ALAN LODGE [ TASH ]
PHOTOGRAPHER
MEDIA
An ongoing diary of stuff, allsorts, and things wot happen ......
Based in Nottingham UK
Ashton Court, Bristol Party - Collected stuff......
Set of 'Collected' Links, about it all [on my personal blog]
http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_tash_lodge_archive.html#79486300
Ashton Court Party Violently put down.- Collected stories
http://tash_photo.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_tash_photo_archive.html#79299646
posted by tash @ 7/27/2002 01:27:00 PM
From: "George Todd"
Date: Tue Jul 23, 2002 11:27 pm
Subject: Re: [guilfin] 360 is the BBC's community-based, positive news website that features your solut
Tash as in Alan Lodge? Free Party Tash of the many pictures?! =0
You're my hero man!
Spent many a Sunday wandering though your site, fine work as it is: http://tash.gn.apc.org/
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 01:40:00 PM
Ashton Court Party Violently put down.
here, all about it. on personal blog 'collected'.
http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_tash_lodge_archive.html#79299422
Gosh! That was a bit energetic -)
Have just banged off the following at speed as asked. Sorry its all happened again. If I'd gone, might have even been able to 'moderate' their behaviour, with the use of a camera eh? Can't be everywhere, but have suggested for about 20years now, that people really should document it all, as is goes one. You'll know I've proved it works! and have been successful in cases.
So most of what I've just put together has come out as a 'what to do if it happens again'. If folks can be contacted , its nearly always best to that suggest folks contact the same solicitors in the region, makes it all stronger as a team.
Anyway. Hope this is what you mean, and useful. Let us know.
Send me URL etc, so I can watch the thread.
I put sommat on the other day, saying I was using to BBCsite, for a bit of window, for them out there, on us. Have suggested others wade in also. My space there, starts at :> http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/360/360/U196996 please comment as you like, but add your own stuff.
Very best
tash
================================================================
Tash is sorry to hear of events after Ashton Court, over the weekend.
Keep yourselves informed and up-to-date. All not very 'fluffy' I know! But i think that there is such a think as 'Legal Frist Aid', and with a bit of practice, when we get damaged, it doesn't hurt quite so much.
Here are some assorted links to stuff I offer, and think may be of use when pursuing the police for damage done.
bust advice http://tash.gn.apc.org/bust.htm
sound advice http://tash.gn.apc.org/sound.htm
CJA relevent sections http://tash.gn.apc.org/cja_act.htm
Seizure http://tash.gn.apc.org/seizure.htm
Desert Storm in Bosnia - for a sense of perspective
http://tash_photo.blogspot.com/2002_06_30_tash_photo_archive.html#78627645
All Systems - what we've done about it in the past
http://tash_photo.blogspot.com/2002_06_30_tash_photo_archive.html#78615960
First, if arrested, have "Nothing to say"!
I know the caution has changed.
But I'll say it again, "Nothing to say" until you have taken legal advice. Got it!
The reason fore this is that you do not / cannot know enough of the law to all of what is naughty, thus, I wrong statement from you about what you thought you were doing at an event, is very hard to 'row-back' from. They have to prove cases against you, it is hard sometimes for them to do that. Please don't help them :-)
Next Lawyers are and absolute must. I suggest contact with the National organisation, called Release. They have a network of 'like-minded' solicitors across the country, who are likely to have a clue about these matters.
http://www.release.org.uk/
If simple arrest, then keep in touch with your lawyer, charges frequently dropped, they only arrested to keep you out of the way at the time. But, if injured, please get some evidence at the time. I hope you saw doctors, and got assistance, soon after events. Evidence is all, or you might have tripped over, crossing the road, earlier in the day, yea right!
The 'carrot' for you to do something about it, is that if you can prove wrongful arrest, assault etc, then you might get a cheque for a few thousand pounds. but I digress!
Write notes straight after things happen. Because we have proved policemen to lie in court in the past, [many times :-)], then they are less believed now. It means your own notes, taken soon after stuff, carry great weight in court. Believe me. true!
So, perhaps all this a little late, for what has just happened to some, but it will happen to you all again.
Have noticed the reticence of some to 'become involved', thinking it will 'attract attention' to themselves and their 'other activities'. I've found it the other way round, 'mess with me, and I'll file your desk with paper for 5 years. Always thought the 'community' should be thinking like that. Just us, as individuals, won't influence that much by ourselves, but laws do get changed, if there is increasing pressure, and civil actions and complaints by groups, is one method… Hope to set examples!
There is an issue though, that all should be aware of at this stage.
There are two tracks to consider, in taking action. One is a complaint against the police. The other, a civil action. The complaint can take a while, so can the civil action! But, if you have already given a statement to the police regarding the complaint, you will then have for-warned the police, on the 'likely tack' of your civil action, thus giving them info and time to prepare.
I'm always in favour of complaint. However, my past advice has been to 'register the complaint', with the briefest outline. Make clear you'll be taking advice regarding civil action, then make a full statement of events to your representing solicitor. A this time, you can ask for advice on what more you can tell the police with respect to the complaint, and point out you want to pursue that as well.
It just so happens, that when the police are notified of the civil action, the complaint goes on hold, till after the case. So no process is held up.
I suggested folks started to use Release http://www.release.org.uk/ as they have a national network, and can recommend someone 'more suitable' sometimes, and thus, with experience that can be useful to numbers of arrestees.
The behaviour of policemen Locals and farmers, is really heavily 'coloured' by what they read in the press. This has caused me loads of stress in the past, from the Beanfield, and bloody onwards.
You might like to know that there had been a 'splash' in the west country and Devon papers about smeathope / Glastonbury alternative........
When articles are written about us, or about locations and event we've attended, it is possible to read about it all in the papers and have no idea that they're describing the same event! It is of course why journalists are frequently shunned at events. A recent piece that illustrates this can be seen at "This is Devon".
http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=77707&command=displayContent&sourceNode=77259&contentPK=2039166
[this link is long & may wrap, make sure you grab all the characters]
If this piece was produced, describing other racial or minority groups, it would break half-a-dozen laws! But all ok when talking about this group of people. It is sometimes as a direct reaction to such stuff, that the vigilante tendency has taken it as a 'green-light' to apply force and violence against such folks before, and hence my concern, now.
You understand that policemen read newspapers, and I know that the way we are sometimes treated, is as a direct result of believing some of the garbage that get in print. No excuses here, just an explanation.
=====================================
another thing you can do is ...... what I'm doing ! trying to put a case, in front of the public.
My 'Personal' Space http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/360/360/U196996
My Articles Space http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/360/360/MA196996?show=25&type=2
I added to this board , yesterday at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fol-network/message/148
to say that that many folks reading this will know from some personal experience what it's like for them. The BBC site i mention, It's called DNA 360 and it's at :>
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/360/360/
If your inclined, will you look at some of what I've put up, and comment,
agreeing or no. Because I'm outnumbered.
Also, and mainly, can you put up your own stuff on their site, to 'balance' the community there. Since, in the pre-amble' what they say they're doing, and what the site is for, I reckon we're doing.
Take a look and see what you think, seems a useful opportunity to me.
Very best
Tash
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris (feeling-of-life) [SMTP:chris@dubb-it-up.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 12:19 PM
To: tash@gn.apc.org
Subject: Tash any advice would be greatfully needed mate
Hiya Geeza
Dont know if you knew what happend the weekend with cockneys birthday party
etc.
But there are allot of peeps that recived injuries from the Police due to there britality.
Any way I think it would be could if you could spare 5 minutes to write somthing that could be posted on the Dirt Circus forum, as your are a much resected person on the scene and some words odf wisdom and advice would not go astray mate?
Hope this is ok for you as I know how busy you are. If you send me somthing then i post it up on the message boards and on my lists
Cheers Tash
Chris
FEELING-OF-LIFE
(UNITED WE STAND OR DIVIDED WE FALL)
also, now added to Guilfin at :> http://www.guilfin.net/reports/?id=rwINET1226
My [his!] story..
...I was stood behind the speakers, aware that a line of brightly shiney cops were advancing for a second time on the left flank of the party, ravers were moving to counter this. Then out of the blue what seemed like 20odd blacked out piggies injected themselves into the small space behind the decks and started pilling in, I saw them charge in an endless stream bringing dogs in the final lines. I moved away shitting bricks because 1) a friend of mine was mixing at the time of the attack a looked like he was first in the firing line and 2) I had his bag containing his gubbins which I didn't want to get caught with.
I moved out towards freedom, cursing the very sun that was rising in front of me. Then turning, forgetting the contents of my bag I went back for a closer look. Where the soundsystem was, was now a ring of beasties, most with balaclavas on underneath their riot shielding. Surrounding them was a ring of ravers, I think even though the piggies had armour, dogs, sticks ulimited resources and no numbers on their sleeves they were a bit scared (I am not surprised after what they hed just done). I got close enough to hear the breaking of glass and the crunch of wood and metal. I thought they were ripping everything to bits.
I went to sit by a tree, close enough but far away to skin up and reflect. The police all scarpered, leaving the pieces of the party they had just wrecked for the distraught to pick up. That is what I saw and remember, I am still very shook up.
These people have no respect for humanity and will not know the concequences of their actions on their valuable police force army thing. I myself managed to stay SAFE at that do, but I know people who had no choice but to be on the front line.
As newage travellers and ravers, we may face the same opression as jews, blacks and gays and have to fight the ame timeless battles. But how can we fight when hammered on substances unknown and faced with such an evil force. I'm gibbering now sorry, I'm still upset. The party was just geting cooking. Sectioned, I think that record you played with the throbbing boom blah, upset them a bit.
genXmk113
Mutant Dance party - yet another story
another story from DirtyCircus:
http://www.dirtycircus.com/board/replylist.asp?TID=3496&recordno=0
This is what I saw: (thanks to Battie BTW)
The police planned the violence completely. They lined up guys with torches on the flyover overlooking the crowd. Then underneath the flyover the riot squad moved in. They grabbed one person from the front of the crowd and dragged him behind their line and started to beat him up. The crowd went mad and started shouting and some even pushing the police line of riot shields. They were angry at what was being shown to them by the police. This was a deliberate tactic by the police, because then the torch lights on the flyover went on and this event was surely filmed by the police from upstairs to show that the crowd were rowdy. However after the lights went off the guy was no longer beaten up and was cuffed and taken away.
This shows how low the police are. The crowd werent being violent so they had to spark it off! This is one of the things I am going to mention in my complaint. The other involved the use of cameras and video to stop the police hitting extra people indiscriminately. The use of cameras and video helped stop a lot more people getting hurt. These sly pigs were very aware not to be caught on camera hitting people, however some of it was caught. Thats why we need more photos of bad stuff if we can get it, to prove how much there was going on from the police towards the crowd.
The whole thing could have been avoided totally by a couple of coppers giving a deadline for the system being turned off. The organisers were quite prepared to comply...
I saw the police letting people in to the rave minutes up to the time they actually went in with the heavy riot squad. One riot pig said just before they went in "It doesnt matter if you turn the system off, we are going to get you anyway".
When we asked the normal coppers if they wanted the system turned off they said "No we are packing up and going now", which wasnt true because 10 mins later the riot squad came in full force. So what exactly were the organisers and party people meant to do, fucking mind read? There was a major breakdown in communication from the police to us, and that needs to be mentioned. It didnt take 50, 60 or 70 officers to stop that party. 3 could have done it easily and with no agression needed!
http://www.guilfin.net/reports/?id=rwINET1252
http://bristol.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=1457&group=webcast
Response to Evening Pest misreporting of police attack on free party. by LynneColes 3:06pm Tue Jul 23 '02
The Evening Pest was told what to say about it by the police. Here's another version.
A response to the lies of the Evening Post in the article of Monday 22nd July ; “Officers hurt in rave attack” (page 3). This was sent to the evening Pest. Let’s see if they print it! We encourage others who were there at the free party to write and hassle the Evening Post about their journalistic standards (?) :
I was disgusted to read such a biased and distorted account of events, whilst still recovering myself from such a horrific display of police brutality. There was an attack and that was by the police, dressed in full riot gear, armed with batons and shields, on a group of unarmed young people as they were dancing. If the police wanted to end the ‘illegal rave’, they had the perfect opportunity to do so without violence or confrontation at the beginning of the evening. Police officers were present when the two vans containing the sound equipment arrived on site, before partygoers had arrived. So why was no action taken then? There were only two small sound systems and there is no residential housing in the area. How could holding a party under a motorway flyover cause a public nuisance? Police have let parties go ahead at this site on previous occasions. No attempt was made to end the party peaceably. Despite continuous police presence throughout the night there was no communication with the crowd, no warning of what offence was being committed or of what action would be taken. Around twelve riot vans parked on the flyover overhead. One individual approached the police and was told that the owners of the equipment would not be allowed to pack up and leave, that they were going to go in and confiscate the equipment. Police Inspector Mike Anderson is quoted as saying that “it was clear a rave at this location would put a risk of harm to those attending...’ I fail to see what possible risk there was in dancing under a motorway flyover on a piece of recreation ground with a bunch of friends.
How can a supposed “risk of harm” justify police baton charging a group of unarmed, unsuspecting youngsters, thereby turning a “risk” into a bloody certainty? When people are attacked by officers in riot gear, bashed around the head, chest, legs, and arms with batons, trampled to the ground….should we be surprised if some try to defend themselves and their mates? There are worse offences than wanting to carry on partying after the successful Ashton Court festival. While the police spent the evening beating up young kids, I wonder how many other violent crimes were being committed.
http://www.guilfin.net/reports/?id=rwINET1231
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 12:53:00 PM
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 11:12:00 AM
Stonehenge Festival - by 'Big' Steve
When Wally Hope started a ramble to Stonehenge with the rainbow banner of 60's counter culture, I was 17, the social secretary of a Sussex college blasting out Lynard Skynard's Freebird across the common room floor. I got home one day to be startled by TV news of 'hippies' gathering for the summer solstice at Stonehenge. I was excited but oblivious to the profound effect it was to have on my life.
I'd been to Windsor and other free festivals, and even helped carry a few scaffold poles and planks onto the stage and sat stoned through the Pink Fairies and Hawkwind sets. I remember giggling uder layers of clear plastic as the Hare Krishna band played through the night.
It was an idealistic and wonderful feeling of Utopia - natural, raw, rough and ready yeah! But a catalyst for something fair and just in a deaf society that sees suppression, control and fear as the answer to the cry of freedom, peace and harmony.
I went to Stonehenge for the first time in 1980 and felt uplifted about how together and hopeful the people were. I felt inspired to try and make it better.
I met Nik Turner in the winter of that year in a squat behind Sadler's Wells theatre and he agreed to play at the Smokey Bears' "Smoke-In" at Hyde Park.
We drove a psychedelic bus into the middle of Hyde Park, put up a stage, and held a mini festival with Black Slate, Androids of Mu, Here and Now, Inner City Unit, and speakers for the de-criminalisation of cannabis - an event that seems unimaginable now. It was a gas - but hair-raising what you had to do to draw attention to the injustice of our cannabis laws.
I met Willy X and Polytantric - an off-shoot of the White Panthers - and designs were swiftly drawn out for the layout of the stage and pyramid roof. Nik Turner was a fantastic help and gave valuable experience in erecting the pyramid which had originally made its debut with Sphinx at the Edinburgh festival. Two months of numerous phone calls to bands and performers brought together a programme of five days and nights of contemporary music with Ruts DC, the Thompson Twins, The Damned, Misty in Roots, and Hawkwind.
We dissolved back into the city and rejoined the nomadic drift from Stonehenge to Bristol to East Anglia and Wales from fayre to festival. At the beginning of the 80's travellers were relatively free of hassle.
In '82 after an international Cultural Herb festival in Brockwell Park, Brixton, with Jah Shaka, Loxsone Outernational and DBC we went to Stonehenge and did it all again - a beautiful buzz. Stonehenge was growing rapidly: in 1980 12,000 people had attended, but by '82 there were 35,000.
Co-ordination between English Heritage, the National Trust and ourselves seemed to be breaking down - because of the festival's expansion perhaps.
Many of Stonehenge's problems could have and will be solved by closer co-ordination and planning by all parties.
In '83 we decided to move the stage to the field closer to the woods and further away from the Stones. Sid Rawles and I wandered across the fields past the mounds clutching a dowsing rod; it twitched downwards and I opened my eyes to find myself in a circle of daisies - this had to be the place for the stage.
In '83 the PA was boosted to 12K. PA wings were extended and the Black Pyramid light show organised visuals.
As in previous years we ran things as cheaply as possible, all the bands played for free and we bucketed the audience and traders, as the groups played, to keep the jenny running.
The six days and nights of music were amazing, with Doctor and the Medics, Hawkwind, Roy Harper, the Enid, Buster Bloodvessel, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Urban Warrior, Ted Chippington, Flux of Pink Indians, the Tibetan Ukrainian Mountain Troupe, Here and Now, and Benjamin Zephaniah, to name just a few.
By '84 things were looking decidedly precarious. A group of travellers had squatted the Fargo Plantation in April, supposedly the National Trust's budget for that year's festival in the clear-up operation. The authorities were looking for scape-goats.
Three weeks before the festival I was cycling to the East-West Centre when my wheel hit a gutter and I went flying over the handlebars. I wke up in hospital with concussion and a broken arm., I phoned friends to get the stage and PA together. I arrived on site with an arm in plaster. The Polytantric got the stage up at the 'Henge by the 16th of June.
A video crew arrived to record the Enid, Roy Harper and Hawkwind at the Stones.
Stonehenge '84 was very emotional. Something had changed. When the music was over I walked to the mutated spider skeleton of scaffold poles of the pyramid and picked up another can to put in the plastic bag to add to the heap of sacks. I turned to the stones one more time and took a breath. Another helicopter rattled overhead.
I haven't been to Stonehenge since, but I hope to make it this year. Hopefully I will see you there,
Love and Peace,
Big Steve
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 11:04:00 AM
This week's SchNEWS: http://www.schnews.org.uk/
Friday 19th July 2002 Issue 365
WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IT'S YER ON THE DECKS... SchNEWS
Beach Bummers Boozy Bottleneck
REVELLERS partied the night away on Brighton seafront last Saturday to the sound of overhead police helicopter display teams, traffic chaos, stranded emergency vehicles and the ecstatic screams of a quarter of a million happily crushed ravers.
