Oh Crumbs, its all happened again!
Further stories of the police attack, Moot of the Mist party in Oxfordshire.
Really, any event that I’ve been to ever, and that I’ve enjoyed and had it like I wanted it, has just never been with someones / anyones permission.!
Have always had to take it. The consequences of such action, however had been felt by party folks at the Moot in Oxfordshire this last weekend.
[ Hence the need for welfare / first aid / legal aid, negotiations etc . all the stuff I’ve been telling you about, and that has now collapsed ] .
Release is in trouble, again:
http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_09_29_tash_lodge_archive.html#82384277
I guess this behaviour is going to put many off, from standing up to the authorities, who now feel strong enough, to say no, to everything.
Just thought it worth reminding all that this is where we came in! I was first hit round the head with a stick, by a Thames Valley Police Officer in Windsor Great Park. [some might say that I’ve never been the same, since!] .
They have hurt me, most years since. Nothing like the kinds of gatherings we want have never been offered [well only once, Watchfield in 1975, never been repeated] . Have only happened ‘cos sufficient number got together, and took it.
These reports from Guilfin http://www.guilfin.net/reports/?id=rwINET1436
Dirty Circus Boards http://www.dirtycircus.com/board/replylist.asp?TID=8016&recordno=0
Police attend Moot of the Mist 05.10.02…- some eye-witness accounts
kryogen
RE: What The Fuck Happened Message:
Hard for anyone to makea full account cos it was hard to know what was going on being dark and surrounded by trees/people
babylon turned up in large numbers dogs horses and riot gear they approached the party not sure what time as they got up close to the party everyone sat down in front of the police line nobody was violent towards the police in any way rows of ravers peacefully stood firm and showed our unity
from what i remember next thing police line advanced without warning into the rows of party people that had sat down in protest huge horses storming towards peaceful people riot police hitting throwing pushing everyone in their way
from then on not sure exactly what happened basically ended up with rigs being escorted home i think and ravers forced off site after being searched and having cars checked on the way out cos they lost one of their batons and were determined to find who had it!
probably lots of gaps in what happened but theres a rough idea
respect everyone that stood up for our right to party
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Fushion Julz
Subject: RE: What The Fuck Happened Message:
Perhaps not the full story but….
We headed for the first site planning to arrive at 10.45pm….we were on-the-dot, too, but were blocked from entering by the police with a van and several of them in attendance. (apparantly they had also blocked entrance to a few other sites in the area).
So we headed for the backup….stopped at the services on the M40 just south of Oxford where there was a “Police Operation in progress” sign, but no sign of any around. Arrived at the 2nd site about 11.45ish where Storm and Deviant (I think) were already setting up. Not many ravers at that time, but they started arriving shortly after.
Started setting up and was finished and running by 1amish (shortly after Storm).
Reasonable number of people arrived, some reporting a big police presence at the end of the track. About 2.30am the first 12 officers, including an Inspector, arrived…ordered a shut-down under sec63, but refused to give me the name of the Superintendent who signed the order (which they must do).
They took many photos and video taped for several minuites and then after a couple of cans were throwm at them, they retreated and said they would be back to deal with the situation. After a brief discussion we decided to continue (Storm continued the whole time, but I don’t think the police got to speak to them).
Reports, then, of a huge presence massing in the lane, but people still arriving over the fields…Then about 4am the OB returned with some mounted (6 or 7) and about 70 other officers, some with dogs. They stopped our gennys and slung the leads over the hedge into the field! Then they ordered everyone to move back in a line in front of the police to the level of Storms rig…..Here people got a little organised and stood firm….a little
discussion took place with the inspector and he offered the last chance to shut down. Storm did so, but th police were unprepared for a third rig still playing and mounted a violent attempt to break through to reach them some way down the track.
At some point, they also were stopped and , Storm were threatned with police help” if they didn’t start clearing up and the mounted officers herded most of the people away from the rigs and down the track.
As they were leaving, one of the sergeants (I think) gave us his consent to stay till it was light to clear the rubbish and pack away the marquees… pretty much everyone was gone by 5.30am, but we stayed till 3pm and cleared the site.
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Subject:
RE: What The Fuck Happened Message: well, heres my account anyway….
We got to the first site but it had been pigged so we hung about waiting for the phone line to change message and then headed to the other site. Got there and spent about 30 mins trying to park the car then went down to the site. That nice polis helicopter did me a great favour by lighting up the track for me all the way down to the party, saved me breaking an ankle before I even got there, thanks.
About 4am I was just mooting away when someone told me the pigs had arrived.
I went for a look and sure enough, there was a whole line of coppers standing there with full riot gear, no numbers on and a few mounties as well
It all started off quite peaceful like, but some of the mooters decided to start huring abuse, rocks, anything they could find really. It was then that I jumped over the fence near the middle rig.
I’m all up for standing by the rig and protecting it, but I’m not up for a full on fight with the polis. If you look at the picture above you’ll understand why. Peaceful protest yes, all out war no.
Things were turning from bad to worse, but in my opinion the polis were aggrevated into having to use their batons. There was one fuck wit at the front who just wouldn’t let it go, he got a battering. All of his mates (?) were shouting to him to stop and trying to hole him back but he took no notice and antagonised then even more.
