Action Direct from the Streets

Received Monday 10:03pm

I left kennington about 2 hours ago. At the time that I left, the police and the crowd were seemingly calm, and I walked through the police line with no trouble to speak of. A game of football had started, and the police didn't seem too bothered, to the point that they were kicking the ball back to the protesters.

However to start with things were less than friendly. After being pushed down from parliament square, we crossed lambeth bridge and ended up heading towards Kennington Park. Someone had obviously decided this although I am not sure who. Our trip to Kennington was almost police-free, with one van stopped in its tracks and turned around by assertive protesters. :)

However, we again saw the cops who diverted us towards a single gate leading into Kennington Park, so that everyone was slowly forced in. This gate, barely 4 feet wide was the focal point for a pitched battle, as police repeatedly attempted to storm it, only to retreat to the other side of the road. Onlookers and families gathered either side of the 70 or so riot police to watch the entertainment as a stalemate ensued. Some rocks and bottles were thrown but there didn't appear to be anything too bad until the police cleared the onlookers to either side of them, pushing them away with their shields.

They then eventually entered to the side and surrounded the crowd, but as the atmosphere became more calm, the police line was just a formality and I was able to walk through it and go home.

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