2009 Big Green Gathering Cancelled

[cap n chris]

But.... Is there a link?  :-\

 

[Peter Burgess]

But.... Is there a link?  :-\

No. It's missing.

 

[whitelackington]

Im quite convinced the authoritys sabotageded the BGG its precisly the sort of devios method that gets used all the time to squash things that dont conform to the councils tick boxs the organisers probably just didnt give large enough back handers to the right people i s'pect.
Its an atempt to disrupt the planing and coordination of direct action groups simple as that. Theyre a right pain in the arse for the government so i suspect the governments probably taken a great deal of delight in squashing this.
say what you like about crustys and hippys theyre not exactly the quaralsome sort and it would take houres for a group to arive at a consensus about wether or not to punch you if you did manige to piss em of.
im glad it hasnt turned into a battle of the beanfeild situation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OOew1UAT3k&feature=PlayList&p=EAA43579DE713E3B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=18

Well, after watching that video, I am not surprized the police don't want The Big Green Gathering,
it will save the police from getting a bad press after they have behaved appallingly, again.

Who gave them their orders to behave like that, is there any accountability.
I can't imagine the ordinary police officers  behave so badly unless they have previously been told to act that way ( but not of course in writting).

 

[Les W]

That video was from 1985, that's 24 years ago. Most of the UK's police force weren't even born then. 

I'd like to think things might have moved on a bit in today's police force.  :-\

 

[whitelackington]

Apparently now The Big Green Gathering has been cancelled "by order"
some of the gatherers are going to join the burgeoning climate protest outside the court in The Isle of Wight
Vestas applying to evict workers at their wind turbine factory
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jul/29/vestas-factory-protest-court

"Hundreds of environmental protesters, who have supported the workers' campaign, are planning to attend a rally outside today's hearing,
which is being heard in a neighbouring crown courtroom to accommodate the large number of press and interested parties.

More activists are expected to arrive today. Ticketholders who had planned to attend the recently cancelled Big Green Gathering
- a four-day event in Somerset featuring music, debates and practical green living demonstrations that was to have begun today
- have been urged to head to the Isle of Wight instead."

 

[buddy]

In my experience the police still behave the same, 5 months still no result from complaints board they are to busy to sort out my complaint.

 

[ian.p]

I'd like to think things might have moved on a bit in today's police force. 

i think yes things have moved on quite a bit however there are still massive problems with the way protests and unwanted (by the govenrment) gatherings are delt with. the brakeing up of the climate camp at the G20 protests is a clasic example of police using inapropriate tactics on peacfull demonstraters:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2009/apr/15/g20-police-climate-camp

protesters with there arms in the air being cordend by the police truncheons and sheilds being weilded against unarmed demonstraters if theyed have been left alone there would have been no injurys at all instead quite a number of people were hurt and in another area one man was killed he wasnt even a protester walking home with his hands in his pockets he was hit by a batton from behind and later colapsed and died.
police acountability is also not what it should be:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/video/2009/apr/20/g20-police-id-refusal

 

[whitelackington]

I expect some of the constabulary are a bit upset that The Big Green Gathering has been cancelled
1) they wont be reaping in the overtime, plus adding to their pension pot
2) they wont get to taser any hippies. 

 

[darren]

All these links seem to be to the guardian (liberal middle class).

Can't we have a few from the Daily Mail and telegraph for a bit of right wing totalitarianism. We could also do with a few from a labour newspaper, perhaps the express?

 

[Les W]

I'd like to think things might have moved on a bit in today's police force.  :-\

I didn't say things had moved on, just that I'd like to think they had. 

I expect some of the constabulary are a bit upset that The Big Green Gathering has been cancelled
1) they wont be reaping in the overtime, plus adding to their pension pot
2) they wont get to taser any hippies. 

They are still getting the overtime as there are about 30 of them 24/7 laying siege to all and sundry that even dare to drive within a mile of the BGG site.
They actually stopped the Cheddar Ales delivery lorry as it was heading towards Cheddar and said "...umm, where are you going..."  :-\

 

[Elaine]

Oh dear Les, you are getting like Whitelackington - you have started to quote yourself!!

 

[kay]

I'd like to think things might have moved on a bit in today's police force. 

i think yes things have moved on quite a bit however there are still massive problems with the way protests and unwanted (by the govenrment) gatherings are delt with. the brakeing up of the climate camp at the G20 protests is a clasic example of police using inapropriate tactics on peacfull demonstraters:

Interesting article in new Scientist. Gist is that conventional wisdom is that crowds are random and need control; but that in fact crowds tend to be logical and the people in the crowds tend to behave in a civilised way to each other. It is when you start applying violence that the crowd starts to become violent in response.

 

[whitelackington]

Residents of what was R.A.F. Locking defend their estate against a gypo invasion 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1203115/They-shall-pass-At-RAF-base-locals-form-human-shield-halt-invasion-travellers.html

Police powerless to stop travellers setting up camp, apparently it might infringe the gypsies human rights 

 

[estelle]

ah that explains it, i'd wondered what was going on at Locking Camp over the last few days as i drive past there most days and i've watched them increasing the barricades and manning of the gates again - it's pretty impressive to see a village working together as a community to fight the invasion.

 

[graham]

Lots of mixed feelings on this thread as to whether aiding or preventing these events is the right course to take.

 

[exsumper]

It's right that freedom means that people should be able to do what they like. Unfortunately there are some that attend these events, that  forget the associated caveat, that freedom to do what you like shouldn't  affect the life freedom, liberty or property of others.

 

[whitelackington]

I know this is about Warwickshire and not Mendipshire
but their top copper is very cross he could not get The Bulldog Bash banned.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/8185705.stm
There does seem to be a hidden agenda to stop people having fun / free expression.
I hope we don't get become like  Iran.
:-\

 

[darren]

Police have successfully close down several bike rallies in the past.

These were much smaller events not organized by bike gangs, but more middle of the road events. When the police are telling you they have specific intelligence that their is a shooting planned for the event you have organized, you have some difficult decisions to make. If their have been a spate of shooting over the last year, it doesn't make things easier.

The threat of stabbing or lumps of 4" by 4" are of lesser concern and are normally not enough to even consider cancellation of an event .

I haven't been to a caving event yet, but this is not the type of decision I am expecting the organizers to have to make  in the near future

 

[Ellie]

Re the battle of the beanfield - A friend of mine who was in the police force at the time resigned immediately after being stationed there as he was so appalled by the police brutality he witnessed - (arguably he was naive to think that by joining the police he could do some good for the community).

It is however equally naive to suppose that things have moved on since then - at least in a positive (ie. less authoritarian) way.

Anyone who has attended any kind of protest and please let's remember that there is (theoretically at least) a public right to protest, will know that police tactics are, if anything, worse than they were twenty years ago.

Dissent of any sort is increasingly not tolerated, and violent tactics on the part of the police more common. Increasingly any gatherings or protests which challenge the status quo are either banned or over policed.  The BGG is a victim of this tendency. it makes me, to say the least, very uncomfortable.


BGG is not my thing, I am not a hippy or a crusty or even a vegetarian!  But I do believe in the right to free expression and to free thought and I think that ever so
gradually, this right is being eroded in this country. And I don't like it, not one little bit.

I don't want to sound pretentious but I am reminded of Neimoller's poem:


In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me ?
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

 

[whitelackington]

An excellent posting Ellie,
unfortunately I think you are right.