UK Mayday 2010 Newswire Archive
Report of May Day march and rally in Edinburgh
02-05-2010 01:36
May Day Carnival – Pix-&-Vidz – Sat 01 May 10
01-05-2010 23:35
mayday pics
01-05-2010 23:23
some shots fom the space hijackers' "spoil for choice" election battlebus, and then from parliament square
the space hijackers hired an open-top bus as a spoof election battle bus on behalf of no party. a huge sound system and party atmosphere attracted the attention of passers-by who were invited to spoil their ballot papers on may 6th as an active response to the election. loads of leaflets were passed out, and stickers shared, and public reaction was overwhelmingly good - let's face it, most folk are really looking for something other than the three choices we're offered, and in most constituencies, the vote is pre-determined and pointless anyway. ballot-spoiling offers a real alternative voice. (of course there's still the more radical and logical argument that even spoiling your ballot paper conveys some legitimacy to the whole democratic facade, and perhaps it's better to just ignore the muppets and carry on organising alternatives.)
after a couple of hours on the road, the bus made it to parliament square, but the plan to go round the square was stymied by a bunch of pesky anarchists and cyclists who had closed off the road in front of parliament. still, a journey past downing street and round trafalgar square and back to parliament picked up a load more passengers and a whole load of class war posters.
in the square, around 4.30pm the road had mostly cleared apart from four people who seemed oblivious to the traffic chaos they were causing. but when they moved away and the police opened the road, some masked black-clad folk bravely defied the traffic and gradually people were drawn back into the road, and after a stand-off with the police, cars were backed up, the road was coned off and the party continued. after this success, the anarchists went on to close off westminster bridge, and the police again facilitated peaceful protest, (after taking lots of pics of the anarchists for later use.)
on the subject of later use, after rain stopped play and most players had moved on to the waterloo street paper (cleverly held under cover), police forensics tried to take samples from the new paintwork on the churchill statue. one plucky human rights proclaimer got unceremoniously dragged out of the way, and about 20 cops stood around in the rain protecting the forensic team as they discovered that the spray paint was manufactured in china.
as the perpetrators were no doubt closely photographed from the hovering police helicopter earlier in the afternoon, they'd probably best avoid eating chinese over the next few days and at any near-future protests, or they might find themselves raided/snatched. the churchill statue has always been a sensitive matter, partly due to pressure from MP nicholas soames who is churchill's grandson. soames is of course and arms dealer (aegis defense), a dangerous driver (convicted last year), and an inheritance tax dodger (uncovered by mark thomas), but none of this stops him from claiming the moral high ground to protect his grandfather, the civilian mass-murderer who is honoured in parliament square.
as torrential rain set in, the peoples' assembly pitched their tents ready for daily peoples' politics right up to election day. tonight there are more than twenty tents pitched and there's a brilliant 'rocket fire' and plenty of tarpaulin and cosy bedding to protect against the elements. the main call from the camp is to highlight the continuing wars and to call to bring the troops home.
all are welcome to join the peacestrike camp in the run-up to the election, and can find out more details at their website. anyone noticed incidentally the virtual news black-out on the wars? an NUJ journalist confirmed today that the media has an unnoficial veto on war news until after the election. the peacestrike camp is hoping to challenge that veto with a large presence in the square. imagine the whole square full of tents by thursday - you can help make it happen!
mayday pics
01-05-2010 23:14
some shots fom the space hijackers' "spoil for choice" election battlebus, and then from parliament square
mayday: few pics from the street party
01-05-2010 20:23
Few pics of the march from parliament sq to "the tunnel"
Few pics of the march from parliament sq to "the tunnel"
Rave Against The Machine
01-05-2010 19:23
LOCATION CONFIRMED...
Leake Street, SE1, London
IT"S ON NOW! ...
LEAKE ST, SE1, WATERLOO.
4PM, TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Don't worry about the rain, it is the perfect location!
Spread the news!
Some pics of Mayday in Parliament Square
01-05-2010 19:23
The Parades arrived as did the Anarchists who took over the road in front of |Parliament and stopped traffic.
