone.

Wished I had a camera on Piccadilly too. A brand new, shiny black Mercedes 500, stuck in the yellow hatched box between St James's and Albemarle St,  with two diplomat types inside staring helplessly ......... as the dreadlocked hippie looking geezer sitting cross legged on the bonnet smiled at them !


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## Calico. (May 2, 2002)

After the Mayfair shenannigans I don't think I'll ever go on a "serious" protest again. Spontaneous, decentralised and lots of fun with no placards, no stupid slogans and best of all NO PAPER SELLERS! Who was there for the huge inflatable football kick-a-round down Oxford street, best fun I've had in ages.

 The police didn't have a clue what do about are make-it-up- as we go along marching. Silly twats, huffing and puffing while they tried to work out what we'd do next. More of the same next year I hope, but with bigger numbers. The mass majority of the Mayfair crowd was in the 17-22 age range IMO, which added to the overall aceness of the day.


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## John Wisehammer (May 2, 2002)

I really don't understand why peoiple have got this bizarre fetish for the American embassy, you know. It's a monolith of a square building that's protected by 8 foot ramps, concrete barriers, crowd barriers, armed cops and shitloads of CCTV. It's set back from the road, you never see anyone go in or out of it and it's got zero publicity value because no-one ever passes there. You're neither going to be able to storm it (if you wanted to), nor attract people's attention to your cause by picketing it. There might have been one exciting afternoon in 1968 (or whatever), but since then, it's been a complete waste of time. I understand that there are people that go there every Saturday to protest about Kyoto. Why?


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## danny la rouge (May 2, 2002)

This is Glasgow calling.  Glad you had a great time down there.  Looking forward to those pics.  Glasgow was terrific.  It pissed down in the morning, but when the drums started up, the sun came out, and we had a glorious, sunny day.  Contrary to reports, there were around 1,500 to begin with, but that dwindled around 1pm, when folks left to join the Palestine Solidarity march in Edinburgh.  Those of us who stayed paraded round the city centre, confusing the cops (and sometimes, it has to be admitted, ourselves) about which way we were going next.

I ended up carrying a big black and red banner reading “People Not Profits” at the back of the procession for a while.  Folk kept congratulating me on it, even though I hadn’t had anything to do with making it.  I was happy to take all the credit, though.

One of the funniest moments (although maybe not for him) was when we were outside the Army Recruitment shop, and a guy who’d been firing a water pistol all afternoon was suddenly seen as a threat!

There was colour, big big noise - with 3 trucks loaded with sound systems - water container drumming, and bemused bystanders, most of whom seemed to enjoy our efforts, and were on the whole supportive.  Great fun.  I was even asked by the BBC if I was a Green Party spokesperson!


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## tomas (May 2, 2002)

Calico i think the age span were a bit wider then that. i for one am 30 and i didn't feel old, or even close to old in that crowd. apart from that i totlay agree with you post. hopfully next year will be even better, more people joining the party.

i can't see the attracion in the us embassy either. much more fun to party in soho imho


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## Abu Arak (May 2, 2002)

There weren’t many people around the US embassy, it was barricaded with huge concrete blocks and sealed off by cops and fencing. It was a funny scene. The cops looked bored and there were officials standing outside the temporary metal fence checking people’s paperwork before letting them in to the compound.

I don’t think anyone targeted the US embassy, it was something the cops did themselves, which made it even funnier.

There is also a statue of some pompous historical Yank figure that was boarded up and covered with green mesh of some sort.

A lot of places in Mayfair were closed for the day and boarded up, one pub was refusing to let people in unless the landlord knew them personally. He lost a lot of business.

The day was very peaceful, well humoured and fun.

The Carnival in Soho was great until the cops decided to take “charge”, and I still don’t know what set them off.


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## TinyCrendon (May 2, 2002)

Who is being patronising ? I'd re-read what I wrote if I were you. Fuck me you're sensitive. Arent we allowed to talk about these things ?

All I was saying - and i wasnt comparing it to the Union march - is that one day a year with balloons is all very well but what about the rest of it.

Its about encouraging people to take those ideas to a wider audience. Whether you like it or not thats the way the BNP get to people. The other 364 days a year.

Because when potential BNP voters in Burnley see people with balloons in central london they might think its not directly relevent to their problems.

