class war have certainly gotten their publicity.

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MET police web info for may day:

 http://www.met.police.uk/publicorder/mayday.htm

On this page

An Overview
Strategic Objectives
History
Threat Assessment
Overview

The points that follow reflect the information contained in the business briefings that are being given to the business community by The City of London Police. The strategic objectives are those that will appear on the Metropolitan Police Service Operation Order and have been supplied by the Public Order Branch Operational Planning Office.

Planning, strategy and tactics requires key information namely:

Who?

Pacifists and activists in large numbers.

What?

Their stated purpose is to protest against the "Capitalist System", based around a giant game of Monopoly.

When?

From a low key start on the morning of Tuesday 1st May.
Culminating on the afternoon of Tuesday 1st May with the main event of 'The Sale of the Century' at 4pm in Oxford Street (whatever that may entail.)
There will be other activities during the day (see below).

Where?

The centre of London and its environs, which will probably include Westminster and Whitehall.
The main afternoon event has an advertised meeting point in Oxford Street. However, the subsequent intentions of the demonstrators have yet to be identified.

Why?

London is the financial capital of the world and includes Government and other high profile premises and businesses.

How?

By attempting to bring the centre of London to a standstill.
Disrupting business and the other activities of a normal working day.
Attracting publicity.

Strategic objectives

Metropolitan Police Service, City of London Police and British Transport Police objectives:

Provide public reassurance and ensure public safety.
To facilitate and police all legitimate protest.
Prevent public disorder.
Prevent crime and take all reasonable steps to apprehend offenders if crime is committed.
Protect the Royal Palaces, Palace of Westminster, Downing Street, Government and other vulnerable premises.
Provide high visibility and appropriate policing within the City of London, Metropolitan and British Transport Police areas.
Promote safe passage of persons using the railway.
Minimise disruption to business and community life in the area.
Minimise disruption to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Options

Pre-demonstration:

Gather intelligence to focus and develop tactics.
Disrupt preparatory activity?

and on the day:

Disruption and dispersal.
Isolation and containment.

Police response to date

Officers appointed to key roles.
Commencement of a joint operation with City of London and British Transport Police.

What needs to be done?

Police: To police the demonstration in accordance with the Strategic Objectives mentioned above.

Business: Identify potential vulnerability and determine an appropriate response.

What can be expected?

Tuesday 1st May 2001

Normal working day
Variety of "actions" throughout the day
Starting at 7.30am and going through the day to the final known action at 4pm.
We believe the protesters have chosen a normal working day as they have expressed a desire to disrupt the activities of those going about their normal business - anti capitalism!

Variety of actions - a number we will know about others are likely to be either of a spontaneous nature or closely kept secret amongst a small number of protesters.

Background to May Day 2001

"Stop the City" - 18th June 1999

Organised by Reclaim the Streets with a similar degree of organisation/sophistication - sound system used to provide focus for participants.
Mercedes garage attacked and set on fire - not originally a target but simply opportunistic.
Protests held at International Monetary Fund and World Trade Office meetings in Seattle and Prague.

International Anti-Globalisation theme.

Events like this are always likely to attract mass protest - similarly May Day will act as a focus for like-minded individuals

MD2K "Guerrilla Gardening" - 1st May 2000

Focused around Parliament Square.
Took its name from the digging up of the turf and 'symbolically' placing it on the street to 'Reclaim the streets'.
Descended into further acts of criminal damage and assaults.
Damage to statue of Winston Churchill and The Cenotaph together with extensive damage to McDonalds and a Bureau de Change in Whitehall - these events received extensive press coverage but were not intended to be the focus of the day. The Guerrilla Gardening had been the main event.

This Year: "Monopoly" theme

This year's event is being advertised as based around the Monopoly Board game - a representation of capitalism.
Those organising it have suggested that groups create an action at a venue shown on the monopoly game.
There are a number of advertised events. A number of actions have been advertised both on the Internet and through posters and leaflets. These events ranged from Critical Mass cycle rides, protests outside a variety of venues to building a cardboard hotel in Mayfair.
There is potential for 'autonomous actions' culminating in the main event.
The main advertised event is at 4.00 pm at Oxford Circus.