The police were unusually laid back and seemed to be avoiding confrontation, even when the Maydayers stopped traffic and chanted 'Whose streets our streets!'. One FIT team was spotted and no doubt the noisy helicopter caught close-ups of everyone's faces. Unfortunately the rain arrived and many then fled the Square, including me, except for the stalwart campers and those with big umbrellas.
May Day?
01-05-2010 11:22
Never forget!1 May, is May Day, or International Workers Day, whose efforts of course have led to us getting a public holiday on the nearest Monday. Bit of a quiet one in Bristol this year isn't it? Although around the world plenty of class conscious workers will be commemorating past and present struggles with some vigour.
mayday posters !!
30-04-2010 14:55
mayday posters from germany from the last years...! (english text)Flash mob tomorrow, Sat, May 1st, Parliament Square, 2:30pm
30-04-2010 11:38
There will be a massive flash mob tomorrow on Saturday, May the first at 2:30pm at Parliament Square. Spread the word. Lets make this the biggest flash mob ever! The reason for this flash mob event is the forthcoming general election, we want to show our contempt for politicians who lie and cheat and go back on their promises.Nottingham Free School's May Day Discussion
30-04-2010 09:39
With Mayday coming soon the Nottingham Free School decided to arrange an open discussion on some of the issues surrounding the day. This discussion took place at the Sumac last Sunday night and is scheduled to be the first in a series which will take place on the final Sunday of each month. The hope is to create a regular space in which we can learn collectively and share our ideas and understandings of issues which strike us to have a particular relevancy. On Sunday we hoped to discuss the nature of class struggle today, as well as the different forms that resistance to capitalism can take, and this was in many ways a success.Bristol: May Day party & benefit
29-04-2010 22:18
Saturday 1 May, from 8pm to late, at The Plough, 223 Easton Rd, Easton BS5 0EG. £3/4 requested donation in on the door.
Sheffield: International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day
29-04-2010 20:52
May 1st is International Sunflower Guerrilla Day, where people all over the world (well, probably the northern hemisphere) go out and plant sunflower seeds in places around where they live.Manchester Mayday plans - update
29-04-2010 09:27
12pm - 'you cannot represent us' bloc on TUC march - from All Saints Parkend in Albert Sq. then together to Hulme, Birley Fields, for music and food, start at 3pm
May Day 2010 Zapatista Benefit Glasgow
28-04-2010 23:00
Saturday 1st May22:00-03:00
The Flying Duck
142 Renfield St
Rave Against The Machine
28-04-2010 15:15
Saturday 1st May 2010, 4pm!RAVE AGAINST THE MACHINE!
!STREET SOUNDCLASH!
!RECLAIM THE STREETS PARTY!
Spread the word and invite your friends!
Location to be confirmed at 3pm!
Reclaim the Streets! Fuck the Election!
EuroMayDay 010 and before
27-04-2010 16:22
I wrote this overview of EuroMayDay activities, because I wanted an english language overview that links some of the places where this movement mobilises, reports and reflects. The starting point is the EuroMayDay website. But other online places can be hard to find, especially since they come in many languages and images. Since most groups have the odd person that speaks english, here is a collection of english language resources. I didn't find a EuroMayDay for this year in the UK. However, struggles around casual labour and precarious lives are happening in the UK just like everywhere else. Maybe some in the UK might recognise their own struggles in the EuroMayDay activities.
Flash mob on Saturday, May the first at 2:30pm at Parliament Square.
27-04-2010 11:48
There will be a massive flash mob on Saturday, May the first at 2:30pm at Parliament Square. Spread the word. Lets make this the biggest flash mob ever! The reason for this flash mob event is the forthcoming general election, we want to show our contempt for politicians who lie and cheat and go back on their promises.Glasgow May Day
27-04-2010 00:26
The Glasgow May Day street party, featuring stalls, food, mayhem and magic, will be held this Saturday 1 May - meet from 11am on the pedestrianised area of Argyle St.