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Anti cuts demo escapes police control in Oxford

bruised but happy | 29.10.2010 00:18 | Education | Public sector cuts | Social Struggles | Oxford

A huge crowd, mostly students, mobilised at short notice to protest the visit of Vince Cable to Oxford, turned up in spite of the fact that he cancelled his visit, and briefly took over several busy areas of Oxford in the face of police attempts to contain us.

Expectations

When I headed along to the demo this afternoon, I wasn't expecting much: a medium-sized crowd, a few speeches. The news was out that Vince Cable (Govt Business Secretary) had cancelled his visit, but the demo was going ahead; mission accomplished already, perhaps, and you'd be forgiven for thinking most people would've stayed home as a result. I nearly did.

First Skirmishs and Speechifying

Glad I didn't! In stark contrast to the rather tame trade union rally at Bonn Square recently which stayed obediently in one corner of Oxford and preached to the converted, I arrived to find people attempting to make their way onto the High St (from Radcliffe Square), and just a handful of police with the gall to try and stop this massive crowd.

Bizarrely, it worked, at least to begin with. It only took a few up-for-it folks to push the police out of the way, but even when presented with a hard-won gap in this tokenistic police line (3 or 4 cops on the alley between Catte St and High St, if you know it) the rest of the crowd just held back timidly. In their sheltered lives they presumably hadn't disobeyed a cop before, let alone gone through a police line, and I guess they imagined being arrested or hurt.

So, after several attempts, the handful of folks on the spot who had been pushing gave up for a while, disheartened, leaving the field clear for some megaphone junkies who wanted to boost their own egos by getting people to 'sit down' while they gave speeches.

The Breakout

But then our next wave: after a few speeches we started encouraging the crowd to come with us (which worked even though the speechmakers tried to shout us down), and pushed aside the handful of cops blocking the way up to Broad Street. Now the road was much wider and harder to cordon, and we had some momentum. Chants of 'No Ifs, No Buts, No Education Cuts' were in the air again.

The crowd was slow though, and the police formed another cordon. Again it was thin enough to easily get through, but again we came up against the timidity of the crowd. The same dynamic: a smallish number of radicals trying to prevent the police blocking us, some disdainful reformists trying to distance themselves from it, and the bulk of the crowd caught somewhere in between, scared and hesitant.

We didn't manage to coax them to come through the line at Broad St, though we tried many times; instead people quickly ran down Turl St (the cordon being sloppy at that point). At the bottom of Turl St, another police line, another tussle. But the bulk of the crowd took a smart turn down Market Street, heading for Cornmarket, the busiest plastic shopping land in Oxford.

Cornmarket Beckons

It was here that we faced the most serious police line so far. An unruly demo getting onto Cornmarket was probably the last thing the cops wanted. But by this time, people had seen enough times how possible it was to get past police, and more people started to join in. As their line started to sway and disintegrate, the calls of 'Disengage! Disengage!' amongst the police were music to our ears, and we flooded onto Cornmarket.

Bemused shoppers looked on as this huge crowd - which must have seemed to come from nowhere - marched down Cornmarket, chanting and dancing to a small portable soundsystem.

Finally, the High Street; a chance to make ourselves heard by blocking traffic and reclaiming another very public space. Again, we found a police cordon attempting to stop us. Again we broke through. The demo went jubilantly along High Street and finished at the Exam Schools, where the whole story started; it was here that Vince Cable was originally scheduled to speak! A few relatively fiery speeches, some chanting, and we dispersed, feeling that we should leave things on a victory note and not having any better plan to hand.

A note on Repression

The only downside to the demo today was the ease with which the police will have been able to identify and film us, particularly those of us in the riskier position of taking a more confrontational position. The inexperienced and hesitant nature of the crowd made it super-easy for them to single out such people, film them, attempt to intimidate them, and threaten them with arrest.

I overheard one FIT officer [Forward 'Intelligence' Team - double irony as they are neither 'fit' in the colloquial sense nor particularly intelligent] namedropping prominent protesters in the usual attempt to scare. Masking up was out of the question, unfortunately, as it would have alienated us from the rest of the crowd entirely. So instead we end up confronting police in the full glare of city-centre CCTV, which isn't something I feel great about.

One guy was arrested as people were dispersing (I didn't find out this until later) for refusing to give a name and address, presumably cos FIT-type cops didn't know him already and wanted to. Last I heard there were a bunch of friends at the cop shop waiting for him to get out, and hopefully they won't press any charges (fingers crossed). Would be good if someone could confirm he got out and is OK?

Conclusion

A very sucessful day, not only did large numbers come out onto the streets but we used our numbers to make an impact, instead of staying timidly in an out-of-the-way place speechifying each other. Hopefully many naive Oxford students will have been radicalised and empowered somewhat by the experience, and we can build towards further politically-concious disobedience! This, after all, is how the cuts will be stopped. Not by polite persuasion of those in power. They will stop when we become ungovernable, when we pose a threat to their power itself.

bruised but happy

Additions

CCTV / masks

29.10.2010 01:13

"So instead we end up confronting police in the full glare of city-centre CCTV, which isn't something I feel great about."

...and as expected:

"A Thames Valley Police spokesman said CCTV footage of the demonstration would be monitored to identify those who did not protest peacefully."
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-11646198

Oh well; it's not worth letting this worry us too much, but we should be aware of it...