The event, hosted by the Big Beached Buttock, featured the huge talent of disk jockey Fate By Slime who played some records to approximately 3000 people in front of Brighton West Pier. Meanwhile the remaining 247,000 party-goers looked on in awe and jubilation, but couldn't hear a bloody thing.
Party animals had been bussed in from as far afield as the Highlands of Scotland where whole hillsides had been cleared of trees and vegetation to make way for huge billboard posters for the event of the century. Welsh revellers talked of sheep that had been used as walking adverts for the gig with directions written in Welsh and English branded onto their once snow white bodies. Council 'helper' Simone Franchise stated that the massive advertising campaign had been essential in order to make the Flat Boy Scam gig the huge success that it was: "Everyone knows that an event of this magnitude has to be hugely over-attended. Some people have moaned about litter and broken glass on the beach but let's face it, where do you think all that rubbish came from? Mostly from our shops and therefore using our beach as a landfill site is good for business and good for everyone in Brighton."
Life's a Beach
Despite a handful of tragedies relating to the event, the police immediately ruled out any talk of an enquiry into the fantastically financially successful maritime pop show. Police spokesman Superindented Death Ray stated that the problems relating to the salty extravaganza were 'fairly obvious' and an inquiry would tell organisers nothing they did not already know about the event. Luckily there had been only one death relating directly to the event and a mere 160 injuries during the night and as such the event had been 'as safe as houses.' Death added that having 250,000 drunk people and children trapped on a darkened Brighton beach in dangerously overcrowded conditions surrounded by broken glass and urine and unattended by emergency services was 'character building', creating a sense of community and togetherness reminiscent of the Blitz. Eyewitness reports that anarchy broke out as revellers threw bottles into the crowd and at emergency personnel have been dismissed as 'unproductive' criticism. As a result of the spectacular safety record and outstanding organisational skills displayed throughout Saturday evening by the police, officials felt questions raised by a handful of moaning locals were largely irrelevant. Brighton and Hove Council agreed whole-heartedly as did event organisers Big Beached Blunder.
Free for all party
Event Organisers The Big Blunder joined forces with the council and police to stress that in no way should the Filled By Slime gig be confused with the illegal free parties that have historically occurred on Brighton and Shoreham beaches. "We have gone to great lengths to stamp out the scourge that is the local free party scene; that cancerous rash that blights our cultural landscape should in no way be confused with legitimate council-backed beach-trashing events, all of which are wonderful and never go wrong". Council spokesthing Simian Fanfare added that "The council only supports events that are much, much larger and more corporate than free parties and therefore better. More mindless consumers visiting Brighton means more beer and chips being sold everywhere, as well as silly hats, sales of which have gone through the roof, and that's very important for our City of Culture Bid." Mr Fiasco also pointed out that the costs of policing this particular event as well as the impact of a quarter of a million guests descending on the city meant the event was far from free to local residents - unlike the vast majority of free parties which have done nothing to improve the corporate worth of Brand Brighton.
Meanwhile free party organisers are said to be fleeing the country in fear of their lives as Brighton Council death squads are being mobilised to further enforce their 'say no to unlicensed fun' campaign. One free party organiser who prefers to remain nameless stated that: "We're being persecuted because we keep throwing underground free parties for a few hundred locals without adequate advertising. Several of our crew were arrested last weekend for picking up litter and giving away free water to party-goers at an unlicensed free party. When they were eventually released, all they could do was dribble while reciting the Brighton and Hove mission statement over and over again." The drugged up squat rave organiser later added that "Finding sites with adequate parking well away from the public scrutiny has just got us in the worst kind of trouble - maybe in future we should just organise Dresden style leaflet drops and invite everyone to come and piss on our beach; it seems to work OK for the council."
After the unmitigated success of the gig on the beach, DJ Fete Boy (real name Naomi Coke) spent the remainder of the night guzzling Champagne and playing even more records for all of his celebrity friends in an exclusive Brighton nightspot. In the small hours, the exhausted DJ and his beautiful wife were whisked away in a limousine to their sparkling luxury condominium love pad with its private beach, which remains, as ever, beautifully clean.
Meanwhile, some people in our lovely new broken-glass-sparkly City, the ones who actually do useful jobs like clean the litter and look after sick people, have complained that they can't actually afford to live here anymore. Some even joined the nationwide strike on Wednesday, complaining, "It's time they (the Council) decided whether this is a playground for Londoners or a city for its own people." Council spokesperson Simpering Fanatic told the Anus "Why don't the poor people all just fuck off to Hastings?"
morning Tash,
Talking about the weekends event in Brighton will stir up a lot a mixed feelings- From a free party point of view, mainly bad (though from a council point of view only good things because of all that revenue it has created (cough, splutter!).
I’m absolutely outraged at the way it was handled. They bleat on about how good it was for the economy due to the poor weather of june and july. What they fail to see is the long term damage its done to the tourist economy due to the fact that the council (hypocrites) have now said it may take between 5-10 years for the beach to recover because of all the broken glass. Maybe these are inflated figures- i won;t judge because we all know the media reaction to Steart beach this year (1000’s of years to recover from a couple of burnt out cars etc etc etc) , but the damage is still done and i certainly wont be using that sretch, the most popular beach in Brighton, for a while.
Hugh has asked me to write an article for partyvibe about the local views towards it, i will also send you a copy which you can use if you wish.
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 11:03:00 AM
Party Animals?
Despite the best efforts of the cops backed up with roadblocks and the trusty old Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994), free parties just won't go away. Usually low key attracting a few hundred with no one taking much notice, over the past few months some have become festival size. The problem of trying to put on anything (ask the Welsh Green Gathering lot, SchNEWS 354) is you've got to jump through a million licensing hoops, or like Glastonbury forced to work with corporate cock suckers like Mean Fiddler.
Take Stonehenge where for the past few summers people have tried to sort out a festival afterwards - last year the MoD pulled out at the last minute, this year there were rumours that farmers who were up for renting their land were warned off by the cops. So instead of free festivals being at least a bit planned, and stuff like provision of toilets and wood for fires, it becomes a game of cat and mouse with the cops, with the result that parties end up on sites that aren't always suited. One local complained to SchNEWS about the festival in Steart over the Jubilee weekend "Over ten thousand of you arrived at a nature reserve and birdlife sanctuary - at the height of the wading birds nesting season. For three days, you terrorised the local inhabitants, and destroyed the nests and the fledglings." Guilfin responded "The site wasn't the one chosen, confusion abounded, a few rigs took to the previously used beach, then everybody else followed. It's not on to use somewhere like that, but if you're not aware of its sensitivity, and the police are chasing down convoys, then it's not surprising someone made a snap decision to take the site. What we need is places to party safely and responsibly. Dancing shouldn't be an outlaw activity."
So beyond the roadblocks the parties continue. Here's one report from someone outside The Great Wall of Glasto plc: "Several thousand people in a field, dancing to underground music from sound systems to live bands, taking whatever drugs they want as the party continues 24 hours a day, and making new connections outside capitalism's reign of terror. Sound idyllic? This was the scene at Smeatharpe, a former airbase some twenty miles from Glastonbury last weekend. Worlds apart? Well actually maybe not. Smeatharpe should be the ideal spot for a free party. It's in the middle of nowhere. The neighbouring farmer had no problem with the party as long as people showed him the basic respect of not using the fences for firewood (it's lambing season at the moment) or trashing his crops. Not so tricky really, but that, unfortunately, is what happened, as well as kids burning a car left behind 10 years ago and sending a smoke signal of filth over the surrounding countryside.
Free parties and festivals are great cos they rely on the people there to sort out everything themselves - there's no gap between organisers who sort out infrastructure and the punters. Everyone's on the same vibe - in theory. No one will look after your land for you, toilets and bins won't be provided. So it's best to take a shovel (or even a trowel if you're hitching), clear your rubbish and take it with you, and if there are people who don't know the score, let them benefit from your experience. Free events are a great opportunity for our culture to make the connections between free space and the environment we live in. Let's create the world we want to live in - all of us, together."
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 11:02:00 AM
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 11:01:00 AM
Glastonbury Experience: Part 2
Saturday morning duly came round. The night/early morning before, me and Julian (sharing my tent) had set our alarms (on our watches) for 10.00am. We were definatly up and about by then and were just about to set off for an explore of the festival site with Laurence and Steven. It was a long walk that took us past the Other Stage and eventually on to what can only be described as the 'Green Fields'. At one point, we were asked to walk briskly through the crowds as a landrover was gaining up on us. Wherever we went though, it was following us! So there we were almost at running pace in front of its two wheels when it suddenly turned and drove past us. Who was in the passenger seat? None other than Michael Eavis! The festival organiser! He got out of the landrover and was interviewed on camera, just a few yards from where we were standing. How about that?! Then we walked into the next field and waded through the rows of tents promoting world peace, friendship bracelets etc etc. Me and Larry bought a carton of orange juice each from one of the hippie stalls and we saw an amazing sculpture of a snail made from willow branch. Then we headed back to the tents. But on the way back I snuck away and went on my own into the New Bands Tent to watch the last few minutes of 'Baby Genius'. She was alright I suppose. A few minutes later I returned with Julian to the tent and we saw the former pocussionist from Kula Shaker lead singing 'Valentine' who were very good indeed. There was an afternoon siesta before me, Laurence and Steven headed over to the Pyramid stage to see the (excellent) Jools Holland. He played a range of pop, jazz, blues and swing to get the crowds in the party mood. We stayed around for 'No Doubt' afterwards who were also excellent. At one point, Gwen Stefani (the lead singer) climbed onto the top of three piled up loud speakers to address the back of the crowd more easily. She was about to go into song by muttering the words, 'I wanna know, I wanna know'... when she got stuck and couldn't get down! Someone behind be shouted, 'I wanna know how you're gonna get down from there!'. hehe. But seriously, 'No Doubt' really were class and when they told us we had to jump higher than the Germans did last night, the place was rocking. Of course it was 'Don't Speak' that got the best reception from the Glastonbury faithful. I had been torn between seeing 'No Doubt' and the 'Electronic Soft Parade', so I thought I might catch the end of ESP on the Other Stage after 'No Doubt'. Damn. I missed them. Me and Julian had waded our way through the crowds leaving the Pyramid arena quickly, but not quick enough. We stayed at the Other Stage and watched a bit of 'Rival Schools' who weren't amazing, so we headed back to the tents to meet up with Larry and Steve. Throughout the festival, Julian seemed only to know one word: 'Sorry?' he muttered even when you hadn't said anything. By the journey back I told him it was now a swear word and that I had set up a swear box for him. Ten pence per 'sorry'. At about half-six, we went our separate ways again. Julian headed off to see 'The Vines' I think on the Other Stage as me, Larry and Steve went for 'Starsailor' on the Pyramid Stage. They were really good. Maybe they didn't work with the crowd as much as say, Coldplay the night before, but they were still terriffic and even squeezed in their new single (a little more heavy than 'Alcoholic' or 'Poor Misguided Fool'). There was also time for a duet with 'Glastonbury ledgand Donovan' who played the harmonica. Again, we stayed around the Pyramid Stage after Starsailor's set and watched 'The White Stripes' - after having met Julian. Julian bought a 'White Stripes' t-shirt from the official merchandise stall earlier in the day. I opted for a 'Glastonbury 2002' t-shirt after considering a 'Starsailor' one. So, kitted out in his red 'White Stripes' t-shirt, Julian was dancing away to the duo. One half was very nice in deed; Meg White ;-)... the other, her brother, was funny and very good on vocals and guitar. I can see why Julian like them - all the guitar solos. They weren't bad I suppose. Not really my thing. After that, me, Laurence and Steve (why don't I just call us MLJ from now on yeah?) went back to the tent for a little kip in the summer rain as Julian went to see 'Robert Plant & the strange sensation' on the Acoustic Stage. MLS headed back down our beloved 'Wicket Ground' field, past the toilets, over the cinema fields and into the Pyramid Stage arena for arguably the best band of the weekend. The 'Stereophonics' were to be Glastonbury's 'secret guests', but it had leaked out several weeks before and so appeared in the programme anyway. The 'Phonics were fantastic. They performed their well known songs from JEEP and a few from Performance & Cocktails. As well as a couple of new tracks and a couple of covers as their encore. They got a great reception from the Glastonbury crowds. I think it was during the 'Phonics that I saw Josie and Rachel - two girls from our year group also at Glasto - sneak off to the back of the crowds. They missed out. Following the 'Phonics we headed off back to the tents. Julian went straight to sleep, but MLS talked and talked for hours. I think I got to sleep - outside both tents at about 4.30am. During our three hour conversation, me and Larry explored the football encyclopedia that is Steve. It was comedy as well as we remembered great football moments from the past so many years. ho ho. So there I was, in my sleeping bag, wedged between two guyropes, talking to Larry and Steve until my weary eyes could take no more and I fell to sleep.
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 11:00:00 AM
Glastonbury Experience: Part 3
Four hours sleep on Saturday night and I woke up in my sleeping bag outside both tents with one of those silver-foil insulator cloths over me :). Someone had obviously seen me sleeping outside and lent me their cloth thing. Just shows the friendly atmosphere at the festival :). A slow start to the morning was speeded/sped? up by a tasty bacon roll and quick slurp of orange juice. Then I headed over to the Pyramid Stage - grabbing a sweet chocolate pancake on the way and watched the Glastonbury Town Band. Big mistake. They were trying hard, but were a bit embarrassed by their conductor who was cracking crappy jokes to the audience. The audience was about 40 people by the way, out of the 100,000 or so who had festival tickets. So it wasn't hard to reach the front for this one. I didn't stick around and made my way back to the tents. At midday MLS went down to the Pyramid Stage once again and caught the end of the Avalonian Free State Choir who's conductor was equally as appauling as the Glastonbury Town Bands'. It wasn't long before big Rolf Harris appeared though and the thousands gathered in the field were soon clapping along with his excentric Aussie songs. 'Tie me kangeroo down sport' was a favourite as we took in the midday sun. He was actually comedy - Rolf that is - and the banners that people had made for his set were equally comical. 'Tie me down Rolf' and 'Rolf - I think I'm pregnant' made me tickle. Along with the two kangeroos (obviously people dressed as kangeroos - I think) bouncing around the audience on pogo sticks. Just before Rolf, there had been a spokesman from a charity trying to stop the spread of AIDS in South Africa. There was a lot of charity work at the festival...MTF being one of them. Following the Rolf sing-along, the big screens were showing the World Cup final. Brazil 2-0 France. We watched the last fifteen minutes. Well, me and Laurence did. Steve went back to the tent determined to last until Monday night without knowing the result. We saw Ronaldo break through the German defence to score the second past Ollie Kahn, much to the delight of the crowds at Glasto who were cheering on Brazil on a count that we're just so bitter towards the Germans. For some reason the Glastonbury organisers showed the ITV coverage of the remaining minutes of the final so every so often we got the cackaling sound of Ron Atkinson. We headed back to the tent. Laurence went off to get some food though I think. It ended up with just me and Steve at the tent before Julian came along. And then it struck. What struck? 'Julian... don't tell Steve the result' says I. 'Why?' replies a thick Julian...'He doesn't want to know the result until he's watched the highlights'... 'Okay,' says Julian, 'I won't tell him that it was 2-0 to Brazil'. All he had to do was not mention the score, but he failed to do that. Tut. 'You dickhead!' shouted Steve at the innocent looking Julian. There was much tension between the pair for the rest of the weekend. Back to the music. I took Julian off Steve's hands at about half-one. We had overheard the guy from the next tent saying he thought there might be a 'secret band on the Pyramid Stage' - so we went to have a look. It was just the band scheduled, Manu Chao, but running late because of the WC coverage. I stayed around and watched them, Julian ran off after about fifteen minutes to see some weird band I think. Manu Chao were alright I guess. It was a kind of South American (appropriete following the Brazil victory) dance music style. Although the lead singer was wearing a Galatasaray (hissss) shirt. After they'd finished their set I had about half an hour until Badly Drawn Boy. I decided to see what was on the Other Stage. Nothing decent. And it toom me yonks to find Laurence and Steve. Eventually I did and MLS watched Badly Drawn Boy who performed the About A Boy soundtrack all on his own. A brave, but a little dissapointing performance I thought. After Badly Drawn Boy on the Pyramid Stage was Issac Hayes, but I forgot all about him :(. Me and Laurence went to sit/lie in the Other Stage field to the tune of Elbow who were alright I guess. After Elbow we got some food and then just chilled at the tents for most of the evening. Me and Julian went to see Gorky's Zygotic Monkey... which means something in Welsh - I forget what. They were really class and a big prospect for the future. Their music was a bit like The Beatles crossed with a modern day Indie or rock band. Very good. Watch out for them. They may change their name though.... 'Gorky's Zygotic Monkey' kinda sounds like a punk band - not the slow tunes they were pumping out. Ten-twenty, MLS went to see the king. Not Elvis of course - he had done a duet with Ash on Friday night. Stay confused ;-). Rod Stewart was brilliant... and a great last set to go to on our last night at Glastonbury. 'Maggie May' was probably the ultimate hit with the fans. I think Julian went to see Air or someone weird like that. Old Rodney though: he still knows how to rock the tens-of-thousands of unclean fans watching on. So that was it. That was Glastonbury 2002. But the fun and games didn't stop there. After making our way back to the tents after Rod Stewart, MLS went down to the cinema field to watch 'The Lord of the Rings' - not a Glastonbury tradition I'm told. Steve left after about fifteen minutes and slept in the tent that night. Me and Laurence, with about 200 others, were left to fall asleep in front of LOTR. Again, I spend the night not in the tent!
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 10:59:00 AM
Some of the story so far . . . . . . .
INTRO....
BEGINNINGS
STONEHENGE AND THE `BATTLE OF THE BEANFIELD'
FURTHER TROUBLE AND THE PUBLIC ORDER ACT 1986
ATTACKS ON THEIR `ALTERNATIVE ECONOMY'
RAVES, DANCE PARTIES ETC...
CASTLEMORTON COMMON
POLICE SURVEILLANCE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT 1994
BENEFIT CLAMPDOWNS
THE AFTERMATH
Garrard Winstanley was an outstanding philosopher and political thinker of the seventeenth century. He became one of the principle advocates for the 'Leveller' and 'Digger' causes. Earlier in the century, the Royal Enclosures of common land had grabbed vast areas for their own use. Three quarters of the country was common land at this time.
