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March to Gleneagles - Timeline

imc gla | 06.07.2005 14:41 | G8 2005

Updated news from the March from Auchterarder to Gleneagles Hotel.

18:00The march to Gleneagles is over. People have returned to Auchterarder and some are waiting for their coaches.

17:55People are leaving the fields around Gleneagles and returning to Auchterader.

17:45 The fields near Gleneagles have been cleared. At least five people have been arrested. People have been hit by riot shields.

17:35 The group in the field that broke the fence at Gleneagles have been pushed back by riot cops to the barbed wire fence, but are not being pushed any further. There has been reported one injury and no arrests. Police are asking protestors to 'finish the march'. People are refusing to move. There are lots of people on the other side of the fence on the road.

17:26 The biggest, more fluffy, part of the protestors is getting on buses to go back to Stirling now. They're planning a big clean-up tomorrow.

17:25 The 200 occupying Gleneagles field and 200 penned in on the march route are now joining up again and being allowed to carry on the demonstration. Another Chinook comes down close to protesters with flashing lights - protesters say they have never seen this before in their lives and are "fucking scared" - there are military forces in the fields.

17:22Alternative stewards from SWP and SSP tell protesters at the march to "turn back to the park to have third rally of the day". Most protesters refuse so stewards abandon demonstrators and head to the rally, leaving protesters alone with police.
Quote from War on Want official "We have hundreds occupying a field; hundreds penned in on road; Chinooks swooping down every 30 seconds; and the stewards walk away - even the police apologised to us for that"

17:10 Police has already charged 2 times to the demonstrators on the field. They are surrounded by the police. Thre are 4 helicopters very close, and there are medical assistance and legal observers as well.

17:05The peaceful sit-down protest got attacked by riot cops who charged at them. More and more cops coming and surrounding the field. Noboy is throwing anything anymore. riot cops charging at the peaceful sit down crowd. field is now getting suorunded by riot cops. nobody is throwing anything anymore

17:00 Mounted police and riot police have made a circle around the people in the field. There is a sit-down protest of 100 people and another few hundred milling about in the field. They are being ringed in by the police.

16:58 Quotation from participant at Gleneagles "everyone was really bored on an A-B march, going nowhere, then people made the fence break and the atmosphere changed; people are quite excited but I'm quite scared about what is going to happen - there are a lot of police moving in now"

16:53Gunship helicopter flying overhead and bringing in police reinforcements.

16:50The demo came and left at the perimeter fence. Many people stayed there. Now People are streaming back with hundreds towards the fence. The atmosphere is jubilant: The Infernal Noise Brigade and Rinkydink are playing great music. Riot police have made a few charges.

16.50 People are coming down from the hill, breaching the barriers of Gleneagles.

16.30 Several people are over the second fence, and therefore in the hotel area. Gunship helicopters circling overhead, at least one helicopter landed. Riot police is not amused and try to form a human fence to stop more people from enterning the farmer's field. People are still making their way through. Biggest part of the demonstration is walking around the block.

16.26 Crowd has pulled down the first fence surrounding Gleneagles hotel. Reports coming in that 8 people have been seen on the second fence, 100 m away. Riot cops are protecting the farmer's field. Helicopters are watching.

16.20There are about 150 people next to the fence, most people from the march are walking across the field towards the fence. The riot police is near the crowd. The infernal noise brigade is approaching. Thousands of people are now arriving in the small road behind the crowd.

16:16 Gleneagles: More and more people are getting into the field now. At the moment, there are 300 to 400. Those protestors had to jump two barbed wire fences to get there. There is no reaction of the police on this.

16.00 GATES OF GLENEAGLES: 200 people have jumped a barbed wire fence into a field - now going up the the perimeter fence - more and more joining them in the field - 15 mounted police the other side of the fence and a watch tower to the right

16:00 Just before 4pm, the march had gone down a road with houses on either side. The road was suddenly curtailed by fences, so the demo turned right in between 2 houses. Some houses are inside the protected zone. After the rallies, the march doesn't move, people were crammed in near to the fence, people see a low fence to climb over and a gap and a big field to run into, which they do.

15.30 Gleneagles march has reached the fences. There are 6 lines of yellow jacket police, behind them more police on horses. The atmosphere is tense but calm, with occasional cheers. People are staying and not moving on.

15.15 The G8 Alternatives March is a 150 yards away from the Gleneagles hotel fence. There is a relaxed atmosphere and lots of locals around.

14.05 Auchterarder Park. The G8 Alternatives march has just taken off from Auchterarder Park, after a rally. At this moment it is reported that there are about 3000-5000 people. The Rinky Dink soundsystem is playing, lots of people are dancing. The Infernal Noise Brigade is on the other side of the park with approximately 500 people around them. The atmosphere is good, local people are waving and cheering at the crowd. A large group of people have left the A9 after some blockades and are walking north towards Gleneagles. Various other groups are now making their way towards the Gleneagles Hotel.

13:00 Find news about the march in Edinburgh Princes Street in the Edinburgh timeline.

12:32 Princes street, the G8 alternatives march is now peacefully walking along Princes Street, with one line of police at the front. There is a FIT team present.

