Battle of the beanfield - anniversary
- Thread starter Jelly
- Start date
Explains a lot.Wookey said:
Main Street
New Member
Thank you for starting this thread
Main Street
New Member
bluestreak said:
Okay, no wish to derail thread either. I have been listening to that Radio 4 piece for a bit and it is really disturbing.
However on a peace march or the like this kind of thing doesn't happen cos its out of the public eye but when the police know they are not being watched then all hell breaks loose.
I've had a few close calls on demos in London and I have also seen moments when the police have realised and we have realised our collective strength, but I have never been in a situation where that realisation has then been used to beat the crap out of the police. That is going to another level.
But that is what the police do given the opportunity of anonymity is go to that next level, Beanfield, Miners strikes, Wapping, May Day, and these are just in recent memory. The police I am guessing at Beanfield must have been pysched up and stirred into anger by their superiors on the day. That is not how to run a police force or govern society. Then again that's why society has to change.
This thread is a very timely reminder. I am grateful for the information posted by others and if my words and this line is not the right place, then we can go to a new thread.
Ever since I first heard that Levellers song, I have been aware of Beanfield, but that Radio 4 piece has really jolted me.
I'll be back later
I remember watching the almost live ITN report from the Beanfield, and was as shocked as the reporter clearly was.
I know a lot of stuff did not get shown later, but the late afternoon news DID show a lot (before anyone thought to censor it) and the cops were going MAD.
I was only about 16, and I had never seen anything like it on TV .... people were trying to drive their buses out of the way and the police were just smashing the windows, even throwing their own shields through windscreens.
Pulling people out of vehicles by the hair, including a pregnant woman. Victims staggering around with blood pouring from cut heads. Going back to smash up vehicles for no reason other than "because they could" and presumably, because they had been told to, to f*** up the travellers so they could not carry on living this way.
I remember Kim Sabido's breathless report, saying he'd never seen UK police behave like that. I certainly hadn't. Even stuff that made the TV the year before from the miners strike, yes, there were full-on riots and police brutality, and I'm not taking sides here, but mostly the cops were fighting a rival "army" who were largely as up for it as they were.
But this was more horrific because they were smashing up women, kids, peoples homes, and they were not dealing with a violent opposition at all.
I'm not at all surprised that there was a big attempt to cover up what went on.
It was one of those things that if you saw it, you wouldn't forget it, and wished that you'd taped (especially with hindsight cos they did not show a lot of it later and footage strangley "disappeared".
At least now if something is on TV, you can be sure that so many people will record it that the PTB can't make things "disappear" so easily.
I wish I had all that was shown on TV on videotape, it was, and still is, one of the most outrageous things I've seen happen in the UK.
Giles..
I know a lot of stuff did not get shown later, but the late afternoon news DID show a lot (before anyone thought to censor it) and the cops were going MAD.
I was only about 16, and I had never seen anything like it on TV .... people were trying to drive their buses out of the way and the police were just smashing the windows, even throwing their own shields through windscreens.
Pulling people out of vehicles by the hair, including a pregnant woman. Victims staggering around with blood pouring from cut heads. Going back to smash up vehicles for no reason other than "because they could" and presumably, because they had been told to, to f*** up the travellers so they could not carry on living this way.
I remember Kim Sabido's breathless report, saying he'd never seen UK police behave like that. I certainly hadn't. Even stuff that made the TV the year before from the miners strike, yes, there were full-on riots and police brutality, and I'm not taking sides here, but mostly the cops were fighting a rival "army" who were largely as up for it as they were.
But this was more horrific because they were smashing up women, kids, peoples homes, and they were not dealing with a violent opposition at all.
I'm not at all surprised that there was a big attempt to cover up what went on.
It was one of those things that if you saw it, you wouldn't forget it, and wished that you'd taped (especially with hindsight cos they did not show a lot of it later and footage strangley "disappeared".
At least now if something is on TV, you can be sure that so many people will record it that the PTB can't make things "disappear" so easily.
I wish I had all that was shown on TV on videotape, it was, and still is, one of the most outrageous things I've seen happen in the UK.
Giles..
Phototropic
Active Member
What a fucking disturbing peice of recent history 
Really interesting thread.
Really interesting thread.
Giles said:
Kam Sabido is quoted as saying he thinks it was an act of self-censorship by the bigwigs at ITN.
This is the Rastabus - the last bus to stop moving in the field that day.
The Earl of Cardigan:
Unfortunately, that last bus had been the one that had been keeping them going longest, and briefly, when the police got into that bus – in my opinion, from close range – they briefly lost the control that they’d held that afternoon. All their pent-up frustration and adrenalin of the afternoon was vented on the occupants of that last one bus, and the violence that was shown to the occupants was appalling. The truncheons were rising and falling on their bodies like no one’s business. It was – very briefly – very ghastly to see.