That was all. How do you think we should spread ideas to a wider audience Mr Arak ?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (May 2, 2002)

Well done to everybody who put a lot of time and effort in to organizing events, costumes and the like, without whom it wouldn't have been almost as much fun. It was the first protest I have been to and I was really impressed.

What was the outcome of the Wombles trial? I went down in morning and well done to whoever it was handing out the extra overalls as I was lazy and forgot to get any. Was that an urbanite? Also I met some nice peeps there who were able to tell us where things were all the day.

I think about the most lacklustre protest I went to of the day was the stop the arms trade outside British Aerospace, it looked like they had closed down for the day and just left a few security guards, though good effort to the girl who was doing all the shouting. 

What was going on with the blokes with the Moa boards - Didn't they remember what happened when people tried to protest in Tienamen Square?

Respect to the two blokes dressed as women, "Anarchy in the WI" & "make scones not war" and the person with the sign that said "I shall write a strongly worded letter of complaint".

Mayfair was a good laugh, the samba band by the sex workers were really good. It was quite good of the BBC to give live updates, we were in a pub and they told us about a stand off that was going on, so we legged it down to join in.

What was the point in people braking things though, the day had gone really positively, the news we caught in the pub was almost neutral and all most of the people I saw watching looked amused. The I heard a few pissheads saying shit like, lets go give em there moneysworth and just running up to police and screaming abuse at them, which achieved nothing, except to leave them with shorter tempers. Unfortunately I had to leave to get my coach at 6.30, was there much police brutality after that? I got knocked flying by a line of coppers running in and was to stoned to get out the way quick enough.

Still a really good day, I'll look forward to the next one. Even the media reports I saw weren't that bad, there parting shot stressed how most of it had gone peacefully, though with the diversity of the day it was a shame it was hard to tell viewers what we were protesting about.


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## danny la rouge (May 2, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Global_Stoner _
> *with the diversity of the day it was a shame it was hard to tell viewers what we were protesting about. *


I heard this line in media reports used as if to say "They're marginal and confused; see, they don't even know what they're protesting about."

Can't I have opinions on several issues?  Do I have to be a single-issue person? 

Some of us in Glasgow were distributing stuff in solidarity with the Womble 7.  Does that mean we couldn't also have views about Palestine, or asylum laws?


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## Abu Arak (May 2, 2002)

> Its about encouraging people to take those ideas to a wider audience.



Possibly so, but not necessarily what "it is all about”, who decides, “What it is all about” anyway? I hope it is not your very good self?



> Whether you like it or not thats the way the BNP get to people. The other 364 days a year.



I am not in competition with the BNP, and I don't define my actions by what the BNP do or what “the voter” thinks of them. Tony Blair does that and his reaction is to make the BNP ideas “main stream” by taking them on board in his anti-immigration laws. If you want to join him in his quest of more votes, then indeed spread the idea to the wider “audience” anytime you like.



> Because when potential BNP voters in Burnley see people with balloons in central london they might think its not directly relevent to their problems.



I have news for you Mr. Porter, I was not marching to impress anyone, yet alone the voters of Burnley. 



> How do you think we should spread ideas to a wider audience Mr Arak ?



A good question indeed, and the answer depends on the “ideas” you are spreading.


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## Calico. (May 2, 2002)

Tomas, I didn't say everyone fell in that age range I said the majority did. There was indeed old fogies like yourself there too


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## UnderAnOpenSky (May 2, 2002)

> I heard this line in media reports used as if to say "They're marginal and confused; see, they don't even know what they're protesting about."



That's not quite what I meant, I diversity of the day made it hard for the average non protesting person to get a grip of what was happening. How would you have summed up the issues in five mins?

As a day of solidarity I thought it went brilliantly and to meet other people for a were not so dam apathetic like most of my mates are was real boost.


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## danny la rouge (May 2, 2002)

GS, yeah, I know.  I wasn't attributing that to you.  I'm just frustrated by the media line that if we have lots of issues, then we're marginal and disunited.


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## josef (May 2, 2002)

I think if people were confused about why they were there, and what they were trying to achieve they need to suspend thinking about the political arguments involved for just one minute (that doesn't mean to say that the issues are not important but lets just see what we actually did):
1 a group of people gathered
2 that group were not subject to any advertising, marketing or consumer pressure, and did not buy consumer goods.
3 the group walked in he middle of the street, normaly a forbidden zone.

These may seem to be small things, I think that it is indicative of the state of our lives that these three things can be considered as dangerous subversions. It is a long way that we have to go. 