-


Pics + Vids

29.10.2010 09:36

Protest in Oxford shows the way… (with 5 youtube videos)
 http://educationactivistnetwork.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/protest-in-oxford-shows-the-way/

Police inspector Claire Mackintosh annoucing section 14
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyOUnUwGZRk

An Oxford Protest - The Browne Review
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgZns-bKWkc

Oxford Protest - The police turn violent
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TYIasev6h8

Protest in Oxford - Final rallying speech - Education Activist Network - 28/10/10
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3B8lKGkz3s

Insp Claire Mackintosh speaks about her role in facilitating the protest before the demo (thamesvalleypoliceuk channel)

PICS
 http://twitpic.com/photos/AdamRamsay

Upcoming:

Oxford Vodafone demo: Saturday 2pm Cornmarket
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/10/466988.html
 http://ukuncut.wordpress.com

NUS National Anti-Cuts Demo London 10.11.10
 http://www.demo2010.org/

oxbloc


The guy who got arrested

29.10.2010 20:57

he was held for five hours but released with no charge. I suspect it was just the police trying to get one up on a day that had not gone their way.

Crooked


Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

Power to the real people.

29.10.2010 01:08

Good report an account of what when on on the day.

Very good to hear that this movement is beginning to show signs that it has nothing to gain by following, obediently, politically affiliated groups that are using the public anger as a way to further their own political agenda.

As another previous article writer has said, it is unforgiveable to allow trades unions to hijack this anger simply to "serve" the Labour party.

These are public cuts, and it is down to the public themselves to start realising their own power and right of determination is something they hold in their own hands. They gain nothing by allowing themselves to be shepharded into the hands of a political party which will simply carry on with the cuts if they gain power.

These are interesting times for sure. Lets work hard to keep the momentum going.

Lets show the bastards that their wars, their stupidity and their selfishness, backward and misguided morality is something we are no longer going to put up with.

Bolus


Well done! (beware some of the megaphone ppl)

29.10.2010 09:41

One has to watch out for these careerist/cowardly SWP and other megaphone ppl. They are always up for 'working and workers' yet ironically also constantly in favour of 'sitting down'! They're also always up for 'revolution' yet campaign for people to 'vote for labour' without seeing any contradiction between these two opposed things. Anyway, best thing to do is ignore them and self-organise.

Beware though, Oxford is a small place and police spotters soon recognise 'ring leaders' of protests and target them. Masking up, vigilance and sharing the burdens of leadership advised.

Krop


Filming protest

29.10.2010 16:17

"confronting police in the full glare of city-centre CCTV, which isn't something I feel great about."

I sympathise with you. It's not just CCTV and FIT that you need to be careful of. In these YouTube days, you can almost guarantee that a follower protester will video you and post the video on line.


NOTE TO PEOPLE THAT FILM DEMOS

Please be very careful about what you film, and where you post it. You can easily find that you are an unpaid police helper. If in doubt, don't film it (not just people's faces - their clothes can be used for identification). Remember that the demo is more important that getting a record for posterity.

Brandon


Masking up ...

29.10.2010 17:11

Was the reason for not making up because it might put off or split some protesters? When I hear of masking up, I normally think of black face masks, but perhaps for these demos, a load of Cameron masks could be found and distributed. I know if would be scarcy to be surrounds by hundreds of Daves, but might be a way of having non-pushy and pushy (for want of a better term) folks in the same masks, and could be almost as effective as black masks?

Just an idea.

[This name has been deleted by a moderator]


cuts or not?

29.10.2010 17:40

Obviously the Government needs to reverse the cuts and employ more police to keep you lot in order ;-)

anon


Presume, I think not!

30.10.2010 04:50

"the rest of the crowd just held back timidly. In their sheltered lives they presumably hadn't disobeyed a cop before, let alone gone through a police line, and I guess they imagined being arrested or hurt."

Don't be so presumptious (sp?...hey I didn't go to Oxford!).....the key thing to building a movement is resistance and solidarity. There's not much resistance int hese times, because there's not much solidarity.

Events like this can be the most empowering or disempowering it all has to do with the follow up solidarity...looking after the arrested and assaulted in the days and months after "the event" as they are dragged throught the courts or casualty. In my experience (30 years of arrests, raids and 2 years in various prisons) "the left" is piss poor at this. Too busy rushing off to their next adventure. People know how powerful the state is in fucking up your life when they've got you in their sites and they aren't so confident in y/our movement sharing and alleviating the grief. So don't presume.

In terms of surveillance...the Brits are the best in the world at this. There is a strong trainspotting streak in their culture...they invented botany, prpeared to go out and list every plant in the world. And they invented cricket, they know about the long game.

Paddy (as in wagon)

Paddy (as in wagon)


so...

30.10.2010 09:53

you're anarchists - ie you don't want there to be a state/government - yet you are protesting the government cutting benefits etc. if there was no goverment there'd be even less by way of dole, housing benefit, nhs, education system, etc. so why you protest cuts? why you don't get on and do without government like you would have to do after your so-called "revolution"

confused


Helping the confused

30.10.2010 10:55

First, I don't think at any (or even the majority) of protesters were anarchists.

Second, it is easy for an anarchist to oppose cuts. Most, if not all, anarchists are for an equal distribution of power. The cuts increase the inequality of power in our society, therefore anarchists oppose them. Reversing the cuts would not bring about an anarchist society, but it would at least mean that things were less bad than when the cuts are imposed.

Finally most (but not all) anarchists I know do not believe in instantly removing government from our society. They are more 'gradualists' rather than 'revolutionaries' (the difference being the time to move from our current society to an anarchist one). This is because, in their view, it is unrealistic to expect an unequal society to immediately become equal - in fact many argue that the opposite happens in revolutions in unequal societies - the strong just get stronger (think Iraq, Russia).

This is only my view on an anarchist perspective. I do not consider myself an anarchist, but have found exploring anarchism beyond the simplistic view that all it is is 'no government' to be fascinating - and has challenged my views. I recommend everybody to find out more about anarchism by reading books and talking to anarchists - even if you don't believe in it, it is good to consider, at depth, difference perspectives to your own.

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