London Indymedia

Anti- ESF process action at Trafalgar Square report, Sunday, 17th of October

jojo | 17.10.2004 18:35 | European Social Forum | Repression | Social Struggles | London

"If there would be only one truth, it would not be possible to paint so many pictures about the same topic". - Pablo Picasso

After going to Kings Cross to see how the penned in demonstration was doing and not finding anyone there anymore, we tried to find the demo again. We made our way to Trafalgar Square, when we arrived we saw lots of people around the rally, most demonstrators though seemed to be leaving though at this point and not staying around for the speeches. George Galloway was speaking at this point promoting “Respect”. We tried to find the radical anticapitalist block again, but neither individuals nor group from the penned in “Kings Cross” demo were seen, familiar faces emerged in form of the FIT (Forward Intelligent Team) and police photographer. As we assumed they would know where the others were we followed them a little bit, and whilst talking to an anarchist publication stall, the FIT team questioned one indymedia reporter being seperated and singled out.. According to the indymnedia photographer, the FIT team wanted to take his name and address details, which he refused to give, and they took a picture of him and intimitated him with a warning that they would keep an eye on him and he would be the first to go if something would be happening.
Luckily enough nothing was happening to this particular individual.

The anticapitalist block emerged shouting slogans and encouraged people to join them.
They went round the square a bit and then down the stairs to the fountain and around the fountain. They approached the front of the stage and wanted to make a statement about how they were treated by the police on their way to the demonstration, beaten on the underground and penning them in, preventively arresting some italians and greek, and also to draw attention that the police were violently arresting and treating people after the ESF “Storm the Palace” demonstration from the front of Alexander Palace to the Beyond ESF autonomous space, as well as declare their disappointment and the discrimination of non-hierarchical grassroots groups from the process, involvement, organisation and decision making of the official ESF in london 2004.

When they were in front of the stage, the stewards told them to get to the site entrance to let them in to make their statement.
However, when they were at the side entrance they were refused entry by the stewards. People demanded accesss to the stage. At that point the crowd pushed forward and the stewards pushed them back, the fence nearer to the stage marking the side entrance to the stage was pushed over and some people managed to go in the backspace. The police pushed through the crowd behind the stage and more stewards came to re-enforce the entrance. An announcement was made about people arrested at Kings Cross Police station

The situation calmed down. However the police started to make arrests backstage of everybody the found suspicious of potentially having participated at the anticapitalist block.

jojo

Comments

Display the following 8 comments

  1. I was there.... — Pete
  2. traducción — traducción
  3. Anarchist assholes — Tonga
  4. Tonga, Tonga, who the fuck is tonga? — ftp
  5. it does not matter "who" but "what" they say — lavista
  6. How dare you — Nonconformist
  7. How dare you — Nonconformist
  8. How dare you! — Prole

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