Threat Assessment
Number of protesters
All day actions

Possible disruption to transport, commerce and retail businesses
Potential disorder

Where in the recent past the group Reclaim the Streets has taken a lead in the organisation of this type of event this year is different in that a small group of individuals has apparently taken on the mantle of organisation. As a result they are 'untested' in their ability to organise and control the events of the day. That said they have produced some high quality literature together with a comprehensive internet Website.

We would estimate that at its height there is likely to be in the region of 2000 to 3000 demonstrators. Unfortunately this is not an exact science.

You can expect actions from early in the morning through to late afternoon.

Possible disruption: This could range from peaceful protest outside to invasion of shops or office premises. There is a possibility of disorder.

MAY BE OR MAY BE NOT

From its origins as a pagan festival, Mayday was a time to eat, drink, reject the control of our rulers and ‘ave a laugh. So they banned the May fairs. Then Mayday got adopted by the workers movement as the day to celebrate the general strike by the anarchist Haymarket martyrs, executed in Chicago in 1886, and its now got a new lease of life as a time to party and protest- in case it’s escaped your notice! Here’s wot’s ‘appenin in a town near you:

UK...

Newcastle: May Day March to Newcastle Exhibition Park. Great speakers, good beer! Assemble 28th April 11am Forth St. Bring banners, placards etc. Rally begins 1pm @ Exhibition Park.

Hackney: There will be another day of strikes against the council (who have apparently gone bankrupt because of financial incompetence). In a recent ballot, workers rejected management’s latest ultimatum, despite threats that rejection would lead to dismissal! Meet May 1st 12 noon at Hackney Downs, Hackney Road. March to Hackney Empire for rally at 2.15pm. Donations to the strike fund please!! Payable to Hackney Unison; send to Unison, 3rd floor Netil House, 1-7 Westgate Street London E8 3RL.

London: A fun filled day of direct action all across the capital. For more info check out the Mayday Monopoly Website: www.maydaymonopoly.org

Mayday Convergence Centre in London A temporary social centre is being set up to put up people participating in both autonomous Mayday Monopoly actions and the main Sale of The Century action in Oxford St. Meeting/crash space, café, library and more. Location to be announced closer to date. Contact: 079609 73847 or email:  convergencespace@hotmail.com

Swansea: Giant game of Global Monopoly with huge Chance and Community Chest Cards. Bring Music, Fancy Dress, Street Theatre 12.30 pm, Castle Square, Swansea  pea-brain@mail.com

Brighton: May Day Memorial mourning the death of nature, more specifically the excessive culling of over 1.5m animals in the name of foot and mouth. Meet Pavillion Gardens Café, Brighton 5.15pm. Please wear black.

Glasgow: Meet 12.30pm Buchanan St Underground, bring music, costumes, and good vibes. www.mayfirst.fsnet.co.uk

Birmingham: Party and Protest against Capitalism.12.30 pm outside Virgin Megastore, Corporation Street, Birmingham. Info: 07980 415577 or email:  s26brum@hotmail.com

Manchester 'Exposing the Myth of the Global Economy’. Loadsa groups.10am-4pm, Manchester University Students’ Union, Oxford Road M13

Sheffield: Mayday Picket of the Sheffield GAP Store. www.sheffieldmayday.ukf.net

Bristol: A variety of events!: Meet 8.00 am @ Arnolfini for Critical Mass. 12 noon @ The Fountains for Carnival around town: street theatre, stilt walkers, drumming, etc - and some surprise activities.

Dudley: 600 hospital workers are continuing rolling strikes against Private Finance Initiative scheme. (see SchNEWS 278) May Day Rally and Social Thurs 3rd 7.30pm at Pensnett Welfare and Social Club, Commonside, Pensnett. Details: Mark New, Branch Sec. 07970 788873

AND AROUND THE WORLD…

Melbourne, Australia: Go to www.antimedia.net/awol if you wanna know: must we do everything for you?