The common people suffered.
During the chaos left at the end of the Civil War, the new Establishment took advantage and seized Royalist land and further expanded their estates by shamelessly enclosing more of the commons. The new Parliament acquiesced to this and people remained landless and hungry.
The common people suffered.
Over time, some were attracted to the principles of self help, non violent direct action, self sufficiency. To help themselves, nobody else is going to do it for them. After all, they had helped fight a war against the King's tyranny and they where still dispossessed. On the 1st April 1649, the landless Diggers established a commune on St. George's Hill, Surrey, intending to grow crops and graze livestock. The adventure lasted little more than a year before people where forcibly evicted.
The common people suffered.
Intro....
It might seem strange to begin this tale in the seventeenth century, but some facts seem as relevant today. Government seems remote from the people and knows little of their concerns and situation. Pressures to conform, deviant activities being forcibly discouraged. The existence of the 'underclass', the dispossessed, of land or of opportunities. Additionally now, we are increasingly aware of environmental considerations. It is an old struggle which has taken new forms. (The tension probably began between the farmers and the hunter-gatherers of the Stone Age!).
Beginnings
Gatherings in the open air with music are probably as old as anything human beings have ever done.
The 'Pop Festival' became a more modern manifestation of peoples desire to gather and celebrate. We are social animals. In the late 1960's, they went to Woodstock and the Monterey Festivals by the million. In the UK, the free 'Stones in the Park' and the Isle of Wight Festival saw huge crowds.
Alongside the commercial events, 'Free Festivals' developed. People fed up with the exploitation, rules, squalor and general rip-off that so many events came to represent. They discovered something. It is a powerful vision. People lived together, a community sharing possessions, listening to great music, making do, living with the environment, consuming their needs and little else. Parallel to all this, the squatting movement was taking off, and groups such as the 'Hyde Park Diggers' were beginning to question land rights.
It is from these beginnings that the 1970's saw the establishment of many commercial and free events. The Windsor People's Free Festival became an annual event over the August Bank Holiday. As numbers continued to rise, and with the politics of the situation, (after all, we were in the Queen's back garden), in 1974 Thames Valley police eventually acted. Forcibly braking up the site with much violence and injury. (They have been hitting us with sticks for over twenty years now!)
After finding a sense of community and purpose, some for the first time in their lives, many adopted an alternative lifestyle and travelled between events in the 'season'. They didn't go 'home' in between. You got to choose your neighbours and defeated the alienation that many had felt back in the cities.
In 1975, the People's Free Festival was re-established on a disused airfield in Oxfordshire. Over 10,000 people came and for two weeks, re-invented the town. The following year however, the bank holiday event died due to much police pressure and days of very heavy rain!
The Stonehenge Free Festival had been held at the Summer Solstice since 1974. However at 1977 event, numbers suddenly increased and this became the Annual People's Festival. Since then, the numbers involved doubled each successive year. The 1984 festival attracting hundreds of thousands over a six week period.
People looked at the various examples provided by gypsies here and in Europe. To nomadic people across the world. To try life outside the house in many different ways and to pick and select those means that make life comfortable, easy and meaningful. The 'bender', the Indian 'tipi', the Moroccan 'yurt', the Romany 'bow top', the western two-man tent, the truck and the double decker bus.
Many developed a sense of common purpose and identity. There was an acceptance that modern life was too fast, expensive and polluting to the environment. We had discovered Anarchy in action, and it worked! People began working out and managing relations within 'our' communities, without reference to Them.
The temperature had been rising for some time. Assisted by the representation in the press and their invention of the 'Peace Convoy', a moral panic was created.
The papers were full of the shock - horror that we have come to expect. The Sun's - "Gun convoy hippies attack police" (No mention of gun in the article!). The News of the World contributed - "The Wild Bunch - Sex-mad junkie outlaws make the Hell's Angels look like little Noddy". These were headlines read my millions of people and made modern day `folk-devils' out of essentially peaceful people.
In objection to the American Cruise Missiles to be stationed in this country, a peace camp was established at Greenham Common and later at Molesworth. However, in February 1985, 'Field Marshall' Heseltine, the then Defence Secretary sent in huge numbers of troops to evict the three hundred or so that had occupied the site as the Rainbow Village for some months.
Although the authorities found all this distressing, there wasn't law effective in dealing with it. So they invented some. It the past, a police force generally felt that their job was done when pushing people over their boundary. Thus mealy passing on the 'problem' as they saw it. In the wake of the Miners Strike, the police had learned how to act as a national force under unitary direction.
Something had to be done! Stonehenge appeared central to the situation. Police "Operation Solstice" was initiated.
Stonehenge and the `Battle of the Beanfield'
At a meeting of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), in early 1985, it was resolved to obtain a High Court Injunction preventing the annual gathering at Stonehenge. This was the device to be used to justify the attack at the "Battle of the Beanfield" on the 1st June in Hampshire. Well it wasn't a battle really.
It was an ambush.
It was a magnificent convoy stretching and snaking its way over the Wiltshire Downs, as far as you could see in either direction. It was a warm Saturday afternoon as we drove through villages, people stood outside their garden gates, smiling and waving at us. A carnival atmosphere with little evidence of the 'local opposition' that we had been lead to believe was one of the reasons for obtaining the court orders. A police helicopter watched overhead but there was little other sign of trouble until........
Seven miles from Stonehenge (the exclusion order was for four and a half miles), just short of the A303 and the Hampshire / Wiltshire border, two lorry loads of gravel where tipped across the road. Up to this point, no laws had been broken. I got out of my truck to take photographs when I first saw some twenty policemen running down the convoy ahead of me smashing windscreens without warning and 'arresting' / assaulting the occupants, dragging them out through the windscreens broken glass.
I and others who saw this were fearful of the level of violence used by the police in making arrests. Clearly we were in for a beating, again! Running back to our vehicles, we drove through a hedge in to the adjacent field.
The scale of the police operation was becoming obvious. The same level of violence had been applied to the rear of the convoy. Large numbers of police in many lines deep could be seen on the road forming up.
From then on, the situation grew more tense. More police reinforcements were brought up wearing one-piece blue overalls - without numbers!, 'Nato-style' helmets with visors and both full length perspex shields and circular black plastic shields. A 'stand-off' situation developed with sporadic outbreaks of violence.
Working with the festival welfare agencies, I was directed to a number of head injuries that has resulted from the initial conflict on the road. All of these injuries were truncheon wounds to the back of the head and some people were quite distressed. I was shown one man, about 20 years old who was semi-conscious with yet another head wound. I was fearful of him dying. An ambulance was called and I assisted the attendant and helped convey the casualty through police lines. The ambulance crew were initially apprehensive about their safety but assurances were given.
In between the taking of photographs, the copious first aid and concerns for my family and friends, I attempted to start negotiations and set up lines of communications with the middle-ranking 'line' officers. There was no 'middle ground' to be found, so, with others I organised a meeting with Assistant Chief Constable Lional Grundy. He was in charge of the overall operation. It was early evening before we were able to meet him. The tone of the meeting was 'do what your told or else!' He reiterated that people should be leave their vehicle and be arrested.
Because of the fear of what that might intail (after viewing the violence earlier in the day), those I met with were reticent about this. I met Grundy again a little later and attempted to reason further with him, but the ACC then threatened to arrest me for obstruction if I persisted.
Police in full kit were now massed in large numbers and obviously getting ready to charge. It turns out that police had been arresting a lot of people around Stonehenge earlier in the afternoon. At 7.00pm, Grundy had sixteen hundred policemen from six counties, Ministry of Defence police and some believe, army officers in police uniforms!!!
They had been briefed that we were all violent anarchists (see newspaper headlines earlier), rather than a bunch of young people and families with children.
They charged.
The scenes that followed were recorded by media that had evaded the police blockade. The story was international news. 'Dixon of Dock Green' type policing was dead. That which Britain was noted for had now changed to para-military operations against minority groups.
Kim Sabido of ITN, a reporter used to visiting the worlds 'hot spots' did an emotional piece-to-camera as he described the worst police violence that he had ever seen.
"What we - the ITN camera crew and myself as a reporter - have seen in the last 30 minutes here in this field has been some of the most brutal police treatment of people that I've witnessed in my entire career as a journalist. The number of people who have been hit by policemen, who have been clubbed whilst holding babies in their arms in coaches around this field, is yet to be counted...There must surely be an enquiry after what has happened today".
There wasn't.
When the item was nationally broadcast on ITN news later that day, Sabido's voice-over had been removed and replaced with a dispassionate narrator. The worst film footage was also edited out. When approached for the footage not shown on the news, ITN claimed it was missing. Sabido said.
"When I got back to ITN during the following week and I went to the library to look at all the rushes, most of what Id thought wed shot was no longer there," recalls Sabido. "From what I've seen of what ITN has provided since, it just disappeared, particularly some of the nastier shots."
Some but not all of the missing footage has since surfaced on bootleg tapes and was incorporated into the Operation Solstice documentary shown on Channel Four in 1991.
Public knowledge of the events of that day are still limited by the fact that only a small number of journalists were present in the Beanfield at the time. Most, including the BBC television crew, had obeyed the police directive to stay behind police lines at the bottom of the hill "for their own safety".
