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Don't believe the hype - bypass the corporate media machine - take control - make up your own mind. On Mayday itself people attending the events will have the opportunity to contribute to this site - if you choose to stay at home, and not take part, then don't just passively consume the media spectacle, return here and get the truth as the events unfold.

Text photos audio and video in reverse of the order they happened (so, latest first)

The reports are coming straight from the streets.

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Monday

IndyMedia UK Chronology

LONDON REPORTS

Critical Mass and Parliament Square Gathering

Around 500 people meet at 10am on Hyde Park Corner to start the Critical Mass bicycle demonstration, heading towards Parliament Square. The action was colourful, peaceful, and had a carnival like atmosphere. At the same time a peaceful action against Macdonalds took place on The Strand, where free veggie burgers where given out. People started meeting up at Parliament Square at 11am. By midday around 6000 had filled the square with an excited air of expectation.

Headline of the day
10.40am: Critical Mass Starts
11.00am cycling solidarity
The Macdonald's action that wasn't reported
Seeds prepared for planting
People are gathering at parliament square
Parliament Square & interviews, 10-12am
King of the road
On the way to Parliament Square
Some have it easier than others
11th rts action for some
Report from the street
Crowd masses in Parliament Square
More crowd in square

Guerrilla Gardening Begins

With the arrival of the costumed gardening parade complete with music and flanked by cyclists, a roar went up from the crowd and the gardening action started. Unicorns danced to the band as the creation of the community garden began in ernest.

Irrigation courtesy of the police
Allotment style plots
Witch garden
Here be dragons
Horticultural Anarchy!
More Anarchy
Shelter building
More Maypole
New Streets
Guerrilla Gardening - EDIT
Why May Day?
Guerrilla Gardening
General May Day noises
May Day Everyday
1:49pm Maypole
1.40pm: Parliament Square turned into garden
End capitalism today!
Cityworkers, ethiopan drummers ...
Resistance is Fertile!
Hands on gardening
Procession costumes
Bill and Ben look on
Maypole in the square
13:32pm Maypole2
Mud hut
Dancing around the Maypole
public opinions: 1.30pm variety of people in parliament square
1.20pm The latest impressions
- Message in Italian
- Message in French
- Message in Spanish
- Message in Papua New Guinea language
Rampant consumerism, richer but not happier
1:17pm Gardening song
Even they like it...
Children's view on May Day (spanish)
Invitation to public microphone
12:57pm Gardening
Let London Sprout
Waiting for the action
12.40pm: About 3000 people have joined Critical Mass cyclists gathered in Parliament Square
Streets reclaimed...
Indymedia Public Access Terminal in crowd
12:28 Gardening procession
12:27pm Flag
Climbing in the sun
Raising the banners
Now clear that gardening will be in Parliament Square

Clashes towards Trafalger Square

Later in the afternoon a section of the crowd headed along whitehall towards Trafalgar Square to meet up with the Trade Union march. At this point around 20 people attacked a Macdonald's outlet. As a result of this the police moved in force to split the crowd. One section was pushed by riot police up into Trafalgar Square, which was then sealed off - people only being allowed to leave after three hours, and only then after they had been searched and photographed.

Statement sent to IndyMedia from May Day organising committee for Trade Union march prevented from reaching Trafalger by police (copies also on labourstart.org and labournet.org
Report on police getting ready for action
Samba in Whitehall
Police gather in side streets
Report on police getting ready for action
Crowd as police move in
Police start to split the crowd
...and block Whitehall
After a minutes silence at Cenotaph the band moves off
Statement from Samba Band after Mayday
The state is dividing people
Your names not down, you're not coming in - Downing St
Trafalgar Square
Arrest
Can you help
Flowerhead
Can you help
mcdonalds
Media people
Police everywhere
policemodel
police victim
Riot police in rush
Front_row
Protection?
Between Trafalgar and Parliament Squares 2
Between Trafalgar and Parliament Squares
Wealth distribution
3.56pm: Trafalgar Square blocked off
Tension in Trafalgar Square too
5:58pm More people trapped in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square, 4-7pm, police closes in thousands of people. hours later they are allowed to leave one by one, being searched and photographed ('making use of Criminal Justice Act')
9.00pm: Police blockade of Trafalgar Square

Gardeners Surrounded

With people still gardening and dancing around the maypole, large numbers of riot police moved without warning to seal off the exists from Parliament Square. Tourists and gardeners alike were trapped and confused with police lines allowing people into the square, but not out.

Straights' allowed to come in and out
Protestors searched and photographed
3.42pm: Arrests begin
05.55pm: Media channel staff held
Ethnic yournalist denied access
05.40pm: CNN attacked by police
Event timeline report
3.40pm: Poem: I was playing my trombone with some drummers...
Indymedia Public Access Terminal tent
3.20pm: Public postings at the Indymedia tent
3.00pm: A report from the Undercurrents film crew
Clean Air for London
3.00pm: Tension in Parliament Square
3.00pm: 12,000 around Parliament Square, Trafalgar Street
Horses enter square in show of force
Horses in square
2:45pm Horses
Parliament pond
2:42pm Crowd continues to dance
Happy mayday - against global capitalism
No way out of the square
Improving monuments
churhill statue
2:12pm Artspace
Newbury MkII - people in trees
2.00pm democracy has never existed, it's just a good idea
Digging
Streets turn into gardens
Above the tarmac the grass
A quiet place to relax

People's Assembly Negotiates

With more riot police arriving and the crowd's apprehension rising, a public assembly was held to negotiate a peaceful departure for the crowd. It was collectively decided to leave together via Millbank, and after a short delay the massed crowd danced through the police lines. Having freed themselves the gardeners headed towards Kennington Park to relax after the day.

Having just escaped
5.05pm: On leaving Parliament Square...
Car improvement
Police charge Mall (Black Block)
4:23pm Stand off on Vauxall bridge
4:20pm Leaving Parliament Square
People leave Parliament Square
Protestors protect each other from broken glass
4:10pm Mother and child Demonstrate
4:09pm Positive escape over the bridge
Move to Lambeth bridge
Costumes and music
Crowds leave the Gardens
4.05pm: Leaving Parliament Square
Crowds pours out of square
Trying to push out of square
Police stop crowd moving
Crowd decide to leave Parliament Square
Negotiating with police to leave peacefully
Police let people in but not out

Kennington Park

Trouble flared as the police surrounded sections of the crowd and proceeded to push them into the Park with mounted police and over 40 riot vans. Later the tension was diffused as 50 mounted riot police were greeted by an impromptu game of football. Following this those remaining were surrounded and individually searched and photographed.

00.23pm: Guerrilla gardening on South Bank too
10.55pm: On news reports
10:30pm Just got back home
10.03pm: More from Kennington Park
8.00pm: Update: The situation in Kennington Park
6:40pm 150-a-side football match
6:25pm Report back from Mayday
6.13pm: Report on the day from a 'clandestine anarchist'
6:15pm Disruptive police behaviour
5:16pm Being herded into the Kennington park
5:08pm Kennington Park - 28 police vans
Fairies feed the horses!
Looking for trouble? - Police outside the park
5:02pm Happy Vibes

These are some of the reports sent to IndyMedia UK from around the world. The other reporting sites listed at the top of this page also carry good global reports.

4.56pm: Observations on today and media coverage
More comments on media coverage
positivity
criticism
criticism of police and coprorate media (inc bbc!)
these were not riots
police priorities
more thoughts on a set up
activist_mayday_review
football
mcreport2
mcreport
trumpet

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