The student demo started from Malet Street and we marched all the way towards Parliament. I was with comrades Simon, Carl and Simon’s friend, Fiona. As we approached Parliament there was a heavy riot cop presence. From Horse Guards Rd walking up Great George Street towards Parliament (the sky was turning pink from the smoke bombs) we ended up being kinda caged in Parliament Square.
There was a raised concrete and grass section which had been cordoned off but it had been kicked in, I stood on that section as it had a good vantage point (and also I had lost Simon and Carl by that point…) there were riot cops on horseback on the grass bit, one horse started to rear up which made people flee. I certainly felt scared, and trapped .
Fortunately, I got out and wandered down towards St James Park. Got back in touch with Carl, we wandered back up Great George Street where we watched more mounted cops (saw about 20 maybe more) turning off into the side streets. There was a massive police presence on Great George Street where we were allowed to walk through. Again, we wandered around, watching then running ourselves as one of the blocked off points was being attacked by riot cops on horseback (around Westminster Abbey/Victoria Street).
It then became apparent that the line we were freely able to walk in and out of Parliament Square was being blocked off. More reinforcements appeared, some in full riot gear, visors up and shields at a ready. We asked whether we could get out, no was the answer as it was going to be “blocked off all evening”(??). We were then told to go towards Whitehall but then when we got there….. it was blocked!
The cops were telling people rubbish. We walked back towards Great George Street where we saw a a group of people rushing towards the line carrying a man who was hurt, the cops let them through the line but the guy looked bad.
Protesters were running around, frustrated and angry trying to find a way out. Fires were being lit to keep warm. I saw Jon Cruddas who let me take his picture. A Lib-Dem MP walking through Parliament where people shouted, “Shame on you”! His face looked wet not sure if he was crying or whether someone spat at him.
We heard as well from one steward that he heard that the cops were bringing in more reinforcements. It was scary, frustrating and certainly I was feeling panicky (apols to Carl) as my left ear due to a bad case of sinus was becoming blocked therefore I couldn’t hear properly and felt woozy. I just wanted, like thousands of others, to get the hell out of the trap where riots cops charged protesters being pushed backwards and forwards clubbed with truncheons, it was like a hell on earth with fires burning, shouting, screaming. singing, dancing and people running…it was kinda surreal wandering around. But it was also a scene orchestrated and provoked by the police. You cannot contain people like this, it will inevitably boil over into anger. And people had been kettled for a couple of hours which meant people were pissing against walls, a couple of women had hidden themselves behind their banners against a window ledge. I guess they were desperate for a piss too. And that’s one of the hideous thing about kettling is that it reduces people to nothing. When one protester asked the riot cop whether we were being kettled, the cops replied, “no you are being contained”….
Contained. Kettled. It’s the same bloody thing. I saw an elderly woman around 70 maybe older not being allowed out of the kettle, she wasn’t part of the demo, she looked confused. It was disgusting watching this. Why couldn’t they let her out?
Eventually Carl and me got out the kettle by Whitehall. As I write protesters are still being kettled, attacks on the Supreme Court and the Treasury. But what do the cops expect when you kettle, contain, corral people? Treat people like they are nothing, kettling provokes anger and distress. It’s an attack on democracy, freedom of movement and civil liberties.
And just because the ConDems got their way on tuition fees doesn’t mean the campaign is finished. It’s only just started.
Vive Le Resistance!
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Great report and pics. Glad to hear you’re okay.
Cheers comrade. Must admit have a pounding headache and having probs hearing in my left ear due to sinusitis…
“one of the hideous things about kettling is that it reduces people to nothing”
What does calling someone ‘scum of the earth’ do, then ?
Isn’t that a tu quoque argument, Laban?
Anyway, I think that physically doing something to people is quite different to calling people names as part of a protest.
“You are not being kettled but contained.” That reminds me of the humorous quotation: ‘It’s not a bomb, but a device which is exploding.’
Great photos.
Wish I was there!
Sorry, I am with the police on this one. The police were stupid not to expect trouble, they had reinforcements to stop extremist groups. They had faith with students for a peaceful march and didn’t start kettling as usual. They drawn a line under their previous attempts at student protests – the students however didn’t.
Now, I don’t care about the breaking through metal barriers on to Parliament Square and the big No sprayed on it. A group wanted to protest directly on there, I was one of them, but the police denied it, and everyone was going to be forced to go to the NUS rally and vigil nonsense via a march.
Throwing the barriers at police? All we hear our the students winging that they are poor (I am poor too so..) and want an education, how its not their fault they aren’t middle class born with a silver spoon etc. etc. so what about the horses – an living being – who didn’t get the choice to be a horse (ok we didn’t exactly have a choice to be human lol) and didn’t get a choice but to work for the police – getting missiles thrown at them? Absolutely disgusting thuggish behaviour.
The student fee nonsense is bullshit. It isn’t what everyone is mad at. It is the class war, the bankers, tax evaders, ema cuts, Ireland bail out, tory scum and lib dem doing u-turn on their election promises etc. Guess what? The police are working class too, why everyone fighting them?
This is clearly proven where the attacks were aimed at… Treasury, Supreme Court, Royals (upper class), Topshop etc.
All this protest was is a vehicle to express extreme disorder of anger and frustration at that crappy Government. There were peaceful protesting students, however its always the same old… many “peaceful protesters” who mingle at the front with trouble makers. Guess what? If you stayed away from trouble makers, when they are charged from horses, you will be OK! If you divide yourself physically from them, its easier for the police and the police will realise you aren’t part of it.
Guess what? The Lords aren’t middle class… they are high society. They get the vote next.
Yeah, anyway… most people on the ground will disagree as there is nothing like being kettled in the cold (especially if hungry/thirsty/needing toilet) and in 5 secs of being there its the “fuck the police” attitude. Actually, one of the major facebook groups for this event were aimed to be against the police, not the MPs… not sure why, or why the police never noticed it.
I understand people got angry at the decision by MPs but trouble began before the vote was taking place.
So for the next mini-riots (lets not call it a protest when most people at some point are joining in causing trouble) expect preemptive kettling and world renowned Met police brutality. All I am saying is just because you aren’t the leader, in a crowd situation if you copy others, you become one of them.