One of the few journalists to ignore police advice and attend the scene was Nick Davies, Home Affairs correspondent for The Observer. He wrote:
"There was glass breaking, people screaming, black smoke towering out of burning caravans and everywhere there seemed to be people being bashed and flattened and pulled by the hair....men, women and children were led away, shivering, swearing, crying, bleeding, leaving their homes in pieces.....Over the years I had seen all kinds of horrible and frightening things and always managed to grin and write it. But as I left the Beanfield, for the first time, I felt sick enough to cry."
During the charge, I took photographs, but I put my camera away. My (ex) -wife and I comforting and cuddles with each other for fear, before we were attacked..
530 were arrested that day ( both at the Beanfield and at Stonehenge), the most in any operation since the Second World War.
Photographic evidence is scant because of the nature of the action. Ben Gibson, a freelance photographer working for The Observer that day, was arrested in the Beanfield after photographing riot police smashing their way into a Traveller's coach. He was later acquitted of charges of obstruction although the intention behind his arrest had been served by removing him from the scene. Most of the negatives from the film he managed to shoot disappeared from The Observers archives during an office move.
A friend and fellow photographer Tim Malyon narrowly avoided the same fate:
"Whilst attempting to take pictures of one group of officers beating people with their truncheons, a policeman shouted out to get him and I was chased. I ran and was not arrested."
Tim Malyon's negatives have also been lost with only a few prints surviving.
One unusual eye-witness to the Beanfield nightmare was the Earl of Cardigan, secretary of the Marlborough Conservative Association and manager of Savernake Forest (on behalf of his father the Marquis of Ailesbury). He had travelled along with the convoy on his motorbike accompanied by fellow Conservative Association member John Moore. As the Travellers had left from land managed by Cardigan, the pair thought "it would be interesting to follow the events personally". Wearing crash helmets to disguise their identity, they witnessed what Cardigan described to Squall as `unspeakable' police violence.
Cardigan subsequently provided eye-witness testimonies of police behaviour during prosecutions brought against Wiltshire Police.
These included descriptions of a heavily pregnant woman "with a silhouette like a zeppelin" being "clubbed with a truncheon" and riot police showering a woman and child with glass. "I had just recently had a baby daughter myself so when I saw babies showered with glass by riot police smashing windows, I thought of my own baby lying in her cradle 25 miles away in Marlborough," recalls Cardigan.
After the Beanfield, Wiltshire Police approached Lord Cardigan to gain his consent for an immediate eviction of the Travellers remaining on his Savernake Forest site.
"They said they wanted to go into the campsite `suitably equipped' and `finish unfinished business'. Make of that phrase what you will, says Cardigan. "I said to them that if it was my permission they were after, they did not have it. I did not want a repeat of the grotesque events that I'd seen the day before."
Instead, the site was evicted using court possession proceedings, allowing the Travellers a few days recuperative grace.
As a prominent local aristocrat and Tory, Cardigans testimony held unusual sway, presenting unforeseen difficulties for those seeking to cover up and re-interpret the events at the Beanfield.
In an effort to counter the impact of his testimony, several national newspapers began painting him as a `loony lord', questioning his suitability as an eye-witness and drawing farcical conclusions from the fact that his great-great grandfather had led the charge of the light brigade. The Times editorial on June 3rd claimed that being "barking mad was probably hereditary."
As a consequence, Lord Cardigan successfully sued The Times, The Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror for claiming that his allegations against the police were false and for suggesting that he was making a home for hippies. He received what he describes as "a pleasing cheque and a written apology" from all of them. His treatment by the press was ample indication of the united front held between the prevailing political intention and media backup, with Lord Cardigans eye-witness account as a serious spanner in the plotted works:
"On the face of it they had the ultimate establishment creature - land-owning, peer of the realm, card-carrying member of the Conservative Party - slagging off police and therefore by implication befriending those who they call the powers of darkness,"
says Cardigan.
"I hadn't realised that anybody that appeared to be supporting elements that stood against the establishment would be savaged by establishment newspapers. Now one thinks about it, nothing could be more natural. I hadn't realised that I would be considered a class traitor; if I see a policeman truncheoning a woman I feel I'm entitled to say that it is not a good thing you should be doing. I went along, saw an episode in British history and reported what I saw."
For three days (and nights), without adequate food, sleep and many to a cell, we filled police stations across the south of England. From Bristol, where I was taken, to Southampton and London. We were then charged with the serious offence of 'Unlawful Assembly'. Most charges were eventually dropped after all of this.
Some had lost everything they had. Parents where frantic in locating their children, that had been taken into care. Vehicles had been taken to a 'pound' some 25 miles away and people had to go through further humiliation in reclaiming what was left of their homes.
Twenty-four of us took out a civil action against the Chief Constable of Wiltshire for the wrongs that were done to us that day. Nearly six years later at the High Court in Winchester, we won most of our case and were each awarded damages against the police. The Guardian said "Need to preserve pubic order does not permit the police to ride roughshod over the rights of ordinary people". After a four month hearing, (during which we were made to feel like we were on trial), on the last day, the Judge made an order on court costs that, as we were getting legal aid, meant we got nothing.
What's new!
As Lord Gifford QC, our legal representative, put it:
"It left a very sour taste in the mouth."
To some of those at the brunt end of the truncheon charge it left a devastating legacy.
Things have never been the same again since the Beanfield. Throughout the rest of the year, whether in small groups or at events, travellers were continually harassed.
It had defiantly changed us in many different ways. There was one guy who I trusted my children with in the early 80s - he was a potter, amongst other things. A nicer chap you couldn't wish to meet. After the Beanfield I wouldn't let him anywhere near them. I saw him, a man of substance, at the end of all that nonsense wobbled to the point of illness and evil. It turned all of us and I'm sure that applies to the whole travelling community. There were plenty of people who had got something very positive together who came out of the Beanfield with a world view of `fuck everyone'.
The berserk nature of the police violence drew obvious comparisons with the coercive police tactics employed on the miners strike the year before. Many observers claimed the two events provided strong evidence that government directives were para-militarising police responses to crowd control. Indeed, the confidential Wiltshire Police Operation Solstice Report released to plaintiffs during the resulting Crown Court case, states: "Counsels opinion regarding the police tactics used in the miners strike to prevent a breach of the peace was considered relevant."
The news section of Police Review, published seven days after the Beanfield, stated:
"The Police operation had been planned for several months and lessons in rapid deployment learned from the miners strike were implemented."
The manufactured reasoning behind such heavy-handed tactics was best summed up in a laughable passage from the confidential police report on the Beanfield:
"There is known to be a hierarchy within the convoy; a small nucleus of leaders making the final decisions on all matters of importance relating to the convoys activities. A second group who are known as the lieutenants or warriors carry out the wishes of the convoy leader, intimidating other groups on site."
If the coercive policing used during the miners strike was a violent introduction to Thatcher's mal-intention towards union activity, the Battle of the Beanfield was a similarly severe introduction to a new era of intolerance of Travellers.
Further trouble and the Public Order Act 1986
In May and June of 1986, the tribes again tried to gather. Convoys began assembling to celebrate that years Solstice were chased around several counties, all over the south of England, by both huge numbers police and right wing media outrage, before finally finding some temporary recuperative respite on a site at Stoney Cross in the New Forest, Hampshire.
More of the same was in store. Much stress!!
It was the 1st June, when we first arrived at Stoney Cross, . The whole issue was on newspaper front pages for a week!
Politicians again whipped up the moral outrage. On the 3rd June, the Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd described the convoy in a speech to the House of Commons as:
"Hon. Members from the west country will be aware of the immense policing difficulties created by the peace convoy, it is anything but peaceful. Indeed, it resembles nothing more than a band of medieval brigands who have no respect for the law or the rights of others".
The National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL) observed that this assertion was made without any evidence being presented that the convoy contained a higher proportion of people with criminal records, or, evidence the travellers were committing offences on the road.
Two days later on the 5th, Margaret Thatcher said that her governments is:
"Only too delighted to do anything we can to make life difficult for such things as `hippy convoys'".
On the same day, a cabinet committee was formed to discuss new legislation to deal with Travellers and festivals. Chaired by Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd, it comprised of the Secretaries of State for Transport, Environment, Health and Social Security, and Agriculture.
Shortly after the 'green light', Hampshire police mounted "Operation Daybreak" on the 9th June. 550 police charged onto the field in support of bailiffs and an eviction order. Many arrests then ensued, the convoy put up no resistance.
Sixty four convoy members were arrested and 129 vehicles impounded after policemen carried a large amount of documentation on people onto the site and also were armed with DoT files on every vehicle.
The police also came armed with care orders for the Travellers' children, though a tip off had reached the camp beforehand and the children had been removed.
It was against this background that the now famous 'anti-hippy' clauses where put into the Public Order Act, these powers began to operate in 1987.
Section 39 of the Public Order Act makes it a new criminal offence for a trespasser on land not to leave it after being ordered to by police.
After the previous years events, this section is seen as yet another example of how the police are being drawn into enforcing the Civil Law and deciding issues which until now, have been the province of the civil courts. The first time for hundreds of years that trespass had become a criminal offence. It was a most controversial measure, it had been inserted into the Act hurriedly.
