Smash EDO march, Brighton VIDEO

After some bizarre attempts by Sussex police to get someone to frame themselves as an 'organiser' of the march - encouraging protesters to have an incident- and arrest-free march "like Gandhi and Martin Luther King"!* - the Smash EDO march went ahead defiantly unauthorised. On International Human rights Day, the theme was 'End the War Crimes - Defend the Freedom to Protest - Smash EDO!'

About 250-300 people joined the biggest Smash EDO event yet, including a rocking samba band and "a couple of people with black flags" (overheard on police radios) - oh god no sarge, anarchists! The last words at the open mic session at Churchill Square (private property in Brighton town centre habitually 'squatted' during demos as a sort of temporary speakers corner) were "the police are out to provoke us and make arrests today - lets not give them what they want".

The march moved off, heavily coralled by police along the police's 'suggested' route - a sort of tense compromise prevailed as marchers sought to keep things peaceful without letting the police have complete control. Continuing a pattern of separating 'protesters' from 'normals' a man giving out leaflets was punched in the chest by a copper, shocking bystanders who flocked to take said leaflets and express their outrage, as a more senior copper ordered the punching plod to move along!

Several people outside the police cordon were literally thrown inside to aid the police's 'protester'/'normal' black and white worldview. However, the massively overkill and high visibility policing 80+ cops 4+ vans and a helicopter, attracted much attention and meant thousands of leaflets were distributed to curious christmas shoppers amidst many bemused comments to the tune of 'you can never get a copper when you need one, but look at all this!'.

As the march reached the Old Steine, police attempted to 'kettle' protesters in on the grass, but marchers insisted they would march on and promptly turned 180 degrees and set off north towards the Level, police quickly conceding and scurring ahead to needlessly block traffic 'for our own safety'. The march arrived at the stated destination of the Level, and after heated debate the police began to withdraw to cheers.


After the march, a group of about 20 protesters en route to a pub were followed by a 2-man police evidence gathering (EG) video team. Outnumbered 10:1 and baffled at suggestions they defy their ridiculous (and probably illegal) orders to stalk a particular individual, one of them managed to laugh at the situation whilst the cameraman lost the plot completely, red-faced, swinging fist and camera at a woman and then a man when they realised their target had slipped away. As his the other copper held him back, a third copper joined the scuffle, pushing and shoving as protesters refused to take the bait and kick off.

A cat and mouse game through the Lanes left the police looking like repressive authoritarian drones, er, themselves, as a megaphone informed staring onlookers what was happening. This tactic may work in commuter-filled atomised London boys, but not down here. Soon afterwards the police withdrew, tails between legs, and the pub was gladly received by all.

No permission, no arrests or needless violence (from the protesters) and thousands of leaflets distributed to a public shocked by the police overkill. Following yesterday's appeal victory of the rooftop 3** and a High Court Judge telling EDO's injunction lawyer to get himself a lawyer to defend him from charges of professional misconduct***, that makes the last weeks score

Smash EDO 3
Coppers 0

*  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/southcoast/2005/12/329002.html?c=on#c136891
**  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/southcoast/2005/12/329581.html
***  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/southcoast/2005/12/328996.html