It was at that point that me and the lads I was with decided to make a sharp exit over the fields and many others were doing the same.
We got half way up the track towards the entrance and saw a polis road block with searchlight etc. We sent the driver on ahead with nothing on him and sure enough he got searched and his car got searched. That left me and the other two to tab cross-country, over numerous barbed wire fences, bushes and fields to get to the M40 where we met up with the driver.
It was clear from the moment the polis had rocks thrown at them that this was one party that had ended and was never gonna take off again. There was no way it would be a peaceful protest so why hang about (unless you like violence?).
If you pitch a load of coppers against some fucked up mooters, whose gonna win? They have a clear head, armour, weapons and back up, what do we have?
We are never gonna win when it come to fighting and I’m not sure we want to either. Therefore it needs to remain peaceful, agree or disagree?
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Mooter
Subject: RE: What The Fuck Happened
Bit spaced this morning – I kinda agree with you, but could the police justify the beatings they gave if no one was chucking stuff at them first? No, not really. They can’t just wade into a load of peaceful munters and start battering them, they need provocation.
From where I was standing they were provoked. They were just standing in a line, doing nothing. Then all of a sudden people start chucking all sorts of crap at them, what did we expect?
I know I’m not going to be the most liked person on this board for having this view but I’m still gonna say what I’m thinking and post under my usual ID to do so.
I still believe that if everyone had sat down, chilled out and not chucked anything at the old bill the outcome might have been a bit different.
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DiscoPete
Subject: RE: What The Fuck Happened
It’s my beliefe that the OB are under the impression that if they show us their serious and can stop a party that we’ll stop trying to have them, and that the huge amount of budget money spent in the short term will result in no more parties.
WRONG!
It’d be a sad day if a rig decided it wasn’t going to go out just because there’s a good chance of getting raided, and the same is true for punters – if anything they have less to lose.
Question – How long do you think the police finance executives will continue to support the cost of helecopter/equestrian/dog/riot operations on an ongoing basis?
By being calm and persistant, every time a party gets shut down at a vast expense -> we win.
For the record, I also do not condone any action that could result in an asult charge. Throwing stones and bottles or verbal abuse does not achieve anything. A randomly thrown rock has as much chance of hitting a punter, punters car, van or rig as the intended target.
A violent situation is predictable. The OB are trained to control and restrain. When faced with someone who calmly would like to just talk about it, they have no clue what to do, and that made me smile.
I was first aproached and agressivly directed to step away from the decks, i complied and they walked me round to the front of the van. They then asked me to turn off the rig, somethig I could have much more easily done from where I was standing behind the decks 🙂
One final observation -> did anyone else notice how scared the WPC in the front line was? She was bricking it 🙂 Obviously throwing her weight about and acting like a thug helped her to feel in control of the situation.
Nice to meet more DC people, especially the morning crew, it turned into a chilled sunny Sunday morning.
DiscoPete
–Just add caffine (with some water)
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gimly son of thorin oakenshield
Subject: RE: What The Fuck Happened
I was there too and there was a stone thrown so I hear but it didn’t hit the police it hit a raver, there may have been be more but I didn’t see any and I was in the thick of it all the time. I did see some beer sprayed at them cos it went over me as well.
To say that that gave them the excuse is wrong. Having a few objects, and it certainly was only a few because I didn’t see any, is no excuse to hit and ride over innocent people, one hit in the wrong place can be very serious.
To those that sat down in front of them you were brave but foolish if you thought that would stop them, sure it will for a while until they get orders. For example the ones sitting at the front were offering no violence and it didn’t stop the police horses trying to walk over you when they saw there chance, which was when those standing at the back moved to stop the police that were moving behind the van, in my opinion it was only the combination of those standing at the back that stopped them from walking over you in the first place.
If you think the police were justified well that’s understandable as well we are conditioned to behave its just we are treated so badly some people are a bit fucked.
I saw the police push and shove people first, I also saw them assault some girls and some blokes get hit trying to stop it. It’s understandable that someone is going to be outraged enough to get violent but nearly everyone else restrained himself or herself.
I could hear the attack the storm rig and see the police hitting people as I moved nearer with my camera two horse police tried to ride me down and pinned me to the hedge trying to hit me with his stick I restrained myself but one hit with a truncheon in the wrong place and it can kill or seriously disable you, so I kicked the horse in the leg and put my hand over one of the horses eyes, that gave me the chance to get out of there while he got control of his horse.
In my opinion if the police hadn’t been so aggressive it would of been peaceful.
Stand up for the police if you want, I think if everyone had of just sat down the outcome would of been the same some people would of still got hurt they were having none of it. I am proud of everyone and I mean EVERYONE except those that stood up for the police.
You must remember the police weren’t here to stop a violent group; they were armed to the teeth to stop people who just wanted to listen to music and dance in the middle of nowhere.
I know some people wont like this but if the police new they could just walk all over
us they would more often.
And no way was there 70 of them
In my opinion defending the police in this case is worse than whoever threw something.
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Of course, this is not the first time. This sort of violence been going on since i can remember. The last one, I know about though, was the Mutant Dance Party at Ashton Court, Bristol, back in July. Here is the link, to read all about that:
http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_tash_lodge_archive.html#79299422