The fourth thing that people did, was have a good day out in the sun, and a wander around a part of the city that they may not have normally considered special or significant. If just fifty of the people realise the significance of Mayday and the carnival, then that will be an achievement.

I was really pleased that the day proved that unpredicable behaviour is considered dangerous by the powers that be.

However, next year lets have more music!


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## danny la rouge (May 2, 2002)

Here's another Glasgow report:IMC


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## flygirl (May 2, 2002)

I'm really glad I went! Much better than last year, no pointless police standoffs or aggro. Sex worker samba was the best. 
And Mayfair, wtf?! I've lived in London a lot of my life, and I have only been in that area a couple of times before. It's strange, innit! I'm curious to go and see what it looks like on a normal day now. So much money, and women who actually ware those designer silk scarves which have gold navy symbols like anchors and knotted rope and cost an unblievable amount of money yet remain utterly hideous (anyone else know the ones, or is it just me that marvels at their weirdness?!  ), and mercedes that were car shaped, not small and round. ahhh... the mysterious life of the rich, eh?
Inbetween cans of stella I even discussed some politics...
again, again!
fly


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## TinyCrendon (May 2, 2002)

Abu Arak
Im surprised at the level of hostility you show. I think its important that all the varied ideas (not my own) get a wider audience and that the message gets across clearly.

Urban75 is a good place to discuss things like this no ? It seems a shame that the voters of Burnley who might elect fascists arent important to you, which is what I'd construe from what you are saying.

I wasnt asking you to spread any ideas I might or might not have i was asking for your ideas and how to get them out there, that was all.

And Adam Porter `types` what are they ? You didnt like the other march ? Sure the SWP were there, so what, just ignore them.

And what are your ideas ? That's all. What do you think about taking it a stage further ? How to do it and so on ? What do you think ?

Surely we are able to discuss this. After all we all agreed it was a good day.


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## bruise (May 2, 2002)

Big up you all!!!!

Apart from the Wombles brekkie, I missed it all, as I then had to go to work.   Thanks for the posts - they give a really good view of what the day was like. 

I think it's appropriate that Israel was raised as an issue - it's got to be the most important at the moment - not only in itself, but given that America's next task after (supposedly) settling the issue is to start bombing Iraq. 

Please, I'd urge all with a view to post on one of the threads. There are massive differences on the Left, and huge differences between the left and other people on this one. We've even managed to start discussing the issue without degenerating into flame wars... so you won't get jumped on, just because someone else disagrees with you (hopefully )

,,, back to Mayday


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## John Wisehammer (May 2, 2002)

I think I passed by you at the brekkie, Bruise mate - I thought you lived up north?


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## bruise (May 2, 2002)

JWH, I live in 'Catford up North' (if you live on the South coast!  ) Shame we didn't meet up, next time.


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## Abu Arak (May 2, 2002)

Adam Porter,

If there was “hostility” then it must have been something you said on this thread rather than you personally.

As I said, “spreading” the messages depends on the message itself. If I wanted to spend mayday convincing the voters of Burnley that they should not vote for the BNP, I would have gone to Burnley and marched around with placards telling them so.

As it happens, I don’t actually care who the people of Burnley are going to vote in, what worries me is the shift to the right that Blair is going to institutionalise in his policies as he perceives that he should “respond” to voter “concerns”.

If anything voting for some BNP scum will demonstrate the bankruptcy of representational democracy.

What was the message of the day for me? It was a day out, a day where I did what I felt like instead of doing what work dictated. It is important to remember the history of Mayday itself, the people who got framed and killed in Chicago wanted to limit the working day to 8 hours, nowadays in the name of “efficiency”, “global market place”, “competition”, and all sorts of other nonsense we get paid for 8 hours while effectively work for 10 or 12. Yesterday, I didn’t. I had a day out.

I may even get inspired to do the same again next month, as people say Mayfair is a nice area to wander around in

Have you seen those cages where they have a squirrel running in a wheel? And every so often someone changes the water and puts out more food for the “pet”?

Well, yesterday I stopped running inside the wheel for a day. Who knows tomorrow I might get out of the cage...

Lots of love

Abu Arak.


