This was an inspiring protest which simultaneously attracted a lot of attention and caused real economic disruption (perhaps our only weapon left). Determined but largely good-natured defiance, solidarity, and much support even from those unfortunate drivers and bus passengers - some of whom were trapped for hours. Electronic bus stop indicators ran an 'apology for disruption due to protesters' message all night! Various major intersections (and, at one point, the rail station) were shut down.

The police initially threatened those sitting in roads with arrest, but soon gave up - massively outnumbered! It was a beautiful moment to be back in control of OUR city, listening to drummers and watching kids play in streets devoid of traffic. The cops were largely passive observers, though they tooled up once protesters got into the town hall - I heard one officer remarking to his colleague that whoever had given that order was an idiot, as they were upping the ante at an essentially peaceful demo.

Well done to the four-year old kid who ran up behind a fully-armoured cop with a horn and scared the hell out of him, to much laughter (and embarrasment). Good collective decisions about when it was time to move, combined with the hopelessly overstretched police and the presence of so many older people and young families helped to prevent more violence.

'The Argus' gave us the first three pages this morning, mentioning the isolated violence / property damage but not focussing on it. Also, contrary to the report above, even this mainstream media outlet credited us with 5000. We'll be out again and again, disrupting normal life in the city until this war stops - please don't give up! Blair is gambling on opinion swinging behind him once the war is underway or 'won'.. we must continue to cause economic damage and make ourselves heard.

This was an inspiring protest which simultaneously attracted a lot of attention and caused real economic disruption (perhaps our only weapon left). Determined but largely good-natured defiance, solidarity, and much support even from those unfortunate drivers and bus passengers - some of whom were trapped for hours. Electronic bus stop indicators ran an 'apology for disruption due to protesters' message all night! Various major intersections (and, at one point, the rail station) were shut down.

The police initially threatened those sitting in roads with arrest, but soon gave up - massively outnumbered! It was a beautiful moment to be back in control of OUR city, listening to drummers and watching kids play in streets devoid of traffic. The cops were largely passive observers, though they tooled up once protesters got into the town hall - I heard one officer remarking to his colleague that whoever had given that order was an idiot, as they were upping the ante at an essentially peaceful demo.

Well done to the four-year old kid who ran up behind a fully-armoured cop with a horn and scared the hell out of him, to much laughter (and embarrasment). Good collective decisions about when it was time to move, combined with the hopelessly overstretched police and the presence of so many older people and young families helped to prevent more violence.

'The Argus' gave us the first three pages this morning, mentioning the isolated violence / property damage but not focussing on it. Also, contrary to the report above, even this mainstream media outlet credited us with 5000. We'll be out again and again, disrupting normal life in the city until this war stops - please don't give up! Blair is gambling on opinion swinging behind him once the war is underway or 'won'.. we must continue to cause economic damage and make ourselves heard.

numbers closer to 5,000 - even the local rag agrees

 http://www.thisisbrighton.co.uk/brighton__hove/news/NEWS0.html

 http://www.thisisbrighton.co.uk/brighton__hove/news/NEWS1.html

excellent atmosphere with samba band leading the way around town and sit-ins at various junctions. everyone from school kids to oap's taking part. police left us alone for most of the time.

more protests planned for today including 5:30 at Churchill Square - C U there ;-)

It was 5000 people, no i'm not exagerating, that's what the local rag The Argus said it was 5000...

Fucking amazing day - the schoolkids were great - Anarchy the New Generation!

numbers closer to 5,000 - even the local rag agrees

 http://www.thisisbrighton.co.uk/brighton__hove/news/NEWS0.html

 http://www.thisisbrighton.co.uk/brighton__hove/news/NEWS1.html

excellent atmosphere with samba band leading the way around town and sit-ins at various junctions. everyone from school kids to oap's taking part. police left us alone for most of the time.

more protests planned for today including 5:30 at Churchill Square - C U there ;-)

Gutted I missed it after so many months of waiting for it to happen. Just to let people know that there were also demonstartions up and down the Gaza strip and we've spread the word to the people here that the population over there is as against the war as they are . Keep it Up !

A good day of protest in Brighton, but then we are on the safe-side of the gunfire.

Civil disobedience continued unstopped from around 11am to 10pm. School kids definitely lead the day and taught a lot of anarchists about the meaning of anarchy. Their sheer passion, resourcefulness, and dedication inspired the rest of us.

The police were very low-key for most of the day probably due to a mixture of wanting to contain but not provoke the protest and being over-stretched with all the demos going on around the place. They kitted up in riot gear around 6.30pm when the town hall was occupied, then got a lot more forceful later on. As numbers began to dwindle the police penned in the protest around the clock tower, then we made the mistake of heading down to the seafront.

This is the standard tactic of police at illegal protests in Brighton, push the crowd down to the seafront then out of Brighton towards Hove. Numbers having reduced from around 5000 to 60 or so, riot police formed a line 2-3 deep right across King's Road and advanced, sometimes charging. Very few people seemed up for direct resistance, either passive or aggressive and split as it hotted up. There were reports of some arrests and clashes with the police right at the end.

As long as this Orwellian War of Terror goes on the resistance to it will grow in schools, work places, communities and on the streets. A whole generation is being politicised and mainstream media and politics is becoming increasingly despised. We might not stop the war against Iraq but we may play a role in preventing the next theatre of war from opening. Politicians have power because so many people let them, if we make the country ungovernable and build our own systems as society as we want it to be, then the shepherds of war will loose flock of supporters.

Peace, as in PEACE (Prosperity Everywhere And Collective Emancipation), to all of you.

Hey i was wondering wether tom is here?
you know your the guy that got hit by a bus? its that kid from the hospital and i was wondering wether you picked up my drum stick or sign in the hospital?

if you did can you email me please! it will be very appreciated! cya l8r
ty!

If whoever the poor guy is that got hit by the bus does read this, are you taking any action? A friend of mine saw you on the following night's demo and mentioned that your arm was in a sling. I was standing a few feet behind and to your left when the bus hit, and would be happy to bear witness to the fact that a) the bus driver must have been able to see you, b) had started from standstill (rather than just failing to brake quickly enough) and c) must have been aware that there had been a collision.

I can understand the bus drivers getting rather sick of sitting behind blockades, but there is no justification for recklessly endangering a pedestrian. It is a serious criminal offence to fail to stop at the scene of an accident. Whether you are hit on the pavement, in the road or playing chicken blindfold makes no difference. Personally, I'd follow up a complaint with the bus company and go to the police. I heard you reading out the number as it went past - did someone get it down?

Post a message here or with SAFP if you need further witnesses.