12.25 March in Auchterarder is allowed to go ahead, g8alternatives statement says due to public pressure

12:09 Edinburgh, about 300 people are marching down Princes Street into Hanover Street. Police line at the bottom of the mound. They are people who are from the G8 Alternatives buses.

11:50 G8 Alternatives coaches and cars on their way from Edinburgh have been stopped and searched on the Broxden roudabout out of Auchetrader by what eyewitnesses called 'loads' of police. A large number of protestors are also present. Reports suggest the march will be delayed until 1pm.

11:43 Some of the G8 Alternatives coaches on their way to Gleneagles are now almost at the convergence site. Passengers report passing person handcuffed to the underside of a car, blocking the road at Yetts O' Muckhart.

11:19 At Broxeen Roundabout near Perth - 10 busses there they are expecting more - Police blocking A9 East to Stirling - Good mood around - Lots of corp media, variety of people, anti-dept campaigners in kilts, scots and cuban flags, only a few paper sellers - police currently being 'friendly' but many more arriving including it is believed dog handlers.

11.04 March: 10 coaches have been stopped, some for up to an hour, on the slip road 4 miles from Auchterarder.

10.53 - The planned march has not been cancelled, according to the Press Officer of G8 Alternatives. The convoy of buses taking people to the march is now moving, with police on foot occupying one lane to check vehicles.

10:34 Eco-camp: Police are not allowing the Children's Tea Party bus to go to the march. The bus is surrounded by a small number of police, and there are 35-40 buses queueing behind it. Negotiations are taking place with the police, with 4 vans of riot police waiting 'around the corner.

10.00 - Coaches full of protestors on their way to Gleneagles have been seen turning back on the A907. It is unclear if they turned back due to police, demonstrators or general traffic problems.

9:50 Police at Gleneagles request that a 5,000-strong protest march should be called off on the grounds of public safety.

9:00 A full Section 60 is now in force at the Gleneagles train station. 100 people are blockading a small side road around Auchterarder. 40 members of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) are on the sliproad from main A9 junction near the station, surrounded by cops. One clown is still roaming free.

8:40: Police are are advising people not to travel to the Gleneagles/Stirling area for the next few hours due to what they call 'continuous ongoing serious public disorder.'

imc gla

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

photo of protesters at the fence

06.07.2005 15:43

at the fence
at the fence

photo

nessuno


LATEST AT 5pm

06.07.2005 15:58

riot cops have been airlifted into behind the famous fence, they then came down and started to push the several hundred who had gathered at the fence, in particular at one of the watchtowers,

on the whole the crowd dispersed without resistence, some through what appeared to be mud or stones from within the large field.

there are about 500 who jumped a short farmers style fence, and went into the field up to the main fence.

back at the farmers fence, on the outskirts of aucherarder, there was some sort of short confrontation with fencing being thrown/ pushed against riot cop lines.

what is can't be worked out by myself is the reason why for a whole hour nobody stopped the hundreds jumping this farmers fence. very strange.

sky news, itv news, getting excited. tossers.

psil


Helicopter emptying Met reinforcements inside Gleneagles perimeter

06.07.2005 16:32

Helicopter landing ...
Helicopter landing ...

Photo

nessuno & caro


strange

06.07.2005 16:43

the BBC announced on news 24
that police had sent 'reinforcements'

this happened then
about 3 minutes later the chinook landed

someone at the beeb has had a peek at the gameplan...

interesting footage from the beeb, also

with a fat cameraman being trampled and ten helped up!

and as the fence is broken by the tower
no one went through....


saw the US flag burning too...

and someone smashing something against the side of
a hut


weird pictures

paul c


police and stewards

06.07.2005 19:20

Couple of interesting points re stewards, police and entry to field.

Despite pointlessly blocking every little lane heading in wrong direction leading off the march route, after reaching police designated end of march, we were directed to the field in such a way that many people seemed to assume we were meant to climb over small fence to continue on our way.

And a steward said that they had warned the police earlier that people would be able to access the perimeter fence from there.

Questions: Why were people directed to an area where they could easily reach the perimeter fence? Why did the stewards tip off the police of this chink in the armour? Why did the police not fix it?

.


we made it to gleneagles

06.07.2005 22:52

i've just come back from the gleneagles demo.
i think people should be less hasty to criticise the stewards- remember that these are people who are volunteers for the most part, who battled to get to a demonstration site in order to steward a peaceful and meaningful protest, and that in the face of an unneccesarily intimidatory police force and military presence the incredibly visible stewards shouldn't be criticised for not wanting to take to the fields with other protestors.
however there were still stewards present til the end trying to facilitate the movement of people and trying to keep people calm and informed in what could have been a very frightening situation.
i think we also need to remember that we are all on the same side, and that it is the over the top police measures that are to blame and not the protestors or the stewards.

.


total bollocks........

15.07.2005 23:05

I was there at the front of the outer cordon of the gleneagles area.... there were a lot of people who made it over the farmers field (hope he gets compensation). Most were either photographers or peaceful protestors... A few... About half a dozen were shit (probs local) who tore down the fence and threw rocks at the police. Not exactly right is it?? The police reacted by securing the fence with police dogs. Then all the protestors (peaceful or otherwise) were pushed slowly back by a large number of police who were still under attack with missiles. Shame for the handful of idiots and well done by the police... I think the next line of police were armed...!

charlie