Main Street
New Member
Ground Elder said:Tash was kind enough to burn me a copy of most of the films he's got streamed on his site -
http://tash.dns2go.com/Vtape-main_320x240.htm - quality's not great, but it's watchable. If anyone wants a copy let me know.
I've just realised there's still loads of stuff on the disc I've yet to watch
I have to say that I think this is probably one of the most valueable posts I have ever read on U75 on probably one of the greatest threads that I have ever visited.
Thanks to all concerned. I think in part there's some answers here, that I had quite forgotten, to questions I now have and have posed on other threads.
There's a comment on the 'Pump up the Volume' thing at the end where someone says that inadvertently people had reacted to Thatcher's "there's no society", with a version of society. Feeling very inspired right now but having to deal with reality which for me right now is no job, little money and an uncertain future. No complaints.
Pingu
Credo
I was 18/19 at the time and a bit of a weekend warrior.
I had just left college (got kicked out) and it was sunny. Mate have a van and we were into hawkwind and erm...stuff.
free festies and wango riley loomed. All was good in the pingu world
to me at that time the whole travelling thing was very "romantic" and appealing.
that year we were stopped just south of birmingham and turned back. Saw the beanfield stuff on the news that evening. Romanticism vanished in one few min news item. Free festies, getting tanked up and being a rebel was one thing, having the shit kicked out of you by coppers was something else entirely.
We knew a few of the people who were at the beanfield (names probably wont mean much to anyone but to us they were known as Grizz, monkey, wiggy, spanners and Neil*) and they were different people afterwards. I dont even think they were involved in the thick of it either.
20 years has gone by so fast...
* neil never had a nickname for some reason, short bloke originally from Cape town. well sound guy. sadly he killed himself a few years back
I had just left college (got kicked out) and it was sunny. Mate have a van and we were into hawkwind and erm...stuff.
free festies and wango riley loomed. All was good in the pingu world
to me at that time the whole travelling thing was very "romantic" and appealing.
that year we were stopped just south of birmingham and turned back. Saw the beanfield stuff on the news that evening. Romanticism vanished in one few min news item. Free festies, getting tanked up and being a rebel was one thing, having the shit kicked out of you by coppers was something else entirely.
We knew a few of the people who were at the beanfield (names probably wont mean much to anyone but to us they were known as Grizz, monkey, wiggy, spanners and Neil*) and they were different people afterwards. I dont even think they were involved in the thick of it either.
20 years has gone by so fast...
* neil never had a nickname for some reason, short bloke originally from Cape town. well sound guy. sadly he killed himself a few years back
Main Street
New Member
A way of life was violently suppressed. Looking at some of the images really just makes me think that the coppers on the day were behaving in a fascist manner.
I have no evidence for this but the orders must have come from on high. 'Defeat this lifestyle.'
I have no evidence for this but the orders must have come from on high. 'Defeat this lifestyle.'
Of course it did. What else would you do with "medieval brigands"?Main Street said:
Pingu said:
Exactly the same here - i was just discovering this amazing world when it had the shit kicked out of it. Continued to go to the declining free fezzie scene all throughout the rest of the 80s but it wasn't quite the same as 82/3/4.
Remember the Enid, Pink Faries and Gong? God they were crap... but somehow wonderful at the same time
Had a bit of a renaissance in the early 90s when the acid house crews discovered the wonders of dancing in fields but it had a different flavour then.
Any hooo - by popular demand here's another pic to get your gander up. This one's particularly dangerous - i reckon that might be a cleverly disguised molotov she's got in her arms
Pingu
Credo
since finding out its been 20 years (on one of the travellers threads) I have been doing a lot of introspection and looking at where my life has gone.
I am actually ashamed at the direction my life took, I am currently wondering what happened to some of the values I used to hold in such high esteem and just when it was that I sold them out.
had the beanfield not happened (and lots of other ifs tbh) who knows, I would be poorer (cash wise) but probably alot richer in other ways.
fuck it...
I am actually ashamed at the direction my life took, I am currently wondering what happened to some of the values I used to hold in such high esteem and just when it was that I sold them out.
had the beanfield not happened (and lots of other ifs tbh) who knows, I would be poorer (cash wise) but probably alot richer in other ways.
fuck it...
Main Street said:
Have you read Jim Carey's article (link posted up earlier)?
