The stop the war protests in Brighton started early, but hey who can sleep when their expecting the world to blow up over night.

At 7am people went to Brighton station and deplored the commuters not to go to work for war, when they can stay at home in their city, with their community and shut it down!
Only the school kids took much notice….

At 10am Brighton University students Occupied their Pavilion Gardens campus and made it available as a convergence centre for all types of protestors.

At 11am People in the American Express building were evacuated because of a fire alarm into the dazzling sunshine. There they mingled with protestors and some just didn't’t go back to work.

At NOON the cavalry arrived dressed as school kids. They could be heard converging on the pavilion gardens from all directions. There were high hundreds of school kids many of whom had to climb over the school walls and wrestle with their teachers to hold the school gate open for their mates to get out and some are facing expulsion. The Kids' wit, enthusiasm and energy swept the protesters and the police the whole working day in their wake. Brighton witnessed widespread chaos with reclaimed roads, cat and mouse chases, the dethroning and destruction of the American flag at American Express building, the evacuation of the county court, even a smashed bank with of course lots & lots of noise that brought the city center to a stand still.

At DUSK when swelled with the freed convicts of work, the city was now a heaving vibe of resolve to the beat of samba. The 5000 strong crowd danced wildly in an emotion charged manifestation through Brighton.
This finally lead to the town hall where many people overran the doors, got up to the balcony, plus the roof and played to the crowd with the councilors' tea and sandwhiches. The police intervened viscously, wading inn with batons, trigger happy pepper spray and five snatch arrests. The protestors reacted with further forced entries, smashed windows and a graffiti of revulsion for war and the cops on the town hall.

Later the protestors regrouped at the clock tower, the central junction in brighton for a candle lit vigil and dancing with fire, while surrounded by a ring of riot cops who had nothing more exciting to do, than make make sick films for their files.

And by the way, my favorite chants and slogans of the day were:

Lets bomb Texas - they have oil too!

and

Varndean(school) girls are so cool
Fuck the teachers
Smash the school