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Mayday 01 corporate media coverage (March)

indymedia | 31.03.2001 22:00 | May Day 2001

Mainstream coverage of Mayday 2001 (March articles).



March 2001

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH / Mar 30 2001
Hacking 'is now bigger threat than terrorism'
Not yet reviewed

THE EVENING STANDARD / Mar 29 2001
Capital chaos looms in May Police step up security over riot and terrorist fears
Not yet reviewed

THE FINANCIAL TIMES / Mar 29 2001
City plans defence against anarchists
By Francesco Guerrera and Jimmy Burns
Stunning errors regarding dates shown by the normaly more factual FT as well as mixing paragraphs about the IRA and bombings in with Mayday reports:
City of London security summit planned to "defend the Square Mile" on Mayday - Reclaim the Streets may "repeat the huge disruption it caused in the City last year" - mixing dates up they report J18 demonstration from 1999 as "last June's violent anti-capitalist demonstrations, that led to 100 arrests and caused millions of pounds of damage to buildings in theSquare Mile" - mixing in paragraphs about the IRA and terrorist bombings the FT reports Mayday protestors planning violence towards the police and government buildings.

THE SUNDAY TIMES / Mar 26 2001
We're ready to be tough on May Day trouble, say police
By Neil Tweedie
No repeat of last years Mayday 2000 "softly softly" police tactics -foreign groups from europe and maybe america coming to london - last year 5,500 police deployed in biggest operation in 30 years.

THE NEWS OF THE WORLD / Mar 25 2001
Police set to seize may day rioters , Cops set to grab May Day rioters and RAGE - A protester confronts riot police in London last May
Not yet reviewed

THE GUARDIAN / Mar 23 2001
They call us violent agitators (By Naomi Klein)
Not yet reviewed

THE SUNDAY TIMES / Mar 18 2001
Anarchists plot London Mayday riot
By James Clark
An amazingly full-on article from The Sunday Times containing serious factual errors and including the ridiculous number of 150,000 people at last years Mayday 2000 event in london:
Previous Mayday demonstrations descended into fighting, vandalism and arson - 300 groups taking part this year - 150,000 people took part last year!!!! - protestors coming to london from all over the world - for first time anti-globalisation demonstrators will team up with anarchists - all sorts of violence 'possible', including Turkish communists who will try to lure
Met police into baton charging women and children - police leave cancelled for 5 days - square mile may be closed by "ring of steel" - Seattle was "one of the most vicious anti-capitalist protests" ever.

NEWS OF THE WORLD / Mar 16 2001
NAME A THUG - Photo exclusive - Do you recognise May rioters?
Photo gallery of police published pictures from last years Mayday, previously published on the Internet and by the Daily Mail last year:
Sensational non-exclusive! "Police are racing against time to track them down before a wave of riots and mayhem hits the streets. That's 46 days from today at best to stop a wave of destruction that cost millions when it first ripped through London last May 1. Then 5,000 anarchists tore through the capital, desecrating the Cenotaph and Churchill's statue, trashing businesses and attacking police with scaffolding pipes. In just one day after last year's outrage, seven out of 11 people who appeared in court held foreign passports."

THE MIRROR / Mar 07
Rude barbs and custard (Claire Short pied)
Not yet reviewed

PUBLICATION / Mar 06 2001
COWARDY CUSTARD SPLATTERS MINISTER
Not yet reviewed



March 2001

THE DAILY MAIL / Feb 27 2001
TAnarchists try to storm Richard and Judy
Not yet reviewed

NEWS OF THE WORLD / Feb 25 2001
Anarchists plot polling day revolt
Not yet reviewed

SUNDAY PEOPLE / Feb 25 2001
MOBOPOLY: Terror yobs choose targets from board game to smash up London
Not yet reviewed

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH / Feb 23 2001
Police prepare for repeat of May Day anarchy
By John Steele, Crime Correspondent
Reclaim the Streets and others preparing a repetition of last year's disruption - planned violence against the police and the City of London - intelligence gathered over internet - disturbances may last several days - overseas demonstrators may be banned.

THE EXPRESS / Feb 23 2001
POLICE CURB ON MAY DAY MOBSTERS
Not yet reviewed

ANANOVA / Feb 22 2001
Anarchists 'using internet to plot may day riots'
Anarchists using Internet story again - disruption could last for days.

BBC / Feb 22 2001
Police fear more May Day riots
Foreign groups to descend on London for riots which could last days in repeat of last years protests which were condemned by the government as "criminality and thuggery masquerading as political protest". Re last Mayday: "Not all action was violent - some protesters made a garden and planted cannabis seeds in Parliament Square".

ITN / Feb 22 2001
Police chief fears May Day violence
(NB the nice URL's they've given this story)
Anarchists using Internet shocker story! Internet a "fertile recruiting ground for hard-core activists" - being used to plan riots.

THE TIMES / Feb 19 2001
Civil groups protest terror laws
Not yet reviewed

THE TELEGRAPH / Feb 18 2001
'Monopoly' anarchists plan May Day havoc in bid to wreck polling
By David Bamber, Home Affairs Correspondent
Seriously frightening article raising the stakes:
Protest targetting the general election (thought to be on May 3rd) - more than 15,000 hardcore foreign demonstrators and terrorists to descend on London - army may be drafted in to quell one of Britain's worst outbreaks of mass anarchist violence - "They want a violent and bloody conflagration on the streets" - same people who caused trouble at Seattle.

THE TIMES / Feb 13 2001
Anarchists plot May protests to disrupt election
BY STEWART TENDLER AND DANIEL MCGRORY
One of the first articles about Mayday 2001, setting the tone:
Planned violence on a bigger scale than Mayday 2000 - protestors coming from other countries - all police leave cancelled.


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