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## peacepete (May 2, 2002)

had an amazing day yesterday. i'm just trying to work out which of you i was in the same place as at the same time.

lots of posts on the subject as well which is cool, i was thinking that we should start a tactical thread to discuss the issue of the walking critical mass and how it could be modified to remain un-blockable (which basically relied on randomness) and a bit more interesting.

i thought the whole thing was amazing. i'm a bit scared though when i here about soho, was anyone here stuck in there or did you all make it out before the 'kettle'

anyway, i had an amazing time and i hope you all survived equally well. 

it was my first time, but next time i'll come along with a few more student recruits and organise something musical or visual or something like that. i do agree that at times it was a bit aimless, but the best thing was being with a small group and managing to meet up with other people.... wow! the atmosphere then was amazing

sorry to the guys the other side of the cops near the US embassy, i was trying to pursuade people to run along the pavement so that we could join you, but couldn't muster up enough enthusiasm before all the cops got out their vans. that would have been brilliant, but it was hard to organise anything like that.

complete lack of violence amazed me when there was plenty of opportunity. sorry that there may have been some that didn't fair so well later on.

anyway, already making plans for next year (in the comfort of my own head) so hopefully there'll be something imaginative, yet still mobile

pp


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## Cautious Fred (May 2, 2002)

Adam Porter wrote:





> Next year everyone should march togther, like we did in France against Le Pen ... We exist now, they can't get rid of us, but we have to take it on, we have to take the ideas you have about society and use them to help people in a PRACTICAL way.


Absolutely right.


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## anti-capitalist (May 2, 2002)

Japoulte

<was anyone else involved in trying to push through that cop line in trafalger sq.?>

Yeah - that was fuckin great.

"Unit 4 into position!" (Commander guy)

"If we're united, we can beat 'em!" (that was me in the moment trying to be Lenin). We fuckin got through the bastards though - they soon scattered to the sidelines, the commander guy looked like he was shitting himself.

In Solidarity.


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## TimothyClaypole (May 2, 2002)

> _Originally posted by josef _
> *
> 
> However, next year lets have more music!
> *



ABSOLUTELY! 

there is never enough music and you can never have too much - it all added to the atmosphere...

throughout the day i have been approached by mates and colleagues, astonished that they didn't get a phone call asking for bail money - i am cross!  their opnions have been coloured by the events of last year - ggrrr!

also, bit pissed off at the evening standard on page 11.  it seems that (according to the media) unless there is a decent fight, the protest is a disaster.  this is utter bollocks.  we, the H2o girlies, went for a peaceful day to reclaim the streets, protest for our absolute right to protest and freedom of speech; not to partake in violence, bottle throwing, battery (YES! battery!  i was most upset!  never had a battery lobbed at me head before!) lobbing and aggresive behaviour directed at the police...  

still had a wicked day though!


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## Bucksta (May 2, 2002)

*I completely forgot...*

....about one of the funniest things that happened to mje yesterday.  I was skating along oxford street quite happily at about 1pm looking for some action, when i got shot in the arse!  I think it woz from a bb gun or a pea shooter.  If the person who did it is browsing this board then big up to you!  fucking caned - but v.amusing!


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## RubyToogood (May 2, 2002)

> _Originally posted by TimothyClaypole _
> *
> violence, bottle throwing, battery (YES! battery!  i was most upset!  never had a battery lobbed at me head before!) lobbing and aggresive behaviour directed at the police...
> *



Did you mean this was yesterday, or another year, Ms Tim?


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## Matt S (May 2, 2002)

Peacepete,

I think we may have stood next to each other near the US embassy. I was the guy with short hair, glasses, and dressed in jeans and a white jumper with black stripes. Did some chanting.



Matt


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## peacepete (May 3, 2002)

Matt S

cool....just to check, i was the skinny ginger boy who hadn't shaved for a couple of days and was carrying a green bag and looking like a bit of a fool

i reckon next year we all wear special Urban75 name tags so we can make this whole exercise a little easier (or would that spoil all the fun?)


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## hongkongfooey (May 3, 2002)

i had a bloomin brilliant day. first the breakfast which was beautiful, hangin about eating muesli in the sunshine with a white overall on. joined the wake for a bit, i think, then with the circus which went around a bit then up that orrid little staircase into oxford street.
then to trafalgar square where there was that bit of a ruck with the cops and finally off to soho to meet the samba band. i was knackered by half six so retired for many pints and missed the fighting.
i had hardly any trouble from the cops.
i must admit to getting a bit pissed off with all of the journos, tho', loads of photographers kept getting in my way. often they jumped between me and the cops when the batons came out which is fine by me, if a little foolish on their part, but they were also getting in the way of me walking about, blocking said little staircase etc. one of them, in particular was being a complete c**t. he was trying to take photos of various padded and masked peeps, who were sticking their hands, shields etc in front of his camera. he got really indignant and shouted at people that if they didn't want to get photographed they should f**k off home, as if the reason for wearing padding is to get yr photo taken. i later heard that a 'womble' twatted a journo and have been hoping ever since that it was him.

