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Glasgow "Boogie on the Bridge" Timeline

imc tg | 08.07.2005 11:56 | G8 2005

News from the "Boogie on the Bridge" Street Party in Glasgow.
( Pictures 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | )

19:30 All protesters and police have left bridges

18:40 George V bridge groups allowed to leave in small groups, 5-8 people, as long as they tell police where they are going. They also get police escort for all/part of the way.

18:17 People on George V Bridge (Commerce Street) are still cordonned off on both sides, but the mood in the pen appears to be good. People are dancing and playing with a ball.

18.10 somebody who just returned from Glasgow centre described the situation in the town centre as chaotic, the police is totally confused

18:10 Jamaca St group have been allowed to disburse. No group have moved off, just small individual. There are few people milling around left.

18:05South of River: Police broke crowd into groups. Some people seen cuffed after fighting cops. There is an unconfirmed number of arrests.

18:00 Junction of Jamaca St cleared by line of police. Approx 30 people now held back on the pavement near the bridge. There is one arrested.

17:55 Junction of Jamaca St. and Broomilaw - 100 people originally just standing, some of them now sitting in the street. Only few cops so far trying to get traffic through . Mixture of protestors up for closing street and others just stood around, lots of whistling and occasional shouts.

17:30 There are now about 40 people penned in between horses on one side and cops on other at junction of Bridge. One line of cops moved crowd south off the bridge, but still some people are actually on bridge. Neither sound system nor the samba can be heard from the north end of bridge now.
People are jeering and whistling. There are now also around 50-60 people milling about outside those penned in by cops and horses. Everybody is now Section 60'd. The crowd moved off bridge south into residential area, crossing through lanes of traffic. Cops are well behaved. There is a very good atmosphere.

17:20 Partying continues in the pen at the junction of the Bridge and Oswald Street. About 20 mounted cops can be seen from the bridge, lining up from Oswald Street. The crowd are shouting in response. 8 more cop vans position themselves by the bridge from the west, some unmarked, some Kent police force. All cops are wearing fluro jackets, not riot cops. There is a small 'shopping trolley' sound system, and people are still allowed to leave the bridge.

17:00 After a group of people blockaded the second bridge (Bridge Street), police batoned some demonstrators to clear the bridge and an unconfirmed number of people were injured (appr. 4). Appr. 4 people were arrested there.

17:00 The junction of Oswald Street and Broomielaw was closed off on all sides except Oswald Street.. Police have been moving around. A sound system is in the middle of the junction with people around it dancing.

16:30 Some clowns and fairies gathered at a shell petrol station on the south side but have now disappeared after writing "change the climate of fear and destruction" on the forecourt. There are currently two police officers 'guarding' a Southside McDonald's with no protesters to be seen for miles.

The clowns left messages in sand: "the fishes are comming" "change the climate of fear" at the shell garages. mermaids were on hand to help with the swimming lessons. the police kindly helped by stopping cars from entering the garage. A local who had not been clowning joined in by infoming those present about the realites of climate change.

16:20 Samba band moved toward city side of bridge, police have blocked road, no coming and going at the part of road now, people have moved toward that point, still just party atmosphere. The north side of bridge (city side) is closed off. (Picture 16:20)

14:30 Sound system has turned up and more people are dancing, but people seem to be still "low of energy" and chilled. The 3 FIT teams of the police are still standing along on the side, and people keep on coming.

14:20 Boogie on the bridge party is on the bridge: the police have blocked the bridge to traffic but are being quite relaxed about the action. There are around 2-300 people there, ambience is very chill, clowns are clowning, drummers are drumming and all seems cool.

14:15 There are two thin cordons on both ends of the bridge, and new people are still getting onto the bridge. 10 clowns on bicycles have just arrived and the atmosphere is still chilled and relaxed. There is a small samba band, a few clowns just arrived as crowd cheered them, people are playing with fire sticks. seems yes the group coming from east end are on the bridge. bridge now closed to traffic obviously. It seems that groups are coming from east end are now on the bridge.

14:04 9 vans of riot cops are waiting on Oswald St. There is a police cordon on the north of the bridge. Estimated 300 people are now on that bridge, some of them playing percussion, and the atmosphere is relaxed.

13:30 The police are escorting the big group along London Road towards the Bridge.

13.15 The big group with music is blocked by police on London Road, the road which leads into town centre.

12:50 Street Party . 150 people coming from east Glasgow with music are moving towards town centre.

imc tg

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

well done

08.07.2005 13:45

enjoying the music on the bridge here at my work...

nature boy


observed

08.07.2005 15:32

15:30 - Not much happening on the bridge to be honest. 400 sweaty protesters blocking the George V Bridge, picknicking, dancing, sleeping. Light policing with only a single line of officers at each end of the bridge. The blockade is causing some disruption to traffic, but as it's a Friday afternoon it's difficult to be sure how much more congested than usual it is.

Some clowns and fairies gathered at a Shell petrol station on the south side but have now dispersed after writing "Change the climate of fear and destruction" on the forecourt.

Also, two police officers were spotted 'guarding' a deserted south side McDonald's, with no protesters to be seen for miles ;)

tim vanhoof


boogie on the bridge

08.07.2005 17:50

baaaaaaaaaaaa baaaaaaaaaaaaa thats the sound coming from you all as the police shephrd you onto the bridge then back off again and to what end ? more irate drivers whos anger is directed at you not the G8 or anything else Glasgow doesnt want you go home ya bunch of muppets

tripod
mail e-mail: tripod@hotmail.co.uk


the police seemed to be encouraging blocking of more roads

08.07.2005 20:20

i arrived about 15:00, and everyone seemed happy partying on the first bridge: drums, dancing, juggling, chalking.

when the police line doubled at the north (city) end (about 16:20), a fair number of people gradually left south, walked a hundred metres upstream, crossed back, and came back down to the other side of the police line. this seemed to rattle the police caught in the protester pen :-) and the next appearance was a big load of (helmeted... yorkshire?) police up the river along the broomielaw. this dispersed a lot of people to under the railway bridge, but also succeeded in blocking the whole junction at the north end of the bridge, as well as most of oswald street.

shortly after that, a line of fluoroclads (strathclyde, i think) lined up and moved east under the railway bridge towards the jamaica street bridge. within minutes, there were suggestions to block the other bridge, which they succeeded in doing for ten minutes or so around 18:00 when they were marched slowly over the bridge, while traffic began flowing in single file alongside them.

whoever was masterminding the police movements deserves a big thank you for the extra blocks caused. nice one!

if the plan was traffic jams, the plan succeeded. paisley road west was backed up as far as ibrox even before the rush hour (when i arrived). clyde street and renfield street were stationary for a good twenty minutes right in the middle of the rush hour.

sadly, i'm not convinced the majority of car-drivers will be convinced by such action that extending the M74 is such a bad idea.

cheers for a nice afternoon folks!

peak oil (google it)


Missing moment

08.07.2005 21:28

16:25 Everyone who had moved to North/City end of bridge moved to South End, and some incompentent/lazy policing allowed the group to march straight off, left under the Railway, right towards Eglington Toll, then right again.

Hence the following comments about random streets well away from the bridge getting blocked.

Rebel W