Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

EAT THE QUEEN with chips

hongkongfooey | 07.06.2002 17:03

more anti-jubilee frolics from those crazy anarchists

On tuesday morning myself and miscellaneous other scallies decided to miss the anti-jubilee street party to support a comrade who had, the day before, been dragged off a bus and arrested for violation of parole conditions. It was a pretty horrible morning (made more so by the mother of all hang overs) sitting in court and watching people getting sentences like fourteen days for stealing some coffee from iceland. Anyway, the comrade walked so we went to the pub and planned (after a few ales) to head down to tower hill.

In the pub, however, we got a call from some mates who were in another pub and in the process of being arrested for 'breach of the peace' or some such bollocks. Damn, we were miles away, what could we do short of getting a taxi directly to jail ourselves? With some mutterings about 'a solidarity action' we headed off anyway. In Islington we came across an open fancy dress shop and purchased some fine quality animal masks and plastic crowns. Someone hung a sign from their neck saying 'CHOP, CHOP, EXECUTE THE MONARCHY'. Then we marched on the city.

The streets were virtually deserted due to everyone being in central London celebrating the reign of an old witch with murderous ancestors so we declared them autonomous zones and moved on, leaving them for the people of the area to defend.

I must admit to being a little nervous as we approached a jubilee street party. There were about seven of us dressed as royal pigs, monkeys and cows and covered in class war stickers, whilst one of our number was wearing a t-shirt bearing the legend 'FUCK THE JUBILEE'. I was fully expecting to get battered. But, to our surprise, people laughed and smiled at us as we passed. In fact, the response from the public throughout the whole afternoon was overwhelmingly positive. One million people in central London for a party does not necessarily mean one million people who love the monarchy, whatever the tabloids say.

Things were going so well we thought we might march on the tower of London. Traitor's gate seemed like the most suitable entrance so we went there and sat for a while waiting for someone to open it up and let us in. Lots of children came past and seemed fascinated by this strange group of ne'er do wells. The Beefeaters were not so impressed. Perhaps the spectre of anarchist cows come to claim revenge on the most symbolic agents of their oppression and consumption was too much for them.

Next up was the spearmen (I'm not making this up, honest). Three burly blokes with swords, chain mail, helmets and twelve foot long spears approached and proceeded to shout 'GOD SAVE THE QUEEN' whilst waving their weaponry in the air. We laughed at them and the public laughed at us. Everyone was having a great time.

It was not to last. Everyone's favourite party poopers, the cops, turned up in their van. One or two of us in pig masks were worried we might get lifted for impersonating an officer, but they just wanted us off the queen's land. One told us that they'd missed two serious accidents to attend to us. Which precisely illustrates the real role of the police - the protection of wealth and power. If your house gets broken into or you are assaulted, expect to wait several hours for the police to arrive if, indeed, they deign to do so at all. Turn up at tower hill with some anti-monarchy stuff, though, and they'll be there quicker than you can say 'paramilitary agents of oppression'.

We left her maj's manor in an orderly fashion. Then the cops proceeded to berate us in their usually inept manner, 'good luck with your gcse's' etc. At this point, a comrade wearing a monkey mask began making monkey sounds and was dragged off to be told he was going to be arrested for 'being a prick'. Apparently, people making monkey noises whilst the police are talking 'makes them look stupid', tho they seemd to be doing a pretty good job of that all by themselves.

Anyway, the anarchist gorilla was released and we headed off to bishopsgate police station to await the release of our comrades.

Respect and solidarity to everyone nicked in tower hill. The repression surrounding anti-jubilee activities this year illuminates the mechanics of the maintenance of state power as few other actions have done.

50 YEARS OF CRAP

hongkongfooey

Comments

Display the following 2 comments

  1. What Jubilee? — Mick
  2. It's not like '77 — Jim
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech