Peace march, police state, eyes opened.

by mh
A strange thing happened in the town of Carterton today – a peace march, believed to be the very first ever protest march through the town. And was it surreal…or just a reflection of how far down the road of authoritarian control we have travelled under New Labour?
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Carterton is the town next to RAF Brize Norton, a fairly new town largely constructed to support the RAF base. The base is the location for peace camp, organised by independent peace activists from Bristol, running from 21 to 25 April (see  http://bristol.indymedia.org/newswire/display/22447/index.php). The camp is on the outskirts of the town, on the very fringes of the RAF base, no doubt at the state’s insistence – out of sight, out of mind. The camp is very well organised, and according to one occupant was home to around 10 campers on Thursday night; 20 on Friday, with more expected to stay tonight. As of 4pm today there had been only one, pointlessly absurd, arrest – of a well known peace activist & climber, whose bail prevents her rejoining the camp.

Today there was a peace march & rally in Carterton to support the peace camp, and highlight the role of the air base – as a weapon of mass destruction, and the location for dead armed forces personnel returned from Iraq. They don’t like dissent in Carterton, and the almost hysterical over-reaction of the police to the march was evidence of this. The town centre before the march had a very visible police presence, that contributed to the buzz around town, that something strange, and new, was happening today.

Upto 150 peace protesters gathered at the town’s recreation ground in cold, dark conditions, with intermittent rain. They were greeted by Thames Valley police clad in paramilitary boots & black combat trousers, yellow fluorescent jackets over stab jackets. Police first aiders were present, along with police photographers, mounted police, and upto 6 riot vans.

Every protester was handed 5 sheets of A4 paper, each listing a series of instructions & restrictions under Sections 12 (about processions) & 14 (about assemblies) of the 1986 Public Order Act, and contained the following statement from Assistant Chief Constable John Donlon: “I reasonably believe that it [the assembly or procession] may result in serious disruption to the life of the community or that the purpose of the persons organising this public assembly is intended to intimidate others to do or not to do something they have a right.” Restrictions included the max no. of persons allowed present (400); no leafleting; no burning of effigies of other structures; no offensive placards to be displayed; along with defined routes and specific timings. In 25 years of protesting, I have never seen such a pre-emptive strike by the state. Practising for the G8 summit perhaps, or based on the sort of intelligence that took us to war in Iraq?

The marchers were a terrifying assortment of toddlers, grannies, idealistic youth, old hippies, and, most scarily, very normal looking people. The anarchist black bloc & other fence trashers have clearly perfected their disguise. Accompanied by a small but rhythmic samba band, they paraded through town, and the town came out too….to gawp, heckle a bit, take photos, sometimes join in, but most of all to disrupt the normal life of the community by walking alongside blocking footpaths, swelling numbers, AND NOT SHOPPING. Local youth were particularly excited by this new phenomenon, with the irony that those who joined in also found themselves subject to the Sections 12 & 14.

We marched though the town to the main gates of RAF Brize Norton, listened to speeches & toppled Bliar’s statue; then marched back through town to the peace camp. On leaving the peace camp area, itself subject to 24-hour police filming, we were advised by the ever present police that we would be arrested if we returned into town to protest or leaflet. Given that and the possibility of a lynching by some of the local redneck drinkers, we came home.

(Note: this is a personal view of the day by someone who travelled independently from Bristol to the march & rally, and is in no way connected to the organisers. Full respect to the organisers though!)

(With many thanks to MH, posting to Bristol Indymedia at:  http://bristol.indymedia.org/newswire/display/22508/index.php)