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.

NO BORDERS ACTION - A SAMBISTAS PERSPECTIVE

BY A SAMBISTA | 16.10.2004 23:02 | European Social Forum | Free Spaces | London

Spurred on by the news that our Serbian friend* was having real difficulties getting the visa to come to the ESF, the international sambistas showed up at the Southbank on the wet Thursday evening to join the No Borders action at Waterloo station.

This was a solidarity action coinciding with the occupation of passport control in Calais and Dover.
The colourful crowd took a back route into the station, and when in the entrance of the Eurostar Terminal, the banner was unfurled and the MASSIVE samba band got straight into it. Loads of us had never played together, but the statement, energy and rhythm was there.
The police joined us sharpish, and a few official looking people huffed and puffed about. Commuters couldn't help but take an interest, and the friendly cameras were rolling.
We were penned in a bit - only 2 ways to go; the way we came in, and a wall of doors with suits marching about in front. Ah, but they missed one. The door was tried and as it opened, by the looks on the faces, it was like a ray of light shone over us freedom fighters. This was followed by a bit of a stampede, and we were through. A few police tried to catch us like shephards would their sheep, but we all got in the passport control, and the beat went on.
The tune finally stopped to calls of "No borders, no nation, no to deportation", and the growing numbers of police circled us. They wanted to say something. We wanted to discuss stuff between ourselves.
A train had come in, and the passengers wanted to get off, but the police were worried about their safety (or was it the image of the company that needed protecting?!).
Having decided we probably would not be able to get to the holding cells, and that the press should really be there, we eventually got up off the floor and kind of moved to the sides. The police started getting a bit wound up, but the vibrant dancers kept up the sweet, playful vibe. Uh, there was this robocop character who had a video camera in his helmet. His penetrating stare scanned the hall. It felt like his look melted a bit of my soul.
And the still photographers. The fit team must fill rooms with photos of us. Maybe they do know we are future heros.
The passengers filtered passed to our intersected calls and powerful samba rhythms. The passers-by looked pretty confused and surprised, and I'm sure we were added to a few holiday photo albums!
We headed to leave with the last few, but the police were all around the doors, hedging us in and funnelling us through. Then we were separated; 14 of us left on the other side.
Everyone seemed a bit unsure of what to do next, but those on the other side spotted us. There was a scuffle. One was wielding a batton.
A sambista carrying a hefty drum had been pushed, bringing down another sambista and sending his glasses flying.
The drums started up and eventually there were grunts of 'one at a time'. We linked hands and passed through the doors to yet more cameras.
Finally we were back out and we all walked free; marching and drumming down the road. Nice one.

www.noborders.org
www.rhythmsofresistance.co.uk

*The band had met the Serbian woman in Belgrade when we went to the PGA at the end of July. One of the sambistas' objectives was to do some outreach in the Roma community nearby. We gave daily workshops; passing on a means for the people to express their rage, and be heard.
We invited a few of the Roma people we had met, and a Serbian translator, to come to the ESF to network with representatives from other Roma communities and support groups.
The Serbian translator did finally get the visa after huge efforts.

BY A SAMBISTA

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

criminaltv

17.10.2004 00:36

This is I think, one of the most beautifully written ppieces of documentary I have yet read on indymedia. Thankyou.

criminaltv


Abolishing Borders from Below

17.10.2004 01:28

From my point of view, one of the best things about this action was that as all the passengers came off the Euro Star, as well as being greeted by samba. By chants of NO BORDRES NO NATION STOP DEPORTATIONS and by banners and leaflets, because we occupied the passport control zone- nobody had their papers checked.
Okay, I know the British immigration creeps check peoples papers on the French side before they board the train, but still it was greatfeeling that we managed to abolish one node of the boder regiem, even if only for an hour or so

sister agogo


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