Reclaim the Streets - The truth is out there! On the first of May the local news reported an illegal protest that had happened the previous day. The reports didn't lie, but it can hardly be said that they reported "the whole truth". The whole truth will vary according to what each person saw, (and what was recorded on university security cameras) but this is the whole truth according to me, and I was there. Once upon a time there was a glorious sunny day in Manchester (that's the truth I saw it with my own eyes). About three hundred protesters and students gathered on a side street between Oxford road and Upper Brook street to try to make the point the traffic is out of control, pollution is too high, public transport has been privatised, the streets aren't safe, bicyclists are marginalised... you know the score it was a Reclaim The Streets. Shortly after one, a Salford van hire van appeared over the grass bearing the gift of music to the awaiting crowd. ----==== Lysophobik crew... BRING IT ON ! ====---- The people were one, "One of the people" got played, and there wasn't one person that wasn't a happy punter, except for a paranoid few that had noticed a policeman wandering around with a huge set of bolt croppers. Now you know what they say, "never trust a copper with a cropper". Could it be paranoia, or were they really watching you. Then one of the police lines marched in parallel forward, then the other line, not far but enough to give the feeling of being closed in on. One of my friends asked a senior officer what they were planning to do with the weapon (pointing to the bolt croppers). "What weapon, I can't see any weapons" came the vain attempt at a lie. Ten seconds later ten coppers stormed past her knocking her out the way. Bearing their truncheons they tried to rush the van, heavy handed is an understatement, and anyway no-one gave a shit about their heavy hands it was their truncheons that was primary concern. Some then knicked the generator and ran of with it, while the remaining few tried to circle the van. The Manchester crew was having none of it, a completely peaceful afternoon in the sun was being ruined by some brain-dead thugs getting their truncheons out and kicking off. Now at this point bear in mind that at an RTS there is only one side. RTS is not an anti-racist march (with protesters and extreme right opposing), there is no potential for violence in the crowd, there is no enemy. Obviously there are no cars on site, which is what the protest is about. There is no enemy until the police make themselves an enemy, which is what they did. Any one that has been to a peaceful protest before knows full well that there is a policy of kicking it off so that it can be reported as a riot, but not in Manchester, at least not before now. I for one was (perhaps naively) shocked when it happened. So in they came and out they got thrown, and Bingo, one peaceful protest turned in to a riot, "you can phone the press now Bobby". The system was now off, some more foolish members of the crowd threw bottles and everyone got charged up. The police had made a right f*cking mess of it but that was not all. Now came the issue of getting the van out. Nobody likes to see the system get into shit for making the effort so the growing crowd surrounded the van linked arms and marched toward the most heavily blocked police line chanting "WE COME IN PEACE, WE COME IN PEACE" or perhaps "WE COME IN PIECE, WE COME IN BITS". The police tried in vain to make a wall that would stop the crowd and the van broke through. The next attempt by the police to bust the van was stopped by a number of people running ahead and sitting on the bonnet of the riot van and one particularly on-it single mum got on top of it. That van was going nowhere. Now when I looked around myself instead of seeing three hundred people sprawled across a side street and the surrounding grass I saw a thousand or so people sprawled across on of the main roads in south Manchester and no cars moving. Nice one, I couldn't of planned it better myself. The police had just turned a small group of punters on a side street into a thousand on a main road, which is the way it should be. And despite the rumoured criminal investigation announced after the event, they have no one to blame but themselves. If only they'd nick chief Inspector Holt, that would be just, wouldn't it. So, what does a crowd of a thousand punters do on a sunny day in Manchester when the rigs gone? Correct they go to the park so off we trotted by the only means possible, the side streets were blocked so, on foot, en-masse, we headed straight up Oxford road. BRING IT ON ! ! At this point the police had f*cked up about as much as they could, all they could do now to make it better is to let the crowd go walk-about in the city. So they did, as we were coming across the preposterous monstrosity that is the Hulme arch. There was nothing to stop people taking a short cut to the park, across Princess Parkway the major dual carriageway in to town. BRING IT ON ! ! ! And lo the drivers did get irate, and one did try to run down the protesters, and he did fail, and his bonnet did get dented when he tried. And he did deserve it. And with any luck his insurance will not pay out. And then the police came and told them to move themselves along because they were not getting through so they might as well turn back. And they did. BRING IT ON ! ! ! ! So now when I looked around myself I saw a thousand punters blocking both sides of the dual carriageway and sitting around on the grass in the middle. And what's that I can see over the horizon, if it isn't the van with the sound system coming to join us. Unfortunately it never made it. A couple of van loads of pigs (I feel justified in calling this bunch pigs) stopped it at the top of the slip road forcibly removed the drivers and started trying to back the van away. On girl sat behind the van as it was about to move and Pig number 7908 from the Manchester Central TSG unit (we know who you are, you are not above the law) picked her up and shoved her face down on the tarmac, chipping her tooth. I believe the phrase is "Actual Bodily Harm" Mr 7908 but I'm sure the crown lawyer can confirm that for you, and I'm sure if you get away with it, you'll burn in hell. Well f*ck that, now what even more charged up the crowd collectively decides that the next stop is the Motorway. BRING IT ON ! ! ! ! ! We got there, we stopped it, we also saved some guinea pigs that were giving birth and a pregnant mum from being caught up in it while the coppers sat by and did jack-shit (you won't hear about that in the press). We painted the road signs a more tasteful shade of pink, played footie on the road, sung some songs, made a damn good point and then chipped of to listen to Shamrock, bless there hearts, play loud and proud in the spider park in Hulme (soon to be knocked down if you don't do something about it). BRING YOURSELF DOWN! So to the morals of the story. 1. Never trust a copper in Manchester again. 2. Never miss an RTS. 3. Never underestimate the power of the people. 4. If you're called as a witness for any ensuing legal action turn up. 5. Spread the word. 6. Get a bike. 7. Make love not war. and 8. Make love in the streets of Manchester. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Get Konnected 4 Info. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !