Skip navigation

Indymedia UK is a network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues

Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!

CamSAW | 24.04.2003 22:14 | Cambridge

Fascist Jean-Marie Le Pen received a warm welcome today in Cambridge - eggs, spit, rocks, and a broken windscreen! (article 1)

Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!
Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!

Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!
Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!

Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!
Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!

Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!
Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!

Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!
Le Pen welcomed to Cambridge!!!


Fascist leader of the French National Front was invited to speak - in a demonstration of very poor judgement - by the Cambridge Union Debating Society. Cambridge was less than happy to have the fash in town, though, and decided to make him feel unwelcome. Le Pen turned up late, luckily, and by the time he got there, we had blockaded the back door. Before he even got up the street, people were all over his car - sitting on it and smashing the windscreen. His driver had to bash through the crowd to get to the back of the Union, and then the police cordon helped him in.
There was no giving up, though, and after Le Pen got inside, we rushed the front gate of the Union - upsetting some posh wankers who actually tried to put in some tackles - and nearly made it to the door. We got into the courtyard, completeley filling it - a couple hundred at this point - and more or less surrounded the building. At this point, the Union debating building was locked-down, with all the rest who came to attend the speech being turned back, including Peter Hitchens. It was wicked at one point, as members of the Union were physically rushing their own people to try and force their way in.
We continued outside - yelling, shouting, playing a trumpet, banging on the windows of the debating chamber - quite effectively according to the moles on the inside. A person on the inside pulled the fire alarm, but the people inside disabled it (thereby breaking fire regulations). Apparently Le Pen proved all those right who were claiming it wasn't an issue of free speech, as he avoided all questions and used it as a political platform. After he finished speaking, he and his bodyguards retired to an inner chamber to plan their escape. Meanwhile, we had fully blocked the back gate and flattened the tires of his car, and erected barricades on the side door. They tried to fool people by calling several taxis to different sides of the building, but by the time he came out the front - he was fucked.
Somewhere between the front gate of the Union and his taxi, Le Pen was barraged with a hail of eggs - SEVERAL OF WHICH HIT HIM DIRECTLY ON THE HEAD!!! He was wiping his face and trying to get in the taxi, but the sunroof was open, and eggs, rocks, and dirt were flying in so one of his guards opened an umbrella out the sunroof. Meanwhile, everyone was trying to block the street, but being heavily manhandled by the coppers and two private guards who assaulted several protestors. At one point, the taxi driver got upset that people were bashing his car - SO HE STOPPED - nearly letting the crowd tear Le Pen out!
After he escaped, there were some tense moments, with the coppers being called scum, and making efforts to arrest for Section 5 (for calling them the 'fucking SS'). They then congratulated the hired thugs for busting heads - as several were indeed left bleeding - and went inside for a drink. Some demonstrators went into the Union in an attempt to find the thugs, confronted by drunk toffs spouting about it being a 'private party'. The police refused to even acknowledge that the assaults had occurred (while they were standing right there) and tried to get us to go home and make a complaint later (while the scumbags were sitting right there). Finally we got them questioned - expect them in court and the Union up against a lawsuit for liability!

CamSAW
- Homepage: http://www.camsaw.org.uk


Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

please remove last photo

25.04.2003 10:49

Indymedia folks - please remove the last photo due to a request of one of those pictured.

cheers

jim


gotcha!

25.04.2003 12:09

Too late, Jim! RedWatch already has them! Thanks for the pics, Camsaw, you stupid prat!

natsocnet


huh?

25.04.2003 13:34

What is Redwatch, and what is a "prat"?

Boly


oh crap

25.04.2003 14:11

Which moron would post that picture of anti-nazis?

Redwatch.org.uk is a site run by a dodgy guy in the NF who is also rumoured to work for a State agency and has been involved in anti-nazi activity too. His name's Tony White and the site has pics and details of anti-fascists, socialists and anarchists for the use of far-right and fascist groups.

Nice one to CAMSAW for giving them this...

blacknred


Hypocrisy

26.04.2003 23:53

The hypocrisy in your report is astounding. You openly boast of the damage you did to cars, building and taxis, boast about hurling eggs and objects at someone, then whinge about 'assault'. Get a grip!
You make me ashamed to be part of the anti-right wing movement!

Neil
mail e-mail: uksly2002@yahoo.co.uk


Nothing to do with CamSAW

27.04.2003 04:39

The above has NOTHING to do with CamSAW. As a member of camSAW, I resent the implication that CamSAW was in any way involved in this demonstration. It is incredibly dishonest of anyone to suggest otherwise. As far as I am aware this was purely an ANL affair.

Dave


regarding Redwatch

27.04.2003 14:20

Redwatch is bloody garbage and shouldn't be taken seriously. Whoever runs it is at best semi-literate.

Blacknred: the bigger issue is - do we stop posting pictures on Indymedia because we're afraid of fascists? no fucking way, mate. You're giving in to them if you think that, and playing into their hands by encouraging that the ANL go underground.

geo


get real

27.04.2003 16:58

I guess like most groups CAMsaw is diverse and so someone can put up a comment & photo and do it on behalf of CAMsaw, whilst someone else reckons it's a bad idea. Unless the whole group discuss and agree guidelines and who's putting info out beforehand, that's just what happens.
Blacknred's comments about CAMsaw just tar everyone with the same brush - never very useful.

Don't take photos of people without their permission in such situations, and certainly don't put them up on the web.

And as for geo's comment about playing into the fasc's hands and driving the ANL underground:
However literate someone is is not the point - think about it.
The ANL aint' going to go underground, and photos or none is not relevant to this.
And no, we don't stop putting pictures on Indymedia if they serve a purpose and that purpose is greater than any negative effects. But if you want your picture (& any other details, address and so on) to be available to fash who don't mind breaking your face and home, then that's your choice to post your photo/details on IMC. To post someone else's is NOT your choice. I guess you've never been so targetted by them, or driven out of towns by them, or had dog shit and burning rags put through your door everyday by them, etc etc, as people I know have. Until then, dont' make choices for other people.

anti-fa


One last point...

28.04.2003 01:42

RedWatch continues to provide information on all true enemies of free speech.

ANaL/SWP politics can best be summed up by Tariq Ali, who is on record as stating: "If joining the National Front means broken bones then its support will be lost."

The Anti-Nazi League is really the Anti-Democratic League.

Whereas RedWatch publicly states IF YOU CAN PERSUADE YOUR FRIENDS IN ANaL, ETC. TO REMOVE THEIR PAGES NAMING OUR PEOPLE FROM THEIR WEBSITES AND CEASE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE LIFE HELL FOR THEM, WE WILL FOLLOW SUIT AND THE REDWATCH PAGES WILL ALSO BE REMOVED. WE CAN'T BE ANY FAIRER THAN THAT CAN WE?

Judge for yourselves how best to deal with all forms of political harrassment.

www.redwatch.org.uk

natsocnet


Links