personal account from a womble
Rod | 03.05.2001 08:20
Thanks to all the fellow wombles for making Mayday one of the most memorable days ever...
The Daily Mirror said "one nil to the Bill", well this could not be further from the truth.
I hope a small group of twenty wombles can show people what can be done with a bit of effort and belief in themselves.
After a lot of planning for Mayday I didn't think that I would be sat in an alleyway in Soho ducking and diving from police, trying to strap cuddly toys to each other arms. While this was going I had to cope with the fact that I was completely shitting myself at the same time.
Once we were kitted up with home made padding and white overalls we made our way fairly sheepishly onto Oxford Street.
That moment was one of the most unforgetable as suddenly the crowd gave me the biggest lift of my life as they started cheering and giving encouragement.
The whole place was suddenly transformed and a new energy enveloped everyone around us.
This wasn't about fighting cops, this to me was about having the right to walk where we wanted to walk and yes we did that.
The rest everyone knows, we walked straight through lines of riot police and defended ourselves against baton and tear gas attacks.
We ended up back in Oxford Street and after many more attacks by frenzied police we retreated and got away relativley unscathed.
For everyone there on the day, even we were amazed at the effect the wombles had.
We were all just all normal people who want to change things for the better.
None of us can do martial arts or are trained at riot school. I want to say to everyone that we can empower ourselves and make a difference, can you imagine what a hundred or a thousand wombles could have done?
The Daily Mirror said "one nil to the Bill", well this could not be further from the truth.
I hope a small group of twenty wombles can show people what can be done with a bit of effort and belief in themselves.
After a lot of planning for Mayday I didn't think that I would be sat in an alleyway in Soho ducking and diving from police, trying to strap cuddly toys to each other arms. While this was going I had to cope with the fact that I was completely shitting myself at the same time.
Once we were kitted up with home made padding and white overalls we made our way fairly sheepishly onto Oxford Street.
That moment was one of the most unforgetable as suddenly the crowd gave me the biggest lift of my life as they started cheering and giving encouragement.
The whole place was suddenly transformed and a new energy enveloped everyone around us.
This wasn't about fighting cops, this to me was about having the right to walk where we wanted to walk and yes we did that.
The rest everyone knows, we walked straight through lines of riot police and defended ourselves against baton and tear gas attacks.
We ended up back in Oxford Street and after many more attacks by frenzied police we retreated and got away relativley unscathed.
For everyone there on the day, even we were amazed at the effect the wombles had.
We were all just all normal people who want to change things for the better.
None of us can do martial arts or are trained at riot school. I want to say to everyone that we can empower ourselves and make a difference, can you imagine what a hundred or a thousand wombles could have done?
Rod
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
Remember Your're A Womble
03.05.2001 10:05
Mark My Words
Major respect to the Wombles
03.05.2001 11:18
So which is the violent action, pushing up against someone who has you trapped against your will, or beating somebody over the head with a baton? Anyone with a shred of independent thought could answer that one...
An inspiration to us all! Keep up the good work.
Genoseize Therat
e-mail: genoseize@hotmail.com
Homepage: http://www.genoseize.co.uk
Moments of change
03.05.2001 13:22
When we got back after our day of virtual arrest and (surely) illegal imprisonment we watched the tv footage and saw clips of the police going ballistic raining down powered blow after blow onto the heads of you brave people.
We thought there must have been some serious injuries, but are glad to hear that everyone got out without too much lasting damage, amazing.
Full credit for sticking it out as you were portreyed as planning violence and then after everything going out into the militarised streets to show that you would confront but not attack.
Womble envy!
Viva Wombles
03.05.2001 14:59
How about a wombling picnic up at flyingdales to put a stop to Blair and Bush's new arms race?
admirerofallthingsfurry
Respect to the Wombles
03.05.2001 16:49
Also respect for opening up the convergence centre and keep it open and accessible to all even under such police repressive tactics.
The Wombles were actually very open about their plans and about what they stand for. They actually asked people to go to oxford st 'wearing white overalls and padded up' so we could defend ourselves from police attacks. We'll they were right, weren't they? .....
Next time we seriously need to think of communal self-defence against police's section 60. They've done it three times in a row now (Euston N30, M2K and M1)... and it is already a piss take. Wombles's tactics may just be one solution, but sure we can find many more.
Police's section 60? ..... Ya Basta!
dtby