Under the powers, the most senior police officer present may direct people to leave land if it is reasonably believed that: two or more people are trespassers intending to remain on land for any period of time and have been asked to leave, damage has been caused to the land or threatening behaviour used against the occupier, or 12 or more vehicles have been brought onto the land.
The Home Office had stated:
"That the clause was a response to the `problems' of new age travellers and that the power is not aimed primarily at Gypsy groups".
However, according to the National Gypsy Council, by 9.27am on the day the act came into force (1st April 1987), section 39 was being applied against Gypsies by Avon and Somerset police.
The increasingly hostile political climate that followed, had a dramatic affect on the travelling community, frightening away many of the families integral to the community balance of the festival circuit.
In 1987, people stood on the tarmac beside Stonehenge having walked the eight mile distance from an impromptu site at Cholderton. As clouds smothered the Solstice sunrise, those who had walked the distance were kept on the road, separated from the Stones by rows of riot police and bales of razor wire. The anger mounted and scuffles broke out. The following year the anger was tangibly increased and once again at Solstice dawn there were some who found the situation too unacceptable. This time the scuffles were more prevalent with concerted attempts being made to break through the police cordon. Secreted around the area, however, were thousands of waiting riot police and, as the anger of the penned in crowd grew, numberless uniforms came flooding down the hill to disperse the crowd with a liberal usage of truncheons and riot shields.
Andy Smith - now editor of Festival Eye - finally received a £10,000 out of court settlement from Wiltshire Police this year for a truncheon wound to the head received after he tripped and fell at Stonehenge in 1988. In the years following the event, he was diagnosed as suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. "I'd had recurrent dreams about the episode and after eight years of raking over it, I needed to put the event behind me."
The numbers of people prepared to travel to Stonehenge and face this treatment naturally dwindled, resulting in a concentration of those who were prepared for confrontation in defence of what was considered as a right to celebrate solstice at Stonehenge. Successive huge police operations backed by the Public Order Act 1986, have become stricter and stricter in attempts to stop anyone from reaching the Stone circle at Solstice. There are still a few however, who hug hedgerows and dart between the beams of police helicopters in order to be in view of the Solstice sunrise at Stonehenge.
Attacks on their `alternative economy'
Up until 1985, the free festival circuit had provided the economic backbone of all year round itinerancy. Traditionally the three cardinal points in the festival circuit were the May bank holiday, the Solstice and the August bank holiday. Without the need for advertising, festival goers knew to look out for these dates knowing a festival would be taking place somewhere. The employment of two bank holidays as specific festival times was designed to allow workers the opportunity of attending a festival without the inevitable bleary Monday back at work. The number of festivals in-between these cardinal points also blossomed, giving rise to the possibility of travelling from one to the other (with choice) over the entire long summer. By selling crafts, services, performance busking, tat and assorted gear, Travellers provided themselves with an alternative economy lending financial viability to an itinerant culture.
Evidence suggests that the political campaign to eradicate festivals was aimed at breaking this economy.
Indeed, a working party set up by the Department of Health and Social Security published a report on Itinerant Claimants in March 1986 stating: "Local offices of the DHSS have experienced increasing problems in dealing with claims from large groups of nomadic claimants over the past two or three years. Matters came to a head during the summer of 1985 when several large groups converged on Stonehenge for a festival that had been banned by the authorities. The resulting well publicised confrontation with the police was said to have disrupted the normal festival economy and large numbers of claims to Supplementary Benefit were made."
It is obvious that as soon as they scared away the punters it destroyed the means of exchange. Norman Tebbit went on about getting on your bike and finding employment whilst at the same time being part of the political force that kicked the bike from under us.
In the years that followed, the right-wing press made much of dole-scrounging Travellers, with no acknowledgement that the engineered break-up of the festival economy was largely responsible.
Another ramification of this tactic was even more insidious and ugly.
At the entrance gate to the 1984 Stonehenge Free Festival a burnt out car bore testament to the levels of self-policing emerging from the social-experiment. The sign protruding from the wreckage proclaimed: "This was a smack dealers car."
Dispossessed of their once thriving economy and facing incessant and increasing harassment and eviction, the break down of community left Travellers prone to a destructive force potentially more devastating than anything directly forced by the authorities.
"At one time smack wasn't tolerated on the road at all," recalls mother of six, Decker Lynn. "Certainly on festival sites, if anybody was selling or even using it they were just put off site full stop."
Heroin, the great escape to oblivion, found the younger elements of a fractured community prone to its clutches and its use spread like myxamatosis. Once again Traveller families were forced to vacate sites that became `dirty', further imbalancing the battered communities and creating a split between `clean' and `dirty' sites.
Lynn who still lives in her double-decker bus
"I don't park on big sites anymore. Heroin is something that breaks up a community because people become so self-centred they don't give a damn about their neighbours."
Many Travellers report incidents of blatant heroin dealing going untouched by police, whilst other Travellers on the same site were prosecuted for small amounts of hashish. The implication of their claims were that the authorities recognised that if heroin took hold of the travelling community, their designs on its destruction would take care of itself. Recalls Lynn
"So many times people got away with it and there were very few busts for smack. They must know smack is the quickest way to divide a community; united we stand and divided we don't."
The other manifestation of community disruption was the emergence of the so called brew crew. These were mainly angry young Travellers feeding themselves on a diet of special brew and developing a penchant for nihilism, blagging and neighbourly disrespect. Whilst festival culture was healthy, the travelling community could cope, once broken up however, the community had problems dealing with the exodus.
Decker Lynn says.
"To start with it was contained. Every family had its problems but the brew crew was a very small element around 1986, and very much contained by the families that were around. But there was a large number of angry young people pouring out of the cities with brew and smack and the travelling community couldn't cope with the numbers."
The so called `brew crew' caused constant disruption for the festivals still surviving on the decimated circuit and provided an obvious target for slander-hungry politicians and right-wing media, with the entire scene regularly painted with the inevitable all inclusive black brush.
Raves, Dance Parties etc...
Towards the end of the 80s a cultural phenomenon began to emerge around the country resulting in an injection of new blood and economy to the festival scene. Rave parties were similar to free festivals in that they were unlicensed events in locations kept secret until the last possible moment. Such events offered similar opportunities for adventure and began attracting huge numbers of young people from the cities. This scene grew dramatically. Where some of these parties differed from the free festivals was that they were organised by groups such as Sunrise who would charge an entry fee and consequently make large amounts of money in the process. Not all such rave parties were of this nature however, and the free festival scene began to merge with the rave party scene producing a hybrid with new dynamism
Not everyone on the free festival scene was pleased with the consequences of this festi-rave fusion however.
I have pointed out before that one of the main things I liked about festivals was going around fires and trucks listening to accordions and talking to people. When the ravers arrived, I couldn't hear anything other than the beat. A mass influx of young ravers who were not clued up as to country life did attract a lot of unwelcome attention to Travellers, but without them the festival scene would have finished in 91 and no-one these days would know what we were talking about.
Others, found renewed enthusiasm in the cultural mutation. Having attended free festivals since 1984 and lived on the road intermittently during that period Steve Redshaw welcomed the new blood:
"Towards the end of the 80s things were getting bad on the festival circuit. Then raves revitalised the scene and I got my faith back. "
Once again, political attention was now targeted against these new impromptu rave events, resulting in the Entertainment (Increased Penalties) Act 1990. Introduced by John Majors Personal Private Secretary, Graham Bright, this private members bill brought in massive fines of up to £20,000 for the organisers of unlicensed events. Once again this legislation had a dramatic affect on the free festival/rave scene, pushing event organisation into the hands of large commercial promoters with the necessary sums required to pay for licences and policing.
Steve Redshaw observes:
"By 1993 the laws were having their effect on the free rave scene. Dance music then moved into clubs and became more exclusive."
The nature of festival promotion consequently swung away from a community-based orientation, as businessmen and commercial club owners cashed in on the existing public desire for adventurous festival/parties in the countryside. According to Tony Hollingsworth, ex-events promoter for the GLC and now part of the multi-million pound commercial festival outfit Tribute:
"The motivation behind these festivals is no longer passion, it is commerce."
Relative to the people-led festivals, the commercial festival scene offers little more than another shopping experience, where an attendant wallet is valued and encouraged far more than participation
Castlemorton Common
By 1992 leaked documents from Avon and Somerset Constabulary demonstrated the existence of Operation Nomad. Force Operational Order 36/92 marked `In Confidence', revealed:
"With effect from Monday 27th April 1992, dedicated resources will be used to gather intelligence in respect of the movement of itinerants and travellers and deal with minor acts of trespass".
An intelligence unit set up by Avon and Somerset produced regular Operation Nomad bulletins, listing personal details on Travellers and regular festival goers unrelated to any criminal conviction. A Force Operational Order issued by the Chief Constable also stated:
"Resources will be greatly enhanced for the period Thursday 21st May to Sunday 24th May inclusive in relation to the anticipated gathering of Travellers in the Chipping Sodbury area."
This item referred to the annual Avon Free Festival which had been occurring in the area around the May bank holiday for several years, albeit in different locations. However, 1992 was the year Avon and Somerset Police intended to put a full stop to it. As a result the thousands of people travelling to the area for the expected Festival were shunted into neighbouring counties by Avon and Somerset's Operation Nomad police manoeuvres.