Adam Porter - i agree that the message of anarchism has to reach out to a far broader social base, and i'm going to be concentrating a lot of my energies doing that, but mayday is a carnival day, a day of transgression and freedom. i was wearing a bright, fluffy costume and a skirt and i'm not sure that I'm any more alienating to sun readers than a bunch of grim faced, black flag waving anarchists.


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## John Wisehammer (May 3, 2002)

Belarus is easily the most repressive regime in Europe. Criticising the autocratic President Lukashenka can easily earn you a prison sentence and many opponents of the regime have been tortured, exiled and disappeared. On May 1st, brave people in Minsk resisted oppression and harassment to make their point. respect is due to them:

BELARUSIAN TRADE UNIONS STAGE MAY DAY RALLY IN MINSK. The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus organized a May Day march in Minsk in which some 5,000 people participated, RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported. Demonstrators carried posters reading "Trade unions support reforms but not at the expense of the people," and "President! Where is the promised [monthly] wage of $100?" May Day celebrations in other Belarusian cities were not as well attended. In Homel the local authorities banned the organizers of a May Day rally from giving speeches. In Brest, a May Day meeting was organized by local authorities who did not allow opposition activists to address the crowd.


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## anti-capitalist (May 3, 2002)

Solidarity and respect to the Belarusians.


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## LemonWolf (May 3, 2002)

I had a good day, some of which I wrote about in another thread.  One good experience was the stripper in Soho coming out dressed up in the police outfit and going down the police line, but the funniest bit was when me and my mate were wandering around.  There were loads of people giving out leaflets, and I was taking them all, to find out what was going on and stuff, and then one guy came up to us and handed me a leaflet and he was all like "solidarity" and stuff.  When I read it, it was a menu for an all-you-can eat restaurant!  Cheeky...


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## Kaka Tim (May 3, 2002)

Firstly I want to say I thought it was a top day and more than made up for being stuck in the kettle last year.

Went to the WOMBLES breakfast and saw a few urbanites. Was fully expecting to get kettled but was able to leave unmollested.

Made our way to Clerkenwell Green to meet up with some freinds who were doing some theatre stuff with GR. 
Every different communist group on the planet was there and the place was awash with red flags and acronyms.

We Transformed ourselves into the Auntie Capitalists which got quite a bit of positive attention - and some sneery bollocks from assorted trots with a sense of humour bypass.

The march set off at a snails pace and was seriously lacking on the music/noise front. We tried to liven up the half arsed chanting - 

George Bush we know you - He likes a line of coke or two!

or 

They Say Warfare - We say Mayfair!

but there were no takers.

Got accossted by this guy who starts having a go -
'Muslims are dieing in the middle east and you anarchistswant people to smash windows!'
'What?'
'You were telling people to go and riot in west 1'
'What the fuck are you talking about?'

So it goes in for a few minutes to the bemusement of a nearby copper and with several other people chipping in to tell this bloke that he's out of order. He keeps going on about me advocating 'a riot in west 1 - on your placard'.
the penny suddenly drops - I produce the offending placard which says - 

ANARCHY IN THE W.I (I'm wearing a twin set, white wig and headscarf) - 

'W.I - Womens Institute - ITS A JOKE!'

Several bystanders crack up and suddenly angry bloke looks like he wants the ground to open up and swallow him.

Get to trafalger square, change into newsvendor outfit and give out free Eenee Stannits to assorted peeps.
I then spend the next two hours trying to get people to head off to mayfair but we get bogged down in costume-van-waiting for so-and-so type logistics. Didn't pay attention to the speeches - but most of them seemed pretty dull.

Eventually got out of the square and got a beer. joined in with the sex workers parade for a bit (oo er!) then back to the pub. An hourlater the parade came round again and it was now bigger and noisier - joined in again.
Definitely the highpoint of the day - huge noise, crazy costumes, bewildering variety of peeps and lots of confused policeman trying to 'escort' it and ending up being surrounded by dancing loons. 