Bangladesh: Garments Workers Unity Council, campaigning for a May Day holiday in the garments sector. Visit  http://www.ainfos.ca

Iran: Co-ordinating Committee of Workers Left Unity Iran. Email:  info@etehadchap.com or visit  http://www.etehadchap.com Fax 004631 139897

It reminded me of the famous sex pistols interview, just the 'respectable' types seemed less shocked. It wasn't really a fair situation to stick the poor guy in but nonetheless he's not likely to be getting a job in PR anytime soon.

Favourite line: Police chief 'well we need to protect people from flying glass and so on.'

Class war bloke: 'Tuh... glass doesn't fly'

I thought the people from Class War (especially James Walsh - the guy doing the live debate) came across really well. You can watch the video on their web site (below).

The old anarchist fellow was a hoot - top marks to him. However I was pretty dissapointed with the guy from Class War. Whilst I agreed essentially with what he was saying I didn't think the way he portrayed himself was particularly helpful. Immature is the best word I can think of. He didn't properly distinguish between vandalism - property destruction - and violence - harm to another human being.

The fat old police representative was very cleverly slipping in "violence against propertyORpeople", and the CW rep didn't pick up on it... he seemed to me to be enjoying being the 'cool rebel' too much. PR may not be our number one goal but I wish he had made the point clearer: it IS a PEACEFUL protest. Destroying glass windows is NOT violence. The violence Nike use against 14 yr-old labourers in China is what we are protesting about. He said he wouldn't be violence against the 'normal workers' inside McDonalds, allowing the possible interpretation that violence against, for example, company directors is acceptable. It is NOT. We are NOT terrorists. It's important that we emphasise this otherwise we are in danger of polarising the movement from the very people we hope to win over.

Harming other human beings is not something that will ever help this movement.

It's important we do whatever we can to counter the wave of corporate propaganda against us. Joe Average MATTERS.

I think activists should consider C4 news having that blokey from Class war on as a result.

The voices of working class people from all backgrounds (not only -but including- those of white english blokeys like James Walsh) are nearly always silenced and marginalised in the middleclass political discourse of polite British society.

It's great that someone like James get's to voice his anti-capitalist sentiments on primetime for a change. Instead of the usual middle class pundits.

Unfortunately of many of us are so brainwashed that we seem to believe that in order to make a good impression you got to talk like the chattering classes. The commentator above got fed up with James 'cause even though s/he "agreed essentially" with his political points s/he didn't think "the way he portrayed himself was particularly helpful".

Why not ? I think it's good that an increasing variety of accents and backgrounds are heard in the anti-capitalist movement, so acknowledge our diversity.

Our class is Mongrel -Our power is Multiplied!
Welldone.

Another unbiased media piece about mayday - could it be that the media are starting to realise that the government are treating them as puppets in their punch and judy show?

GMTV this morning (Sunday 29th April) interviewed Tony Benn about the Mayday protests. Benn - fair play - didn't follow the usual craven route of most politicians and condemn the protests. Instead, he answered the interviewers question about violence by saying:

"When Motorola sacked 3,000 people - that's violence. When Corus made 6,000 steel-workers redundant - that's violence, it will cause a great deal more harm than any protest in London or elsewhere."

To top it off, the interviewer even seemed to eschew using loaded questions (e.g. 'Why do you think the protestors are evil?'). He asked Benn whether he thought it was due to the fact that people today felt disconnected that accounted for 'so many young people' joining the protests.

Let's hope this continues (Although, I'm not holding my breath). I'd like to suggest that, as well as all other actions, people ring up TV, Radio and Newspaper outlets when they publish an article or run a piece that's unfair towards those whose only goal is justice and humanity. Write them, ring them, e-mail them. Ridicule their naviety and bias. Tell it like it is.

It's our turn now . . .