London Anarchist Bookfair was well attended, inspiring and educational as every year. After it ended, police units caused a riot in front of a nearby pub, and arrested at least 4 people, including an indymedia journalist who was taking fotos.
London, 22 October. Thousands of people crammed into the London Voluntary Resource Center in Holloway Road for the 22nd annual Anarchist Bookfair, to buy and trade books, films, t-shirts, stickers, gossip, and new directions for the anarchist movement in Britain and beyond. About three dozen meetings and seminars took place throughout the day, on subjects such as precarious labour conditions, no-borders and migration issues, anarchism in film, housing co-operatives, and the proposed National ID card scheme. Ageing anarchists and their offspring were catered for by an on-site creche.
As the bookfair ended, many people went for a beer at the Coronet pub down the street. At about 6:20, some people began playing music on a small portable sound system inside the pub. The bar management said that there would be no more beer until the music was shut down. After a while, the music went off, then back on, then off again. At this point, the police arrived outside. Management went round the pub, informing people that they were closing on police advice. Prior to 7:00, about 8 police officers confronted people as they left the pub, arresting the person who went forward to try to negotiate with them. Some people in the crowd attempted to de-arrest the person, more police vans arrived, and riot police baton-charged down Holloway Road, beating people as they went. During the fray, an Indymedia photographer taking pictures was knocked to the ground, handcuffed, and arrested. At the time of writing, Oct 23, 1.30 am, he is still held in the police station. There were at least 4 arrests, and about 10 vans full of riot police, plaincothes and regular uniforms, with some additional cycle cops deployed.
This resulted in more scuffles and a smashed window on a police car. Police on the scene were unable to confirm the number of arrests, the nature of the charges, or even who was in charge of the police operation.
As the bookfair ended, many people went for a beer at the Coronet pub down the street. At about 6:20, some people began playing music on a small portable sound system inside the pub. The bar management said that there would be no more beer until the music was shut down. After a while, the music went off, then back on, then off again. At this point, the police arrived outside. Management went round the pub, informing people that they were closing on police advice. Prior to 7:00, about 8 police officers confronted people as they left the pub, arresting the person who went forward to try to negotiate with them. Some people in the crowd attempted to de-arrest the person, more police vans arrived, and riot police baton-charged down Holloway Road, beating people as they went. During the fray, an Indymedia photographer taking pictures was knocked to the ground, handcuffed, and arrested. At the time of writing, Oct 23, 1.30 am, he is still held in the police station. There were at least 4 arrests, and about 10 vans full of riot police, plaincothes and regular uniforms, with some additional cycle cops deployed.
This resulted in more scuffles and a smashed window on a police car. Police on the scene were unable to confirm the number of arrests, the nature of the charges, or even who was in charge of the police operation.
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