Early report on Halloween City demo

Seriously, i had it a minute ago - must be around here somewhere.

A fellow could catch the sniffles you know!

Give it back you meanies : (

FYI:

 http://www.wharf.co.uk/2008/10/toil-and-trouble-at-halloween.html
By John Hill on October 31, 2008 8:30 PM

Tagged with:
* anti-capitalist, * arrest, * credit crunch, * Halloween, * Lehman Brothers, * police, * protest

GHOULS and goblins descended on Canary Wharf to protest against the Government's bank bail-out.

Spookily-dressed anti-capitalists gathered to "dance on the grave of capitalism" on Halloween evening, but isolated clashes with police were sparked by the arrest of the event's head of security.

Protesters attempted to march on the long-time home of Lehman Brothers on 25 Bank Street during the second hour of the event, which saw fancy-dressed denizens of the night mix with socialist activists and students. A human wall of police was set up to block the route from the Jubilee line station at around 6.30pm.

The detention of the security head soon led to other arrests, as officers pressed a small group of males against the wall outside the station. But silence had desended on the area by 7.30pm, as protesters returned to their homes on the tube.

Police and Canary Wharf Security teams had been beefed up after word spread on the internet about a special Halloween event outside 25 Bank Street. Lehman's bankruptcy in September was seen by many who attended as the spark that lit the fuse of a banking system implosion, which prompted the Government's £37billion tax-payer funded bail-out last month.

Despite assurances from the organisers that the protest would be peaceful, neighbouring Wharf businesses such as Allen and Overy, Clifford Chance and Reuters were offered the chance to be escorted out of their offices, and advised to take routes through the shopping malls to avoid harassment.

An internal memo sent to 25 Bank Street employees earlier this week warned staff not to wear suits or corporate-branded bags, and to steer clear of nearby pubs on their way home.

Protesters gathered outside the Jubilee line station chanting phrases such as "Our money, their crisis" and "We've got to get rid of the rich". But participant Lionel Sims claimed the crowd were more interested in making a public statement than causing trouble.

The University of East London anthropology lecturer said: "There hasn't really been a public protest or an expression of anxiety or anger. But if it's our money that's being used to bail out the system, we should have a right to say what we feel about it.

"This is where it all kicked off, so we're here for a bit of street theatre. If the world has been turned upside down, it's time for the underworld to have its say.

"People are hoping Gordon Brown can pull off some trick with the nationalisation of the banks and everything will go back to normal. But it's not going to happen. There will be job cuts, and more people will be thrown out of their houses."

The station was awash with colourful costumes, such as witches, wizards, ghosts and even giant models of the horsemen of the apocalypse. The event even attracted a soul healer, with North London psychotherapist Jocelyn Chaplin on hand in a witch's costume to channel energies and add a spiritual dimension to proceedings.

She said: "I'm a witch and I believe in the self-regulation of nature and not the self-regulation of markets. "This is a rite and a celebration, but it's a political and spiritual statement at the same time.

"Many of us have been struggling against capitalism on protests for the last 40 or so years. Now the cracks are beginning to appear and we want to replace the deadening hand of macho hyper-capitalism with a Pagan, Mother Earth-loving way of living."

Luton-based student Chris West was dressed in a ghost costume and echoed many of the chants through a loudhailer.

He said: "It's about putting this protest on the map. People should defend themselves against the bailiffs and fight back.

"It's not our fault. It's their fault.

"A lot of people out there think there's nothing they can do about it, but of course there is. They should come up to the next demonstration, whenever that may be."

Socialist Workers Party member Mick Lynes was outside the station entrance holding a sign that read, "jump you bankers".

He said: "Already people out there are losing their jobs. It's the ordinary people that have to pay for the bail-outs, not the people at the top of these buildings.

"They're not the ones that suffer in all this. They get £2million less out of their £15million. But for normal people, it's a life or death situation.

"It's criminal, and we're not taking it lying down."