Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

DSEi Reports - Thursday 15th Sept

IMCUK | 15.09.2005 13:31 | DSEi 2005 | Anti-militarism | London

Reports from ongoing protests and actions against DSEi Arms Fair + this evening's arms fair gala dinner at the Dorchester Hotel in central London:

[2250] Some arms fair dinner guests have now been leaving. A small number of people are maintaining a presence shouting at them as they leave, having remained outside the hotel in the rain. Stop and searches are still taking place in the area around the hotel. A total of at least five arrests this evening have been confirmed.
[2110] Two people in suits have been seen at a window inside the Dorchester Hotel where the arms fair dinner is being held - they're dancing with their briefcases in time to the samba drumming so it's clear the protest can be heard inside. Its assumed the hotel security has been breached by protestors. This is later confirmed, two protesters (one a first timer) hailed a cab after discussing the idea in the pub and simply set out and walk straight into the hotel.
[2106] Reports of a violent arrest. Witnesses say police were trying to pull two people out of the park over the fences. People tried to prevent this and for a number of minutes there was a struggle as people tried to pull one person back into the park as the police lashed out hitting people with batons. Two more arrests have been reported closer to the hotel.
[2055] Samba drummers still playing making a lot of noise opposite the arms fair dinner. Reports of two more arrests (including one woman being stamped on), and police on foot rushing down park lane as well as more riot vans - those on the scene assume they are responding to smaller groups blocking the road.
[2046] Small groups of people continue blocking traffic in Park Lane. In one instance a group of around twenty people are aggressively pushed back inside the park through a gate.
[2029] People still inside the Park, with a samba band making lots of noise. The road has been re-opened to traffic. Meanwhile another group of anti-arms fair protestors are still outside the hotel continuing with the noise protest while surrounded by police. Yet more police vans are arriving. A person on the scene says "The arms dealers can't ignore this, they had to walk right through it - we've made it clear we oppose their dealing in death for profit."
[2012] Both sides of Park Lane closed. Reports of many protestors running from police and climbing over the fences into Hyde park itself, some police following. Situation keeps changing and is quite fluid.
[2000] One side of Park Lane is fully blocked by up to 80 people who continue their noise protest 'unwelcoming' the arms fair dinner guests as they arrive. More reports of ongoing stop and searches by police, and high levels of surveillance with people being continuously filmed and photographed by police. Police are using a loudspeaker to tell the crowd to disperse.
[1940] There are 50-70 people now forming a very loud noise protest outside the DSEi arms fair dinner - they are curently surrounded by police and blocking one lane of the road directly opposite the entrance to the hotel.
[1934] At the back of the Dorechester police are stopping and searching people.
[1930] Critical Mass has arrived with a police escourt - police officers run out into the road to form a line across the road - also trying to push people into the 'designated protest zone'. At this point one of our reporters is being shouted at by a police officer telling him to move - our reporter says he is a journalist and the policeman shouts that's your first warning move back - our reporter says stop touching me and the phone goes dead.
[1929] Several more police riot vans arriving. Floodlights have been switched on illuminating the area.
[1928] 4-5 police jump on one man near to the Dorchester hotel pushing him into a barrier, wrestling him to the ground then dragging him across the road face down towards the designated protest pen. He has now been handcuffed and presumably arrested.
[1922] Large numbers of police in the area around the Dorchester Hotel where the Arms Fair Gala Dinner is being held. Nine police riot vans at hyde park corner - lots of motorcycle police stationed near the roundabout. At least 50 police outside the hotel itself, side roads closed by police. A volunteer reporter said "It's incredible to see so many police flooding such a small area".
[1915] Reports of cyclists on their way to the critical mass protest being harassed earlier on - for example being stopped in order for police to check to see if there breaks were in working order!
[1855] Marble Arch / park lane Traffic Cam Offline "For Operational Reasons"
[1830] Critical Mass bicycle protest against the arms fair is meeting up at Eros Statue in London. There's around 40+ bikes there at present, with people shouting anti-arms fair slogans. A banner reads "Food not Guns". Light police presence with police photographer taking pictures of people. Quite blue sunny skies - no rain.

[1400] Humorous actions on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) near to DSEi reported - Campaigners armed with numerous sex toys have been embarassing the mostly male arms fair delegates over their liking of 'boys toys' and big rockets. They say "We at Space Hijackers realise that they must be compensating for a lack of weapons capability somewhere else, and are trying to help them focus their tension in more productive ways". They have also been leafleting other passengers, both on the trains and the station platforms. Police have searched the campaigners and thus far, have not confiscated any of the toys.

[Mid Morning] Reports of around a dozon anti-arms fair campaigners leafletting workers and public outside Reed Elsevier offices in Central London. An earlier attempt to get up to the floor of the Reed office was unsuccessful. Reed Elsevier are organisers of DSEi.

Breakfast time actions at the Custom House Hotel next to the Excel Centre. Four people arrested initially on suspicion of burglary after performing an invisible theatre/barber's shop quartet action. Two dressed as 'Arms dealers' were bloodied by two 'protesters' who then have a noisy argument before all four burst into song "We are the merchants of Death"; chorus line "We've got blood on our hands and we can't wash it off". The action was a repeat of a performance in the arms dealer stuffed bar of the Tower Thistle Hotel at about 11pmm on Wednesday night.

IMCUK

Comments

Display the following 6 comments

  1. Trying to do my bit! — Lizzie
  2. Well done! — matey
  3. DSEI Dinner Dorchester Hotel — simon
  4. Brave action — giulia
  5. sabotage — bones
  6. Highly disorganised — Rich
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech