THERE’S A RIOT GOING ON

Hyde Park, London: It’s Sunday afternoon and unusually warm for Autumn. Fashionably dressed young couples and sensibly dressed older ones stroll hand in hand along the leaf-strewn pathways, stepping aside occasionally as cyclists wheel past with their cyborg-like smog masks hanging around their necks – no need to wear them in this oasis of fresh air.

Children play football on the green while their parents stretch out on the grass catching some rays and reading the Sunday papers. Squirrels dart along the naked tree branches, clearly visible now that their camouflage has seasonally adjusted to form the golden brown carpet beneath them. It’s a beautiful day, the kind that picture postcards are made of.

Now pan out from these scenes of Autumnal bliss. Imagine the view as seen from one of the police surveillance helicopters noisily hovering overhead like waiting birds of prey. Moving a little further up the park you’ll start to notice that there’s a lot less people around. What’s more, those that are are walking briskly in the opposite direction. A moment later you’ll see why. Traffic has been diverted and rows and rows of police vehicles are parked along the road that runs through the park. Big ugly armoured vans with heavy metal grilles shielding the windows. Swarms of riot police are marching to and fro, the sun reflecting little daggers of blinding light off their shiny visors and metal shields. Many of them are on horseback, like a whole army of Black Riders from The Lord Of The Rings.

Watching the way they move and organise themselves, it’s obvious that these aren’t just P.C. Plods in heavier clothing. These people are fully trained and superfit riot cops. The type that have their Weetabix every morning. The type that’ll mash your brains first and not bother asking any questions later. It’s a frightening sight with so many of them.

As you approach Speakers Corner, the reason for the massive police presence becomes obvious. There’s an enormous crowd gathered – somewhere between forty to fifty thousand people, we’ll learn later – to rally against the most repressive (and reprehensible) Act of Parliament ever to be passed in the United Kingdom. They’re mad as hell. And no wonder . . .

SIX EASY STEPS TOWARDS A POLICE STATE

The Criminal Justice Bill is the latest affront in a long line of openly repressive legislation brought in by the Conservative government and will be made law at the end of this month. Although the Bill is (supposedly) primarily aimed at clamping down on the activities of New Age Travellers, ravers and squatters, it gives the police such draconian powers that it has the potential to affect everyone.

Here’s the CJB’s six easy steps to a police state.

1. Peaceful Protest: Under the Criminal Justice Bill, taking peaceful direct action (i.e. marching or protesting) will become a crime punishable by up to three months imprisonment or a four figure fine. Even intending to take part in peaceful direct action will become a crime. Right of assembly has also been severely curtailed with the police being given the power to disband groups of three or more people if they’re hanging around on the street (in other words you can potentially be forced to move on or face arrest for waiting for a taxi).

2. The Right of Silence: The centuries old right to remain silent during police questioning and in court will be abolished. If someone remains silent it will be interpreted as an admission of guilt. This is likely to lead to more miscarriages of justice. It is far more likely to affect the vulnerable or inarticulate suspect, not the hardened criminal.

3. Stop And Search: In some circumstances the police will be able to stop and search people without reasonable suspicion. In practice, this proposal is likely to be used in a discriminatory way.

4. Squatters: Under the CJB, landlords will be able to evict squatters at 24 hours notice, using violence to gain entry if necessary. Squatters or tenants won’t have a chance to put their case to the court, many people will be evicted unjustly and many more will be made homeless.

5. New Age Travellers: The bill will effectively criminalise the whole New Age way of life by trapping travellers in a Catch 22 situation. Local councils will no longer have to provide sites. Fewer sites will mean more illegal encampments causing a nuisance for local residents. And, of course, the penalties for illegal camping will be made much more severe.

6. Raves And Festivals: Unlicensed outdoor parties, raves and festivals will be made illegal.

Those are the main proposals of the Bill but there are many more which are just as alarming. George Orwell, it would appear, was a decade out!

There has been very little political opposition to the Bill – voters tend to take a dim view of politicians who appear to be soft on crime. And while the ‘quality’ press has protested at the severity of the measures, the tabloids (who’ve been screaming for more repressive legislation for years anyway) have in a sense smokescreened the Bill, portraying it as a law that effects only travellers, ravers and squatters.

Most people think that the CJB has nothing to do with them. They’re wrong but it won’t be until they find themselves being arrested for joining a protest march (e.g. against poor quality housing or low wages or excessive taxation etc.) or stopped and searched in the street for no apparent reason that they’ll realise. And by then of course, it’ll be much too late.

In a sense it already is too late. The Bill is all but through, despite the petitions and the letters to MP’s signed and written by those who see it for the ugly, autocratic piece of legislation it is. The same people also took part in two previous marches (as is their democratic right). Today’s protest is the last such march. And in a couple of weeks time it will no longer be their democratic right. In a couple of weeks time, marching will be a criminal offence.

KILL THE (OLD) BILL

One hundred thousand people turned out to join the march from the Embankment up to Hyde Park. All sorts showed up – people of every class, culture and creed. Two hundred stewards supervised the procession and, as the riot police looked on, the crowd chanted slogans like “Kill the Bill, Kill the Swill, Down with the Criminal Injustice Bill.” There was a carnival-like atmosphere with jugglers and people on stilts and fire breathers. Many were wearing special costumes for the event or had slogans painted on their backs.

When the march reached Hyde Park, the crowd was addressed by speakers like Paddy Hill, Arthur Scargill and Tony Benn (who advised them that there was “no moral obligation to obey the law”). One speaker who tried to impress the importance of registering to vote on the crowd got booed off the stage. When the speeches ended, at least half of the crowd dispersed, satisfied that they had at least registered their protest.

The remaining crowd then split up into various groups. Some marched up Park Lane following a truck which blasted loud techno from a sound system on the back. Others remained by the stage in the centre of the park. There were people everywhere, some still chanting slogans (most of which failed to catch on and eventually petered out to a lone embarrassed voice). Many people just sat on the grass with their friends, smoking cigarettes or sharing cans of beer and chatting about the march.

Spotting those with a riot on their minds was quite easy at this stage. Essentially, the closer someone was to the lines of riot police standing by the railings at Speakers Corner, the more likely they were to be looking for trouble. Leaflets were being distributed amongst the crowd encouraging them to riot and instructing them in how to do so properly.

One Class War activist handed me a leaflet with the bold heading “KEEP IT SPIKEY”. Here’s an extract: “The Criminal Justice Bill is going through no matter what. All parties support it. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have a bit of fun today . . . a RIOT GOOD LAUGH! Demos are a good opportunity for letting off a bit of steam and having a pop at the bill. Being in the centre of London we are going to be surrounded by symbols of the wealth that CJB is being brought in to protect. Downing Street is where they expect it to kick off and so will be well protected. We should pick our own pitch for the battle.”

Underneath this charming piece of literature was a list of tips including advice on how to throw bricks with maximum effect and how to avoid getting arrested (“Struggle like fuck and call for help”). There were other leaflets in circulation as well from groups like Militant Labour and various fringe communist organisations. Quite a few people were wearing masks or balaclavas but they didn’t seem to be working together. Most seemed to be using it as a fashion statement.

At the railings, nothing more solid than abuse was being thrown at the police who for the most part ignored it. Representatives from Liberty (an organisation who watch and report on police behaviour) stood between the lines of police and crowds of protesters as taunts and jibes were thrown. A little further down the line, the rapport between police and protesters was a little more civilised with people asking the cops what they thought of the Bill. The response was generally a terse “no comment, now please step back sir” but a few seemed generally affable and non-threatening.

At one point a tiny skinhead with a megaphone danced a jig in front of the police line singing loudly, “We all live in a fascist regime” and a cop who stepped forward to remove the megaphone (and possibly exercise his truncheon) was pulled back by his fellow officers. Despite the anarchist presence and the huge crowds, it didn’t really look as though anything was going to happen.

A MAN STANDS BACK

And then it did. At about 4 o’clock, a row broke out when the truck with the sound system on board attempted to turn off Park Lane and into Hyde Park itself. The police attempted to stop it but were bombarded with bricks and bottles by segments of the crowd. The police didn’t charge however and so a riot was temporarily averted.

For the next couple of hours the atmosphere was tense and the verbal abuse continued but there were no arrests and no further violent incidents. The strain was beginning to show on some of the police however. Reports filtered through the crowd of arrests and beatings but these had all supposedly happened on the other side of the park and so it was difficult to tell whether this was merely propaganda (and an attempt to stir shit and thus kick off a riot) or if it had actually happened. I certainly didn’t see anything.

At about 6.30pm I was leaving. The rally was over and I had to go. It was then, however, that the real riots broke out. Again, it was based around the sound truck. People attempting to leave the park found their exit blocked by ravers who were dancing around the truck (which was parked by Cumberland Gate). The police moved in to sort it out and someone threw a CS gas canister at them. The police then charged and fights broke out. This escalated rapidly when the mounted police arrived.

I still left. I didn’t really fancy getting physically embroiled in a riot. My companions and I went back through the park to the far side where the car was parked, the sounds of the clashes echoing in our ears as we walked away. On the way out I spotted the Class War activist who had handed me the leaflet earlier, standing well back from the trouble. He may have helped start it but he sure wasn’t gutsy enough to go in and finish it.

I saw the first television reports of the riots on the ferry home much later that night. The situation had escalated from where I’d left it, with over thirty people in hospital and nearly fifty arrests. The police had continued to charge the crowd despite the protests of the stewards.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the riot was planned and initiated by a (small) group of activists present at the rally. And although I didn’t see the final charges and arrests for myself (the television reports tend to be somewhat selective and therefore untrustworthy) I’m pretty sure that the majority of injuries and arrests happened to people who were there to protest peacefully.

And the effect? The following day’s headlines screamed “Riots At Criminal Justice Bill Rally” – the final catalyst needed to ensure not just that the CJB goes through but that the great British public will welcome it.

The Tory party must be breaking out the champagne. Class War couldn’t have more effectively played into their hands . . .