The game has changed

This report from The Daily Mail (sorry) maybe offers a glimpse of the future. the BBC News channel is showing live coverage of what looks to be a growing riot in central London where the cops have just arrested Santa Claus. Like the Mail the BBC is trying to pin the blame on a small…

Liam

December 9, 2010

3–4 minutes

This report from The Daily Mail (sorry) maybe offers a glimpse of the future. the BBC News channel is showing live coverage of what looks to be a growing riot in central London where the cops have just arrested Santa Claus. Like the Mail the BBC is trying to pin the blame on a small number of anarchists but not even Durrutti could have started a riot unless there was a more general fury.

The rapidity with which large numbers of young people have escalated their conflict with the state is staggering. The cops have started treating almost every anti-cuts protest as a potentially major public order operation with vans of tooled up riot squads skulking just out of site.

Winter 2011 looks like it’ll be a warm one.

Three police officers seriously injured in battle with mob of anarchists outside Parliament as MPs vote through the rise in student fees

20,000 students and activists lay siege to Westminster
Three officers seriously injured in scuffles with activists
Protesters throw flares, smoke bombs and snooker balls
Scotland Yard resort to ‘kettling’ in Parliament Square
Increase is carried by 323 votes to 302 – majority of 21

security hut burning

Police officers were seriously injured today as mask-wearing anarchists hijacked the final tuition fees protest and turned yet another peaceful demonstration into chaos.

Around 20,000 students and activists descended on central London as the demonstrations of recent weeks culminated in a final show of anger at the hike and the Liberal Democrat U-turn.

Shortly before 6pm the policy to increase the fees cap to £9,000 was carried by 323 votes to 302 – a majority of 21.

injured officer Unrest continued after the vote and a Met spokesman said: ‘Extreme violence currently being directed towards officers is hindering attempts to allow non-violent protesters to leave the containment area.’

Protests, both peaceful and violent, took place throughout the day.

Three officers were wounded and had to be taken to hospital after clashes when a hardcore group of protesters repeatedly tried to break through police lines outside the Houses of Parliament earlier in the day.

Rescue: Police officers listen for a heartbeat on an injured protester Footage showed one policeman lying motionless on the ground. Medics fitted him with a neck brace and used a makeshift stretcher to remove him.

One mounted officer was knocked from his horse as missiles including flares, sticks, snooker balls and smoke bombs were hurled from the crowds across the cordon.

As MPs prepared to vote on the controversial fee rise earlier, Scotland Yard resorted to ‘kettling’ the demonstrators in Parliament Square in a bid to contain the violence.

A student was spotted urinating on the Winston Churchill statue, wooden benches were set alight and the grass was covered with a huge ‘No’ in bright red graffiti.

Dragged to safety: A police officer is helped by a medic during the protests Protesters were forced to run back into the Square after mounted police charged at the crowds in a desperate bid to stop the surge. Seven have been arrested so far.

Teenager Sophie Down said: ‘The police were backing off and we were trying to work it what was happening and we didn’t know what was going on, then they all just started charging.

‘I’m worried about my friends. I saw a guy who was sitting on the ground and I could see something was wrong with him.

‘Everyone was in a good mood – it was like a carnival – but there are people who are clearly looking for a fight.’

Elsewhere, as protesters fanned out through Whitehall, a female student was caught climbing up the Cenotaph – the monument to Britain’s war dead – using the Union Jack flying there.

Landmarks: Police and protesters clash violently outside the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

A protester swinging from the Union Jack flag flying on the Cenotaph

No respect: A protester swinging from the Union Jack flag flying on the Cenotaph

Police medics carry away an injured protester

Bloodied: Police medics carry away an injured protester

Vast crowds of protesters surged in to Parliament Square at around 2pm, trampling security barriers to get closer to the House of Commons and violence soon flared.

Police reinforcements had to be rushed in to bolster the ring of steel, with officers donning riot helmets and shields to protect themselves

They battled to keep the cordon in place to avoid any invasion of Parliament, as happened during the pro-hunting demonstration in 2004.

No trains were stopping at Westminster underground station tonight to avoid more people joining the crowds.

6 responses to “The game has changed”

Liam

December 9, 2010 at 10:12 pm

More from Harpymarx

http://harpymarx.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/you-are-not-being-kettled-but-contained/

LikeLike

Reply
jim jepps

December 9, 2010 at 10:14 pm

Wheeeeee!!!! That guy on the flag looks like he’s having fun.

Cough, cough… I mean… what disgraceful behaviour.

