The Gatwick No Border Camp

After constant harassment of local farmers by the police, the location of the No Border Camp 2007 had to change.

The new site is located near the village of Balcombe, West Sussex, south of Crawley.

How to get there:

BY ROAD:

From London: At the southern end of the M23, the road becomes the A23 [southof Crawley]. Take the first exit left B2114 Brighton Road, signposted to Handcross. At the second roundabout turn left onto the B2110 High Beeches Lane, signposted to Turner's Hill. 2km along is a brick water tower on your right. Turn here into Brantridge Lane and the camp site is the first gate on your right.

From Brighton: Turn off the A23 at the Handcross junction signposted B2110. Turn right at the next roundabout towards Handcross. Left at the next junction in the village and right at the next roundabout signposted to Turner's Hill and follow the directions as above.

BY TRAIN:

On the London-Brighton line, get off at Balcombe Station. Turn left onto the B2036 London Road. Turn left at the second junction onto Handcross Road. 2km along this road you get to a junction. On the left is Brantridge Lane and the camp site.

The No Borders Campaign has definitely got to be one of the more controversial issues tackled by independent political thinkers and activists. Just having a look at the comments added to this article, shows how heated the debates can get. The Campaign opens a whole can of worms that has a spill over effect onto other issues like equal rights, war refugees, capitalism, nationhood, the state centric system, the police, freedom of movement, the downward spiral of the developing countries and the list goes on. It is therefore not surprising that such a diverse and dynamic culture made up the No Borders 2007 Protest March and Camp. At the same time, the No Borders Campaign is on the cutting edge of just how far to the left liberalist ideals can be pushed. It truly draws the dividing line between Soft and Hard Liberalism. This particular issue is something for all those that profess to be Liberals to think about.

Many felt that there was a great turnout of people at the Demonstration this year. Various reports reflect that there were about 300 people, but some do feel it was more in the region of 350. Most of the Protesters in front were quite unaware of just how large the group was. It was only when we came around the ninety degree bend at Gatwick, that we were all pleasantly surprised to see the continual wave of protesters taking the corner. Regardless of the exact total, spirits were incredibly high throughout the march. The most popular Protest Chant was the well known ‘No Borders, No Nations, Stop Deportation’. Once again, the notorious ‘Samba Band’ did an excellent job. I wonder if they will ever record all these Protest Anthems? It would be great if they did.

The Telephonic Communication with several people in the present detention centre was incredibly moving. If anything, this connection pointed out that they are not alone and forgotten in those cells. Although the protesters are not subjected to the negative treatment that those detained have been, there was a mutual feeling of Hope. I did not stay at the Camp for the weekend, but kept in touch with people that did. Their feeling was that that the Camp went well. It was seen as an enlightening experience and the Workshops were viewed as incredibly educational.

And the Police, well they generally kept to themselves. There numbers were definitely overkill once again and there were some arrests in the beginning of the march. There behaviour was not as obnoxious and out of context as most of us in London have come to experience though. The legitimate Protest Area was way too small once again. The Police Photographers seemed to be acting from a distance as well. It was definitely great not having the infamous SCD43, Neil Sinclair around. He knows how to put a downer on any worthwhile event. The Police also seemed to refrain from their usual frantic Search and Docket intimidation tactics that so many of us have gotten used to. Protestors were also not prevented from using their own media equipment. The people at the Camp that I was in contact with reported a similar experience. Police did not appear to be interfering with the Camp Events and Workshops. They were only really seen outside of the Camp Site by the entrance points. The Search and Docket tactics of the Police were generally also not used at the Camp. There are several reasons why the Public Servants seemed to refrain from outright victimisation, as they did at Climate Change 2007 and Disarm DSEI 2007. These reasons were compiled during emails between Green Party candidate John Hunt and myself:

1. This No Borders 2007 Event was Policed by a different Police Force than Climate
Change 2007 and Disarm DSEI 2007. However, Surrey Police were part of the
wider Policing Operation at Climate Change 2007.
2. The March Format was strong, consolidated and with a larger turnout than even
expected by the Police. ‘United We Stand Divided We Fall’
3. ‘Gently, Gently’ instructions from top Police Officials following a number of
Climate Change 2007 and DSEI 2007 complaints. Although formal complaints
are often not viewed as the ‘Revolutionary’ thing to do, it does have an impact on
the freedom of the Police to be Brutal whenever they choose to be.
4. The protest action took place on the weekend and directly in the eyes of the
general public of Crawley. Very little would have happened un-noticed by them.
5. A significant number of parents in the Protest March had brought their children
with. The presence of minors and infants in a protest event does have a general
pacifying effect.
6. A controversial, but relevant factor was the strong Black Bloc and AntiFa (Militant
Anti-Fascism) presence. Although many people do not agree with these tactics, it
does balance out the intimidation factor with the Police. It is common place for
such activists to stand up to police harassment.

In conclusion, I feel that the No Borders 2007 Demonstration had a positive outcome. I’m sure that some people aimed for more and would disagree. However, there were a lot of us that were expecting the worse. At the same time, it was an excellent opportunity for a variety of people to meet and tackle a common concern. As for the apparent ‘Nationalist / Fascist’ photographer, I wonder if he got the point that none of us will ever forget where he was standing at the time. The joke is on him.

Impressions from the march in Crawley, including short interviews with bystanders and protesters