London Mayday 09 - Guilty Until Proven Innocent

[Bristly Pioneer]

It struck me that one of the most powerful ways to protest and overcome the police's heavy-handed approach here is the use of ridicule. The armoured car thing's a great example - camera-friendly, and it clearly caused a few splinters to form in the heads of the coppers who had come expecting the kind of language they understand - aggression and violence - and got instead paradox and humour.

Would, for example, pink police uniforms be regarded as bannable? I love the idea of everyone dressing up as criminals, too, and I'm sure that, with a bit of thought, we could come up with all kinds of loony stunts that would still make the point, but would show the police up in the worst light possible when they decided they were going to get heavy...

Of course, they'll probably still wade in. But my bet is that future protests are going to be increasingly well covered by cameras, both media and those of the youtube generation...

I think this is bang on the money.

the Hijacker mayday last year was a re-enactment of the last ever may fayre in mayfair. it was billed as a collaboration between the hijacker and the Met. In act 1 the hijackers would put on a street party, in act 2 the Met would clamp down on dissent and close it down.

All of the publicity had both hijacker and Met logo's on it and was spread far and wide.

the end result was that the Met were under strict instructions from above NOT to close down the party so as not to look like they were playing into the hijackers hands.

1-0

 

[Fuck Bees!]

Ah yes the space hijackers reputation. Seems to have been concocted though 'I heard this I heard that' rather than having a factual basis.

Anyway I always thought the attire was rather dashing, not ill-fitting.

 

[Crispy]

Stunts have their place, and the hijackers do good stunts. fair play to them

 

[cesare]

Stunts have their place, and the hijackers do good stunts. fair play to them

Amusing stunts too, we need more of that sort of thing.

 

[TopCat]

In Bloom is a miserable git...

 

[Corax]

Out of curiousity, why the sudden presence of several Hijackers on Urban?

Welcome, have a hobnob, don't lend dub a fiver etc - just wondered how/why you've all appeared (or returned rather, given the join dates) on here at once?

 

[cesare]

Out of curiousity, why the sudden presence of several Hijackers on Urban?

Welcome, have a hobnob, don't lend dub a fiver etc - just wondered how/why you've all appeared on here at once?

Probably saw their thread I spect

 

[Fuck Bees!]

Well I forgot I had an account here But it would seem that I do!

 

[winjer]

While we've got a Space Hijacker handy, perhaps (s)he'd care to explain how they got this reputation for standing to one side and doing fuck all while the police beat and arrest people who are participating in their stunts?

People like you repeating rumours on the internet? No one was 'beaten', two people were issued FPNs for disorder.

 

[cesare]

Well I forgot I had an account here But it would seem that I do!

Post on some other threads an all - there's about a trillion g20 ones on the go at the moment.

 

[agent_undecided]

Out of curiousity, why the sudden presence of several Hijackers on Urban?

Welcome, have a hobnob, don't lend dub a fiver etc - just wondered how/why you've all appeared (or returned rather, given the join dates) on here at once?

Heh heh, sorry! I should spend more time in here. I heard there was a thread on Mayday.... I can't speak for any other Hijackers who might be lurking

Thanks for the Hobnob.

 

[winjer]

While the rest of us were dressed in our best suits to blend in with the locals, partying and encouraging them to join us a small group turned up in their standard black with covered faces and red and black flags, swearing at and goading the police. These were the two later arrested.

Nope, the two later 'arrestees' were in smart shirts, and one had an ill-fitting suit, no face coverings.

 

[Bristly Pioneer]

Post on some other threads an all - there's about a trillion g20 ones on the go at the moment.

Alas I think we all spent most of the G20 in the cells and aren't allowed to talk too much about the bit that we were present for

 

[theant]

Vanity and the spirit of promotion finally propelled me through the need to sign up before being able to view the threads

I've got an exam three days after mayday (and so will be studiously avoiding arrest/head injuries) and shouldn't really be on the internet when there's revision to be done but will definitely come hobnob once the tiny part of my brain devoted to making me pass my degree has restored my internet privileges

 

[winjer]

I'm only going on what I've heard from people who've been arrested at some of their daft stunts and had exactly that happen.

Either you or they are have massively exaggerated what happened, knowing all those involved, indeed having done court support for them, I'm going with you. Why lie?

 

[cesare]

Alas I think we all spent most of the G20 in the cells and aren't allowed to talk too much about the bit that we were present for

Damn. There's always threads and dreads for ideas on the next set of costumes though

 

[In Bloom]

Either you or they are have massively exaggerated what happened, knowing all those involved, indeed having done court support for them, I'm going with you. Why lie?

I'm going off conversations I had months ago, I seem to remember the person I was talking to saying that the police hit him, I could have remembered it wrongly, why accuse me of lying?

