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London Parliament Sq demo timeline

imcukreports | 31.10.2002 20:52

Timeline of the demo on Parliament Sq

21:10: first ldmg reports talk of 14 arrests.
21:10: police let people into LSE but not out, aggressively pushing people around. a young woman was violently arrested and police targeted a Stop The War activist out of the crowd for arrest. earlier another Stop The War activist, a woman, had been targeted for arrest already.
20:50: strand group disbanded, Samba Band to the pub, joining Aldwych group who moves towards halton St to the LSE. over 40 police vans in the surrounding streets, police presence scaling down, horses gone.
20:30: march in two - strand group being loosely surrounded, other group is sitting down, blocking the curved bit of aldwych.
20:10: the crowd moves towards Strand, following the Samba Band. Nervous police, confident crowd, holding lots of little sit-ins.
20:00: crowd being pushed towards Trafalgar Sq where people stage a sit-in. more arrests made.
19:45: Downing St 'cleared'. enormous amount of police photographers.
19:30: Traffic stopped, and shuffles between police and demonstrators, with at least 2 Wombles having been arrested.
19:20: the entire crowd is fenced in, with the Samba band still playing.
18.35: police try to push the protesters back into Parliament Sq but the crowd started to move towards Whitehall
18.30: 100 elderly people attempting to hold a sit-in in front of Downing St 10 but police moved them on. demonstration starting to move towards Whitehall
18.20: 2500 people amassed on the green in the middle of the square, riot police behind crash barriers, traffic still flowing
18.10: Critical mass reaches Houses of Commons, a few thousand people waiting, whilst speeches are being given. [Audio]

imcukreports

Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

Invasion of British Museum

31.10.2002 23:38

At about 17:00,

About 300 SOAS and UCL students on their way down to join other London Students at the LSE decided to take their protest through the reading room at the British Museum. Security Guards pleas that 'the museum was no place for a protest' were thrown aside, as we waved placards and yelled our anti Bush and Blair, Anti war chants.

Chris

Photos

01.11.2002 01:48

Police photographers are really annoying. The invasion into our human rights in this country continues to decline and a stand to this now 'normal' surveillance should be challenged. What possible law might they be bending when the photographers do this action? I think the European Convention of Human Rights, Article 10 and 11 says we have the right to gather and protest without interference from public bodies, i.e the police. Either way it's a wind up.

Ivan

CND protest

01.11.2002 13:19

I think the '100 elderly people' you refer to was actually the London CND demo and sit-down which started at 6pm outside Downing Street. The sit-down lasted an hour until about 7.30pm and managed to stop the traffic. There were people from 10 to 80 years old joining in.

youngish person

further timeline

01.11.2002 13:46

Some timeline additionals from parliament square.

20.10 Police tense. 8 horses lined up outside westminster station
small groups of protestors. At least 40 riot vans lined up in all
directions.
20.24 Ambulance with lights and sirens proceeds towards trafalgar.
20.25 Every riot van and most other police vehicles in the vicinity proceed at speed with lights and sirens in the direction of trafalgar. Horses follow.

Police observed to be "gurning" and jaw clenching. possible side effects of drug use?

legal observer

UK Indymedia