This is a personal account of the picnic:

Hundreds of pro-cannabis protesters braved bad weather and a large police presence Portsmouth’s annual Smokey Bears Picnic on Sunday 12th August.

Over 200 free ice-creams were given out - paid for by compensation issued to a picnicker by Hampshire Constabulary after an embarrassing police cock-up last year. A ‘hemp wedding’ was held with both bride and groom dressed in hemp clothes. A giant kite with a leaf design would have flown in the strong winds had the owners managed to suss out the assembly instructions! As it was it made a great picnic mat. People brought teddy bears with spliffs stuck in their mouths while others wore bear masks. Balloons highlighting the plight of those with multiple sclerosis were distributed amongst those assembled. People generally mingled and chatted and exchanged leaflets etc. In short, it was a pretty harmless and good humoured event.

At least it was an entirely peaceful and trouble free affair until the 70 - 80 strong police incited angry scuffles by brutally arresting people who had briefly toked on cannabis joints. Some were detained for the purposes of a search but released after it was discovered that their hand-rolled cigarettes contained nothing illegal. Others were taken in police vans to the police station for processing. The crowd reacted angrily when a distraught middle-aged woman was forcefully removed from the picnic. A wheelchair user was manhandled by police as he was arrested. Again, the crowd was less than pleased and even attempted to prevent the police van leaving the common, with it’s unfortunate prisoners, by sitting cross-legged in front of it. Families attending the picnic had to comfort their children who were upset by the police interventions. Throughout the picnic the police behaved like bullies. Trouble only flared when the police waded in.

The police argued that they were simply enforcing the law as if there was no alternative. This is nonsense. Superintendent Martyn Powell is responsible for the policing of the picnic. He knows that unlicensed pro-cannabis picnics are also held in Hyde Park in London, Norwich, Cardiff, Leeds, Edinburgh etc, NONE of which are policed in the same way as the Portsmouth picnic. Superintendent Powell is on a personal moral crusade against the picnickers. Not only is he totally out of step with public opinion, but he is also the only divisional commander in the country who sees fit to persecute people attending the pro-cannabis picnics in such a heavy-handed manner. He has single-handedly orchestrated the confrontational nature of the policing that has marred the picnic in recent years and should be held to account for this.

Anyone who wasn;t there missed out on a good day. Cu all next year?

I've uploaded a photo album from Sunday to my website:

 http://www.shuv.demon.co.uk/bears2001/

Enjoy!

Excellent photos by Phil Stovell. On page 4 of the photos, the hidden number of the other officer filming the picnickers was 1960. I asked him to reveal his number at 2.30 pm. His 'minder' was 2776. So if anyone applies for this footage, which they are legally entitled to, the two officers filming were 2264 and 1960. According to a news-sheet provided by the Bears at the picnic you should write to:
Data Protection Officer
Hampshire Constabulary Media Services
Police HQ
Romsey Road
Winchester
Hants. SO22 5DB