Either way, the Space Hijackers obviously have no notion of solidarity if they're happy to watch somebody get arrested and do nothing about it, then slur the people who were arrested on the internet afterwards.

 

[theant]

Nope, the two later 'arrestees' were in smart shirts, and one had an ill-fitting suit, no face coverings.

There were certainly some folks of the face covering variety around. If these weren't the ones arrested I apologise. I used to have a very bad impression of dressed in black, face covering people until a long discussion with one at the following mayday almost ended in the friendliest way possible...

 

[winjer]

I could have remembered it wrongly, why accuse me of lying?

Because you're slagging off people you've never met based on poorly remembered conversations, perhaps?

Either way, the Space Hijackers obviously have no notion of solidarity if they're happy to watch somebody get arrested and do nothing about it, then slur the people who were arrested on the internet afterwards.

Speaking as someone who is both one of those arrested, and involved in the Spacehijackers, do fuck off.

I don't think anybody has slurred those people on the internet afterwards except you.

 

[In Bloom]

Because you're slagging off people you've never met based on poorly remembered conversations, perhaps?

I like that you assume that I've never met the people I'm talking about without actually knowing anything about me or ever having met me yourself. Why would you lie like that winjer, why?

Speaking as someone who is both one of those arrested, and involved in the Spacehijackers, do fuck off.

And as somebody who thinks that the Spacehijackers are a bunch of self-serving, twatty little postgrads with no politics to speak of, fuck off yourself.

I don't think anybody has slurred those people on the internet afterwards except you.

Where and how?

 

[Bristly Pioneer]

so erm Mayday?

Tactics to avoid the police kettling us, or tactics to get them to kettle us and make it backfire on them?
Ways of using the current media anti-police stance to our advantage?
Outfits/ideas etc?
cunning actions which might fit in well with this, or use it as a decoy?

 

[agent_undecided]

Either way, the Space Hijackers obviously have no notion of solidarity if they're happy to watch somebody get arrested and do nothing about it, then slur the people who were arrested on the internet afterwards.

So, your idea of solidarity is hanging around, getting beaten up but the dumbest police in London, letting the ocifers go home for a hearty wank (phwoor, got a tart right in the face with mi' truncheon so I did!) and off to hospital for the protestors. Fantastic tactics. You have obviously been highly schooled in asymetric conflict.

 

[cesare]

And as somebody who thinks that the Spacehijackers are a bunch of self-serving, twatty little postgrads with no politics to speak of, fuck off yourself.

They're a bit more likely to win over public opinion and have a bit of a laugh in doing so than, say, Class War (not that I'm being particularly disparaging about Class War, everything has its place innit) ... whatever works eh.

 

[In Bloom]

They're a bit more likely to win over public opinion and have a bit of a laugh in doing so than, say, Class War (not that I'm being particularly disparaging about Class War, everything has its place innit) ... whatever works eh.

"Public opinion" is neither here nor there if it never translates to anything more than shit like this.

 

[cesare]

"Public opinion" is neither here nor there if it never translates to anything more than shit like this.

Public support for public dissent neither here nor there? I don't agree.

 

[In Bloom]

Public support for public dissent neither here nor there? I don't agree.

"if it never translates to anything more than shit like this"

Opinion is only useful insofar as it translates to practical support, otherwise it's no better than total disinterest.

 

[winjer]

I like that you assume that I've never met the people I'm talking about without actually knowing anything about me or ever having met me yourself.

That's a little circular, surely, since one of the people I'm 'assuming' you've never met is me?

(I didn't suggest that you'd never met AC or DC)

Where and how?

That idiotic thing where you all dressed up in ill-fitting suits to freak out the normals or something would be a prime example.

the Space Hijackers obviously have no notion of solidarity if they're happy to watch somebody get arrested and do nothing about it

the Spacehijackers are a bunch of self-serving, twatty little postgrads with no politics to speak of, fuck off yourself.

 

[cesare]

"if it never translates to anything more than shit like this"

Opinion is only useful insofar as it translates to practical support, otherwise it's no better than total disinterest.

Things gather pace, y'know. Even if a few more people actually turned out to cheer them on and take photos/videos, it's not a waste of time.

 

[In Bloom]

Things gather pace, y'know. Even if a few more people actually turned out to cheer them on and take photos/videos, it's not a waste of time.

I really don't agree, these sorts of stunts often fail utterly at actually communicating what they're about. If anything, they reinforce the notion that politics is something that experts do at spectacular events while everybody else watches.

 

[In Bloom]

That's a little circular, surely, since one of the people I'm 'assuming' you've never met is me?

(I didn't suggest that you'd never met AC or DC)

There seems to be some confusion about when we're talking about the (other) arrestees and when we're talking about the art students who've read a little bit of Debord and not really understood it.