[IMC-UK-Features] New EDO Feature Proposal

Wed May 6 05:56:13 PDT 2009

here's the new version with html :

Brighton's Mayday! Mayday! street party saw 2,000 from all over the
country gathered to protest against capitalism, war and the arms trade. It
was called by Smash EDO, the movement that has been campaigning against
the EDO MBM/ITT bomb component factory in Brighton for the last 5
years.

The day before the Mayday demo saw FIT monitoring the front and back
entrances of the Cowley Club in Brighton where an anti-militarist
conference was taking place as well as paying regular visits to the Mayday
convergence centre down the road. FIT, however, having suffered from
adverse press and criticism from local MPs after they monitored the Earth
First gathering and the Shut ITT mobilisation, did not bring their cameras
and limited themselves to taking notes on who went in and out of the
club.

The morning of May 4th saw the expected strong police presence both
outside the Cowley Club and convergence centre as well as at protest
targets in Brighton town centre. Targets had been published on Indymedia
in the form of an Anti-Militarist map of Brighton. A division of mounted
police parked up on the seafront and gave their horses some exercise and
sea air. Smash Edo Radio began broadcasting at 10.30 with the meeting
point still unknown, entertaining listeners with ads for EDO MBM/ITT's
latest state-of-the art killing tools. At 11 cyclists started to gather at
Brighton station and half an hour later the 50-strong critical mass bike
ride with two sound systems headed for the sea accompanied by two police
horses, Evidence Gathering camera teams and a number of vans.

Around 11.45 Smash Edo Radio announced the meeting point was to be the
Aquarium roundabout opposite Brighton pier, which the critical mass
reached at 12, when cyclists started circling the roundabout. Crowds
started to gather at the entrance to the pier and a sound system was
brought onto the roundabout to join the cyclists, as people started
dancing on the, by then, blocked off roundabout. The FIT (Forward
Intelligence Team) made their way onto the roundabout but were driven off
as more protesters arrived and the police didn't attempt to prevent the
roundabout being taken.

Around 12.45 the crowd, now numbering over 500, moved off towards
Brighton town centre fronted by a line of mounted police. At Barclays Bank
on North Street scaffolding was scaled and a banner reading 'No Arms
Dealers in Our Communities” unfurled - Barclays is the largest single
investor in ITT with 4 million shares. As police moved in to seize the
climbers the crowd created a space for them to descend safely. A paint
bomb also hit Barclays. There was a carnival atmosphere with a dragon
winding through the crowd, people in red fancy dress, as well as padded
block and reinforced banners at the front.

The crowd stopped outside the Army Recruitment Centre on Queens Rd,
which was redecorated with spray paint and red paint. Again police who
moved in to make arrests were repelled. FIT and EG teams were constantly
hampered as they tried to film and take photos. A CCTV van was spray
painted at the station and the crowd, which had swelled to well over
1,000, headed down Trafalgar Street. Once on London Road attention was
focussed on McDonalds, although the cans thrown were ineffective against
the plate glass. As police cleared the pavement outside McDonalds a flare
was set off under a police van, which was then rocked on its axles.

With the police having blocked off London Rd the crowd went down a side
street and up the hill away from the centre with the police
outmanoeuvered. Mounted police managed to get in front of the march on
Ditchling Rd but by the time the police had blocked off this road the
march had headed off through a residential area back to the London Rd and
into Preston Park. A heavy police presence was deployed outside RBS
opposite the park.

At 2.30, some stopped to party in the park whilst others headed up
Preston Drove and through residential areas back towards the town centre.
The first arrest came with somone seized for 'assault' as the police,
despite their large numbers, failed to contain the more dispersed groups
and became increasingly aggressive, resorting at one point to
baton-charging the reduced crowd. The crowd continued to evade police
attempts to kettle them in and even managed to kettle the police at one
point on Traflagar Street. The crowd split into two as one part headed for
the sea with the other settling on the green outside St Peters Church on
London Rd. After a rest this part started off for the seafront as the
crowd joined again briefly with the police in hot pursuit. A cat-and-mouse
chase through the Pavilion Gardens and historic Lanes part of the town
ensued as bemused daytrippers and tourists looked on. The police lashed
out with one woman collapsing after being batoned in the kidneys and
another being knocked off her bike. Many peoples' legs were batoned.

At least 30 protesters suffered injuries, most minor with a few
requiring visits to A & E. Police horses were put in harms way by the
police and some injuries may have been sustained.

<p><strong>Smash Edo press release:</p></strong><a
href="http://www.smashedo.org.uk/pressreleases/Mayday%20Success%20.htm">Smash
EDO claim Brighton demo a success</a></p>
<p><strong><p><strong><a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429192.html">Indymedia -
Timeline</a>|<a href="http://twitter.com/lasthours">Last Hours - Timeline
</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Photos and Reports from the Day:</strong><a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429259.html">Anti-War Clashes
With Police</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429259.html">FIT shut Down in
Brighton</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429336.html">Pics of Cops at
Mayday</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429345.html?c=on#c222609">
Businesses linked to ITT redecorated</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429359.html>Shell
Targeted</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429389.html">HSBC
Smashed</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429395.html?c=on#c222657">Photos</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429408.html">Video of the
Day</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429409.html">Photos of FIT
and EGT at Mayday</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429419.html">More Pics</a>|<a
href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/05/429439.html?c=on#c222667">Pics
and Video</a>
<p><strong>Previous Coverage of Smash EDO Mass Demonstrations:</strong><a
href="https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/10/410912.html">Shut ITT -
October
2008</a>|href="https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/400163.html">Carnival
Against the Arms Trade - June 2008</a>|<a
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_-v2bi33Qc">Freedom to Protest -
June 2008</a></p>