The end result was the impromptu Castlemorton Common Festival, another pivotal event in the recent history of festival culture.
West Mercia Police claim they had no idea that an event might happen in their district, the truth of which relies on the unlikely situation that Avon and Somerset Police did not inform their neighbouring constabulary of Operation Nomad.
In the event, a staggering 30,000 Travellers, ravers and festival goers gathered almost overnight on Castlemorton Common to hold a free festival that flew in the face of the Public Order Act 1986 and the Entertainment (Increased Penalties) Act 1990. It was a massive celebration and the biggest of its kind since the bountiful days of the Stonehenge Free Festival. West Mercia Police claimed that due to the speed with which it coalesced, they were powerless to stop it.
However, the authorities used Castlemorton in a way that led people to suggest it had been at least partly engineered. After all, a large number of people had been shunted into the area by Operation Nomad, was it really likely that West Mercia police were unaware of this? The right-wing press published acres of crazed and damning coverage of the event, including the classic front page Daily Telegraph headline: "Hippies fire flares at Police". The following mornings Daily Telegraph editorial read: "New Age, New Laws" and within two months, Sir George Young, then Minister for Housing, confirmed that new laws against Travellers were imminent "in reaction to the increasing level of public dismay and alarm about the behaviour of some of these groups."
Indeed, the outcry following Castlemorton provided the basis for the most draconian law yet levelled against alternative British culture. Just as the Public Order Act 1986 followed the events at Stonehenge in 1985, so the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill began its journey in 1992, pumped with the manufactured outrage following Castlemorton. By the time it reached statute two years later, it included criminal sanctions against assembly, outdoor unlicensed music events, unauthorised camping, and `aggravated trespass'. The law also reduced the number of vehicles which could gather together from twelve (as stipulated in the Public Order Act 1986) to six.
The news-manufacture used to prepare the public palate for the coming law was incessant, with media descriptions of Travellers including "hordes of marauding locusts" (Daily Telegraph), and "These foul pests must be controlled" (Daily Mail).
Police Surveillance
Many of us had felt under surveillance for some time, but since the Beanfield, their was a marked increase in their activities. Records were being made of names, nicknames, vehicle registration and undercover operations carried out. Photographs taken.
The year after Castlemorton Common, the police set up Operation Snapshot, an intelligence-gathering exercise on raves and Travellers, designed to establish a database of personal details, names, nicknames, vehicle registration numbers, Traveller sites and movements. Undercover operations carried out. Photographs taken.
This information was used as a backbone for an ongoing intelligence operation begun by the Southern Central Intelligence Unit (SCIU), operated from Devizes in Wiltshire and initially co-ordinated by PC Malcolm Keene. The SCIU held regular meetings with representatives of all the constabularies of Britain.
Leaked documents revealed that Operation Snapshot had estimated there to be around 2,000 Travellers vehicles and 8,000 Traveller's in the UK. In the minutes of a meeting held at Devizes on March 30th 1993, the objectives of the operation included the development of "a system whereby intelligence could be taken into the control room, and the most up-to-date intelligence was to hand"..... "capable of high-speed input and retrieval and dissemination of information." The meeting was attended by constabulary representatives from Bedfordshire, Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Dyfed-Powys, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, South Wales, Gwent, Staffordshire, Thames Valley, Warwickshire, Surrey, Suffolk, West Mercia, West Midlands, Ministry of Defence and the National Criminal Intelligence Service (Hampshire and Essex sent apologies).
They were all asked and all agreed to provide the Southern Central Intelligence Unit with "any information, no matter how small on New Age Travellers or the Rave scene". The leaked minutes revealed the database was designed to hold one million items of information. Clearly this is a number far in excess of those that have committed any offences.
After a short period the Northern New Age Traveller Co-ordination Unit, designed to cover the north of Britain, was established and operated from Penrith in Cumbria.
Liberty has challenged this police monitoring at the European Court of Human Rights. They said:
"Targeting the whole of the travelling community is beyond the European Conventions' limitations. Just because someone is a `new age traveller' doesn't mean that they are involved in crime".
At the conservative Party Conference, the Prime Minister, John Major reminded the party faithful:
"Society needs to condemn a little more and understand a little less.
New age travellers?
Not in this age!
Not in any age!! "
Criminal Justice Act 1994
The scene was set for a further tightening of the screw.
In 1994, the government passed the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. This piece of legislation is very lengthy and far-reaching. It has a number of provisions that directly affect the lifestyles of many people with which I have been involved.
Travellers in particular and other taking direct action to deal with their housing situation are primarily affected. The provisions of part five of the Act have been given particular attention by civil liberties groups such as Liberty. They believe that many sections are effectively designed to outlaw a whole way of life and generally erode our human rights.
On these sections, Liberty explain that:
"No gathering of more than twenty people may take place anywhere if the police choose to object, unless some landowner has consented to his or her land being used for this purpose (in which case, the landowner may incur legal liability for the actions of those who gather)"
Further, they point out that:
"These clauses are probably in breach of Article 11 of the European Convention (Freedom of Assembly). Concern is expressed at the sections which apply to gatherings with music and are targeted at festivals and `raves'".
For travellers and those involved in peaceful protest on private property (environmental activists), section 61 on the CJA is even more draconian than the previous Public Order Act.
Section 61 now provides a power for the senior police officer present at a scene to direct trespassers on land to move if:
(a) six or more vehicles are present (previously 12)
(b) damage is caused to the land or property on the land. (previously damage to gates fences etc. now the land itself i.e.: tyre marks on the grass!!).
Penalties for this offence, or to return with three months can mean œ2,500 fine or three months imprisonment, or both.
Further, section 62 allows the police to seize and remove vehicles when they have issued a direction and it has been ignored. Further sections of the act enable the seized vehicles to be held until all removal and storage charges are paid. Fees to reclaim motors are likely to be high, from one of the five 'holding pounds' that have been established. An uncollected vehicle will eventually be destroyed and a further charge had for this!
The Act at large criminalizes diversity and dissent and thus has implications for the wider population such as say Trade Union activity and local protests about services (the hospital, the by-pass, the local factory etc.). Fundamentally, many of its provisions are about land rights. What one can (and cannot) do on land. Which is of course, nearly always someone else's.
Benefit Clampdowns
In addition to the police surveillance described earlier, further monitoring information was gathered via social security offices. The working party report on Itinerant Claimants prepared for the DHSS in 1986 advised that "in the interests of advance warning and the safety of staff, we recommend better liaison with the police."
A 1993 internal Benefits Agency bulletin (issue 24/93) headed `New Age Travellers' and marked "not to be released into the public domain", stated:
"Offices will be aware of the adverse reaction from the media following the treatment of claims from this client group last summer [Castlemorton]. Ministers are concerned that the Benefits Agency and Employment Services take all necessary steps to ensure that claims from this group are scrutinised carefully."
The bulletin reports that a National Task Force has been set up to "monitor the movements of such groups of Travellers" and to "inform relevant District managers of their approach and numbers". In the back of the bulletin is a list of telephone numbers for all the regional police contacts in both the Northern New Age Traveller Co-ordination Unit and the Southern Central Intelligence Unit. Every constabulary in the country, including the Ministry of Defence police, had at least one but usually several, such co-ordinators.
Also included in the bulletin was a possible itinerary of festivals for summer 1993.
In 1995, the Benefit Agency conducted a census of New Age Traveller benefit claimants including their personal details. A leaked copy of the results suggested there to be 2,000 such claimants. In July 1996, more leaked documents revealed that the Agency was once again asking regional offices to carry out a census, the results of which are as yet unavailable. After October 7th 1996, when the Job Seekers Allowance scheme began, benefit may be halted if "appearance" or "attitude" "actively militates against getting a job". The implications for the further selective targeting of the Traveller community are obvious.
The aftermath
The extraordinary lengths taken by the authorities to annihilate the new Traveller population in the UK are a testament to the treatment meted out to cultural minorities outside `acceptable' norms.
The use of legislation, intelligence, targeted harassment, benefit clampdowns and news-manufacture have been employed as a multi-tactic approach stretched across a ten year period.
Such strategies are often achieved without public knowledge; with the length of time over which they are employed, diffusing recognition of their mechanism and ultimate intention. What is clear, however, is that rather than seek to democratically accommodate an expanding community culture, Margaret Thatcher's government and those who replaced her, sought instead to annihilate it. The social consequences are immense.
The festival circuit, once an evolving people-led celebration and community co-operation, now lies largely in the hands of profit-motivated commercial promoters. Meanwhile, the travelling community, fractionalised by an annihilation strategy, now displays symptoms reminiscent of the inner cities from which many had fled.
However, despite the worst excesses of the cultural clampdown, some travellers remain secreted all over the country. Many are now in smaller groups, inconspicuous and unregistered if not drawing benefit.
Since the enactment of the Criminal Justice Act and the other measured described, it is thought that many thousands of travellers have left the country to places like Spain, Ireland, Portugal and France. In anticipation of the crackdown on their lifestyle to come.
Who knows what next!!
Some have gone to Europe and beyond being concerned for their families future in Britain.
Perhaps I may join them!
I believe that the communities described represent genuine endeavours in discovering enduring and sustainable ways of life and conducting experiments in how we and the planet may survive. I wish them well in these uncertain times.
posted by tash @ 7/23/2002 10:55:00 AM
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