Tried to drag some mates of the pub. but they had locked the doors cos 'its a war zone out there' (?). 
By now, more and more cops were on the streets and I saw my first riot cops of the day. Saw a few confrontations - police blocking a road, only to find themselves trapped between two large crowds and having to push themselves out.

Saw an interesting incident which showed just how the cops end up creating the very situation they (supposedly) try to prevent.
I'm in Wardour Street, its full of people and everyone is enjoying themselves. Two lads walk past in combats with their faces masked up - sure enough a group of four cops move striaght in and proceed to push them against the wall. One lad ends up in arm lock with his head being pressed onto the kerb. 
Within a minute there is a crowd of thirty people surrounding the cops shouting to lay off. 4 riot cops then push through the crowd to protect their collegues. More and more people are surrouding the cops and they are radioing for back up. A bottle comes flying over the crowd and misses the cops by several miles and hits me in the chest - thanks dickhead. I see more riot cops forming up and exit the scene having no desire to spend another mayday trapped in a section 60.

The police seem to be moving about without much of a clue as to what to do - I see several pig vans having to reverse down narrow alleys and getting entangled with taxis going the other way.
At one point a convoy of 4 riot vans is stopped by one guy whgo calmly lies down in front of them - repsect! Much to everyones surprsie they just move him out the way without arresting him and then drive 20 yards before getting stuck in a traffic jam.

I leave about 8.30 to pick up stuff and get the train back to leeds. Its getting dark and I suspect that the OB will start getting more aggresive very soon - which is what seems to have happened. 

Have to say that up until that point the policing was very different to last year.

Last year they were all very hyped up and itching to wade in and crack some protestors heads. This year they wern't exactly giving out hugs and kisses but they looked like they were trying to avoid a fight.
When the AC bloc pushed into Trafalger they could easily decided to steam in but they didn't.
Several times cops started talking to me trying to be freindly - one even apologised for the section 60's last year.

This wasn't what I expected - every demo over the last year has been policed by the cunt squad and the hysterical treatment of the WOMBLES and other activists  all seemed to point to more of the same at mayday.

Happily this didn't happen - maybe the collapse of the WOMBLES trial and the legal case against the Section 60 last has forced a last minute change of tactics?
We'll  see I guess.

A really good, positive day with a lot of the student GR types getting into the soho sambanista vibe. I reckon they'll a lot more people next time around and the police/press hysteria has been totally dicredited.

Whose streets? Our Streets!


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## UnderAnOpenSky (May 3, 2002)

Nice one Kaka Tim, thats one Urbanite I can put a face to. I though your costumes were brilliant and the signes made me piss myself. I probably saw loads of you at the Wombles trial, but didn't want to wonder round asking if people posted on a website. Cheers to whoever it was who gave me the white overalls as I forgot to get any.

The best thing about the day for me was people taking humor to the whole thing. I'll have to make a bit more of an effort next year.

Oh and l loved the sign that read "I shall write a strongly worded letter of complaint" Was that any of you?


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## Kaka Tim (May 3, 2002)

Yeah, that was an Auntie Capitalist slogan - glad peeps liked what we did.


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## John Wisehammer (May 3, 2002)

LOL @ "letter of complaint"!

"one even apologised for the section 60's last year"

Fuckinell - can we have that in writing?


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## TimothyClaypole (May 3, 2002)

> _Originally posted by RubyToogood _
> *
> 
> Did you mean this was yesterday, or another year, Ms Tim? *



this yer!  we were stood next to the full monty and a battery was lobbed from the crowd in our direction and landed on me and plopped to the floor - but we still had a great time though!


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## LemonWolf (May 3, 2002)

Hehe, I was in Soho, in the middle of a huge crowd, all but one street was blocked off by police, there was loads of aggro, someone was lying on the floor being attended to by medical officers and then suddenly a bloody great coach full of old people comes in and tries to turn around...  It was brilliant, at the same time, everything stopped for just a second as everyone, police and protestors turned to look at the coach and say, "What the fuck?".


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## Cautious Fred (May 3, 2002)

> 'a riot in west 1 - on your placard'.
> 
> the penny suddenly drops - I produce the offending placard which says -
> 
> ...


LOL!

Well funny.


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## Wolfie (May 3, 2002)

> BTW, i was handing out Neitzches _Revolution_ poem, any1 get it? wot u think



Yeah you gave me a copy


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