LikeLike

Reply
Piers

December 9, 2010 at 11:36 pm

This was a marvellous demonstration. 30,000 strong, perfect weather, high spirited and militant. It was made up overwhelmingly of students with a tiny presence of left groups and only a small contingent of school or FE students.

The police have complained that the marchers did not proceed along the agreed route. That’s hilarious. The past two protests have involved the police engaging in repressive forms of control that have prevented marches from proceeding. It was obvious to today’s marchers that the same may well happen again.

Spontaneous route changing is an inevitable result of kettling. The police have only themselves to blame.

Spontaneous route changing by tens of thousands of people was an amazing experience. It also gave the demonstrators the initiative.

In Parliament Square the police tried to hem the march into just one side with riot police, fully kitted out and dozens of police horses. After a bit of hanging around in the cramped space the protestors decided they weren’t having it and used overwhelming numbers to push the riot police and horses back right around the square. An extraordinary sight for me, as I stood on a wall, having been on countless demonstrations that have always sullenly proceeded through the square without halt.

Pretty soon others had pushed down the 8ft fences keeping people out of the central green and the square was ours by 2pm. The police were not very happy.

There followed an hour long party. 5 mobile sound systems pumped out a range of beats (reggae, metal, hip hop, a kind of electro-trancey sound that I quite liked but had fewer takers) competing with each other for an audience in the fasion of the Notting Hill Carnival (in its better days). Before long the aroma of cannabis was freely circulating around the statutes of Churchil, Smuts and Peel. Several meetings were occurring – with small groups gathered around someone speaking through a megaphone, Speakers Corner-style. Near the top of Whitehall an energetic percussion group had people dancing in front of the riot shields.

I tried hard but I could see very little violence or criminal damage (apart from a bit to the turf and flower beds). One exception was the throwing of red, blue and yellow paint at helmet wearing and shield carrying riot officers and their van. For some reason they did not leave to wash it off and stood there as a bizarre image of parliament ringed by the psychedelic strong state.

There was no trouble until police horses charged into the crowd in a planned manoeuvre at the Victoria Street end of the square. This is shown on the BBC website report and as the commentary makes it clear this must have been a very frightening experience. There were also many instances of officers batonning and being very rough.

If some of the marchers then got angry and ended up taking this out on officers or property it’s hardly surprising. But I did not see it happening before hand.

Two months ago few of these students would not have had a bad word to say of the police. The treatment of the previous two protests was bound to build up strong resentment not just among those who experienced it (being “kettled” in cold temperatures at night time for many hours as a form of collective punishment) but their friends, relatives, and fellow students.

The reality today was that the police tried to implement a “containment” policy and completely failed. The reason being: that these police tactics might work against a few thousand but a very difficult to implement against a mobile group of tens of thousands. The police gave the impression of not having a clue most of the time.

Whatever else happened the student protest movement brought central London to a halt for over half a day (Trafalgar Square, Whitehall and Parliament Square), occupied Parliament Square during a crucial parliamentary debate and vote – something to my knowledge that has not happened in recent decades. Although the vote passed, this context ensured that it has under great pressure and has not gone unmarked. The best circumstances for a continuation of the campaign.

On the down side the police have shown themselves willing to use tactics that, as the BBC News at Ten correspondent put it, have not been used since the miner’s strike, Wapping and the Poll Tax Riot of 1990. Student anger is just a taster of resistance to cuts to come. We can expect much more of this. Students and other campaigners are going to have to be organised, political and focussed in response.

LikeLike

Reply
harpymarx

December 10, 2010 at 5:17 pm

Thanks for the link Liam.

Now it seems that the cops are finger printing the statues in Parliament Sq so that they can track down those pesky vandals. I mean FFS there’s a guy seriously ill and many other wounded witnessing first hand the brutality and violence of the cops…while they’re worried about the statues.

LikeLike

Reply
Phil

December 10, 2010 at 5:38 pm

I’ve just re-read the last sentence of that Mail report. You’ve got your mask-wearing anarchists … a hardcore group of protesters … there are people who are clearly looking for a fight, and then this:

“No trains were stopping at Westminster underground station tonight to avoid more people joining the crowds.”

That hardcore violent anarchism is clearly infectious stuff.

LikeLike

Reply
alf

December 11, 2010 at 6:00 am

The spirit of 1789 lives on when one hears on tv someone shouting to the royals,”off with their heads”. Wont be invited to the wedding I think.

In one go the State has created republicans who have rejected the hypocracy of bourgeoise democracy and the pro-capitalist agenda. A huge audience for socialist politics and alternative arguements.

LikeLike

Reply