No Borders Protest - Waterloo Station 12.00 today - Report

reporter | 31.01.2004 14:07 | Anti-racism | Migration | London

The mini-detention centre at the Eurostar Terminal, Waterloo was targetted today. A 20ft Banner reading "NO BORDERS" was hung across the information board, whilst others handed out leaflets to the hundresd of travellers that saw the banner.

Protesters from The Wombles, Barbed Wire Britain and Rhythms of Resistance combined for a very public showing of feeling over Fortress Europe's immigration controls. The banner was still hanging from Waterloo Station as I was ejected from the station. The Samba band, turned up later to give a bit of percussional support to the two people who had scaled Waterloo station to do the banner drop.

Several people tried to get past the border controls to where the detention centre is, but they were forcibly ejected.

This was the forth refugee rights/no borders action of the weekend in London alone.

reporter

Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

banner

01.02.2004 11:48

The banner actually read " ALL BORDERS ARE PRISONS", all in all around 60 - 70 people showed up to something which was, in the case of Wombles, publicised thru word of mouth to avoid cops. This worked well and no cops were there. Unfotunately not many people took the initiative to do things.

I will write a fully report L8r

cheers

NotWork Fail bleating.

01.02.2004 15:00

The stall on the main concourse was set up around 1200, leafleters started to distribute both CDAS material and some No Borders leaflets. No-one seemed to be complaining.
Then NetWork Rail staff started appearing claiming we didn't have permission to be there,and despite being shown police permits to do so,they continued to try to shut it down.However,leafleting continued whilst discussions when on. First no banners but leafleting ok,then take table signs down and only give leaflets if asked. We merrily
continued to leaflet anyway,some of us keeping NwR staff diverted talking.
Later one leafleter was seen backing away from a NutWanker PR man because of his aggressive manner about Israel (!?) Apparently he was bleating that Israel had a right to defend it's borders and we had no right to be there! When confronted about surely democracy etc taking priority over 'private property' he went into rant mode with
"your're all bigotted lefties wanting to get rid of Israel" and "You have no rights to be here, your presence here is offensive to me ". Then stomped off to his station hutch.

Station staff later closed the doors to main entrance to the concourse,below which was the sambatista band and leafletters. Most people seemed more annoyed about this than the
demonstrations-I earlier heard people near the Eurostar terminal telling their kids it was great to see a demo! They liked the No Borders banner etc and that we were doing so peacefully. (Would that plod and NwR heard that)

I understand that plod appeared to trying to stop leafleting near the Eurostar entrance.

Refugee support.

waterloo, daily mail - which other demos?

01.02.2004 19:51

anyone knows about more noborder demos in london on the 31 apart from those tow?

asking

unite against racist detention centres and asylum bill,

01.02.2004 23:08

racist wars, racist arms industry, racist neoliberal economic policies......

Would be good to make the point in a demonstration of the connection between economic policies, arms deals, wars and refugees. The UK is the world's second biggest arms dealer after the US. Wars cause more displacement of people than anything. Wealthy Western governments and big business are selling weapons and fuelling wars to get at raw materials as cheaply as possible to boost their economies. Those same governments then cynically try to refuse asylum to the relatively few people who manage to escape, stirring up racism as Blunkett and many before him have done and will do after him, when blood really is on their hands. The mainstream media never make that connection effectively. Probably not in their interests. And I don't think that the most powerful economies do want peace, prosperity and growing economies in 'developing' countries as that would challenge their hegemony.

Megan

Any more coverage?

03.02.2004 18:51

Sorry but this is very poor coverage of the day of action. Very short and imprecise to the point of false information: at Waterloo the Wombles - and other anarchists and activists - stuck to another part of the station, rather than 'combining' with Barbed Wire and CDAS activists. Whether various anarchist groups and individuals combined and co-operated among themselves is another matter of question.
Someone ranting about the sanctity of Israel's borders is no news- we get those lunatics every day, and we're prepared to face them, only sometimes we just cannot be bothered.
Also it would be nice to see some pictures of the Waterloo demo and the famous banner that was dropped and pictures of the other demos, otherwise it is very difficult to get an idea. Thanks for the lovely pictures of the Lindholme demo to whomever put them there.

Chiara

To whom do you apologize, Chiara?

04.02.2004 00:16

I agree that it would be nice to see more coverage of the day of action, but I'm struggling to understand who the 'sorry' at the begining of your post is directed to.

Indymedia is an open publishing forum. It does not employ any reporters, either paid or unpaid - people report their own news. I'd like protests to be better reported. I'd also like protests to be better attended. There often aren't particular people we can blame for these not happening.

I'm often guilty myself of not reporting something I was at, because feel I don't remember it in enough, detail, or don't bother.

Please excuse the combatative start of this comment - I read your post initialy as implying that other people have a responsibility for reporting that you don't.

I want a digicam.

All the best,

Barney

Cooperation

04.02.2004 13:49

For the record there was coopertion between various groups of activists at Waterloo station, combined with a recognition of different tatics. There was also a great deal of interest from people using the station during the protest which lasted about 3 hours. I don't have photos, but no doubt someone will post in time. The immediate priority was for those arested.

Ricky

waterloo station video

07.02.2004 21:22

Short video of the waterloo station action and the adbusting actions of the previous nights.
Note how happy the eurostar staff were to collect up our leaflets in order to deny others access to it.

10min, 170mb~, will follow smaller versions.

ftp://italy.indymedia.org/imc_italia/video/310104high.avi

requires divx codec:
linux:

http://www.divx.com/divx/linux/
mac:

http://www.divx.com/divx/mac/
win:

http://download.divx.com/divx/DivX511Bundle.exe

cpnk

More coverage?(answer to Barney)

09.02.2004 16:27

I'm taking on everybody who didn't provide a decent coverage! You are right Barney, thanks for clarifying some issues. We are all responsible for bringing ourselves to demos, make them meaningful and report on indymedia as well. I wasn't in the best position for reporting on the 31st demo because I left early to go to another protest, and the day after I left England altogether on an holiday, but next time I'll try and do better. Hope others will too.
Maybe I also have a subconscious drive to delegate the reporting of events I witnessed to others 'who know better', I'm afraid of making mistakes etc., and expect someone more 'professional' or 'better prepared' to do the job, but all this is certainly wrong and replicates , alas, the mechanisms of the society we are forced to live in.

Chiara