It put's the whole beanfield action into perspective with the growing anti-nuclear movement, the miner's strike and the effects of Thatcherism in general. Check out Tash's website thouroughly - he's a little disorganised but if you persevere there are some amazing stories and insights into the whole attitude of the police and authorities to this particular sub-culture, particularly operation snapshot which Tash had some very personal encounters with.
Jelly said:
I'd read all the Tash stuff a few years back, well worth another look, but Jim Carey's Squall article is new to me and I think EVERYONE interested in this thread should read it if they haven't already!
I just have and it's fascinating .... horrifying in places too ,...
Also wanted to pay respect to Giles' post earlier. Excellent, and around that time I shared his horrrified reaction ...
William of Walworth said:I'd read all the Tash stuff a few years back, well worth another look, but Jim Carey's Squall article is new to me and I think EVERYONE interested in this thread should read it if they haven't already!
I just have and it's fascinating .... horrifying in places too ,...
Yep - it's a shame that it's uppercase - makes it difficult to read. There is this version of it http://dreamflesh.com/essays/crimculture/ which, although i haven't read all, looks to be an unedited version of the original.
Good version -- excellent -- thankyou.
Ground Elder
Well-Known Member
William of Walworth said:I'd read all the Tash stuff a few years back, well worth another look, but Jim Carey's Squall article is new to me and I think EVERYONE interested in this thread should read it if they haven't already!
I just have and it's fascinating .... horrifying in places too ,...
Yep. Sure is.
Ground Elder said:
The police only managed to sustain 70 out of 500 charges brought against the travs at the subsequent trials. And the vast majority of those 70 were for very minor offences of obstruction where the defendants pleaded guilty. The people who pleaded not guilty were, with very minor exceptions, acquitted. There was only one case where someone pleaded not guilty and was convicted. In all other cases, people who pleaded not guilty were either acquitted by the magistrates – or sometimes on appeal by the judge – or the charges were dropped against them.
And still no real apology or admission of responsibility.
Time for another pic.
Where are you sourcing all these pix from Jelly? Is there an archive ... cheers for cheeky blag of info! 
<too lazy/stoned to click properties mode
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<too lazy/stoned to click properties mode
>Main Street
New Member
Pingu said:
At least you are doing the introspection. That's a good thing. There are plenty of people, myself included that think we in a way have sold out and forgotten values, but my lows are soon followed by realisations of the achievements and things that I have done that I know have had a positive impact on other people's lives. My lifestyle can't be measured like Mr and Mrs Jones with their mortgaged place, three kids, car, dog but don't get me wrong I aint criticising that way of life.
I really think that if you're not stepping on other people or knowlingly destroying the local or global environment and are genuinely trying to live a life that is harmonious to those around you and the planet then you are on the right track.
The above might even sound pompous but shit I know that I have stepped back at times in my life and said I don't like that route or that route can have a positive result. I have been in good places too where I have learnt things off people that you could never learn in a class room. I'm sure half the posters on U75 can say that. I really don't know the way forward but I know I don't like Blair's agenda or Bush or id cards or working hard to an early grave. There has to be more. I think just by taking a look at some of the g8 threads and the posts there show that folks are thinking of alternatives and are prepared to act on them.
Looking back at Beanfield, I don't think there can be any clearer illustration of what the state is prepared to do, when people start thinking for themselves and thinking outside of the box and living a different way of life. My respect for authority has always been thinly veiled but now after reading some of this stuff, listening and viewing some of those links well I'm sorry Officer XX - if you put on the uniform then you've got to accept my response to that is not going to be one of respect. It can never be post Beanfield. Those attacks on women and men with children and babies is sick.
At the same time I'm not about to clobber a copper.
To sum up, Pingu, I know life is tough and the thought of a different life is tougher and acting out to live that is even tougher but it aint impossible. Even if you do it in small steps. It just that some things happen in life, some prepared, others by chance that alter your view faster (but that really is a separate thread)
Main Street, still learning to take the small steps too
Ground Elder
Well-Known Member
Why expect an apology anyway? Will it make it any better?
A couple of years back my partner gave a talk on New Travellers at a conference attended by high ranking representatives of Devon and Cornwall police. They were most upset about references to the Beanfields and went as far as to claim that it never happened
An apology could take the form of adequate site provision and MOT exemption on all live-in vehicles
ddraig said:that radio4 piece is both very horrible and essential to listen to
brutal
<cries>
Have I missed a link to that, earlier in the thread?? Sorry ...
Ground Elder said:An apology could take the form of adequate site provision and MOT exemption on all live-in vehicles
Sounds good -- but how would the MOT exemption thing work, given that they will need to move around at times, and safely?
Genuine question
Ground Elder
Well-Known Member
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