Reasonable mainstream media coverage at www.thisisbrighton.co.uk

At the beginning of the evening action, at about 6pm we occupied a major roundabout in town and most people sat down on the road. This prompted the police to line up in front of the peacefull crowd and raise their battons above their head, most officers held a threatening stance and had the kind of expressions you see on drunken idiots about to deck someone. I'm quite sure this would be seen as threatening behaviour by the police if a civillian was to do the same, does the law not work the other way, i'd like to know.

Pepper spray was then used on the crowd, which seemed to be a tactic design to push the crowd in to a violent response, we did not bite, what they did not get was the simple fact - *this was a peace demo* .

While they were trying to surround us, we broke away from the roundabout and say down in the road, where we sat for about 15 mins. Just as they looked ready to move, we started a cat and mouse game, running to a location, comming up against a line of now helmeted and shielded police, sitting down for a bit then wrong footing them and moving to somewhere else. After having gone from St. Georges st to the Courts to the Pavillion to the Theatre up finally up to Queens road, we settled down up at the clock tower on Queens road (in the heart of town).


We stayed here for quite a while, when we moved, the police line came with up, pushing us further and further up the road, you could see the look of fury on their faces, I guess because we hadnt given them the riot they were wanting.

At a point, halfway up to the train station, someone realised we were about to be boxed in, so some started jumping over a low wall into a park, may began to follow. At this point the police started running, battons raised. I ducked behind a parked car along with half a dozen others. Three or four officers came over to the car and began beating people in front of me, completely unprovoked, I couldnt see their numbers because they were wearing them on their backs! We still didnt bite.

Some then occupied the train station, I dont know what happened to them as they were trapped the other side of the yellow line, but the rest of us ran down Trafalgar street, where a car mysteriously drove into the crowd at high speed, trying to run people over, now this is a tactic used on many demos by police wanting to start a riot, the drivers behavious was strange, he was calm and seemed willing to allow his car to be kicked, I hope someone has the reg and video.

After this people were fairly effectively dispersed, a much smaller crowd sat down near St Peters church, where they were surrounded, my view was blocked by the sheer number of vans surrounding them, so I have no idea how that ended.

From the outset it seemed that the police were not there to keep public order, but to disupt it for political means. By not reacting to the police in a violent means, the demo was able to continue for about three hours, even the biased local paper, the Argus gave a fairly good report, even giving numbers close to reality (300-500) and reporting on some of the police dubious actions.

I love our 'democracy'.

Just one thing: this action was not about the police themselves, but about the impending war in Iraq which we want to voice our opposition to.

As far as I understand it, the idea of civil disobedience is to take actions that break the normal workings of 'the system', to which 'the system'(in this case through the police) is then forced to react and the general public takes notice (as opposed to half-million people peace demos that simply get ignored by the establishment).

So I think the actions yesterday were successful in the sense that many people will read about it in the Argus. But they were not that successul in the sense that not many people will have witnessed it themselves, and that the police managed to re-create normal traffic quite quickly (many drivers may have thought that it was the normal 6pm traffic jam).

Let's not forget the objective: make sure everyone in this country knows that a criminal war is about to be launched in our name. The police aggression was despicable, but the police are not what this is about.

Just one thing: this action was not about the police themselves, but about the impending war in Iraq which we want to voice our opposition to.

As far as I understand it, the idea of civil disobedience is to take actions that break the normal workings of 'the system', to which 'the system'(in this case through the police) is then forced to react and the general public takes notice (as opposed to half-million people peace demos that simply get ignored by the establishment).

So I think the actions yesterday were successful in the sense that many people will read about it in the Argus. But they were not that successul in the sense that not many people will have witnessed it themselves, and that the police managed to disperse protesters and re-create normal traffic quite quickly (many drivers may have thought that it was the normal 6pm traffic jam).

Let's not forget the objective: make sure everyone in this country knows that a criminal war is about to be launched in our name. The police aggression was despicable, but the police are not what this is about.

Just quick comment about police at demonstrations. I think it is both discrediting to the movement and distracting from the issues to direct anger at the police during demonstrations, and in the following media coverage. I know that some of the police are just out to get the biggest ego trip out of their overtime, and that the force IS used by the state to repress any dissent. But I think we have to keep our reletive freedoms in mind, and remember that causing violence towards the police at demonstrations splits the issue, people are dying and more are going to die in Iraq, its not about being penned in by the pigs. Lets not feed into their hands.

Just quick comment about police at demonstrations. I think it is both discrediting to the movement and distracting from the issues to direct anger at the police during demonstrations, and in the following media coverage. I know that some of the police are just out to get the biggest ego trip out of their overtime, and that the force IS used by the state to repress any dissent. But I think we have to keep our reletive freedoms in mind, and remember that causing violence towards the police at demonstrations splits the issue, people are dying and more are going to die in Iraq, its not about being penned in by the pigs. Lets not feed into their hands.