The Carnival for Full Enjoyment took over the streets of central Edinburgh on 4th July. Despite a level of police violence rarely seen at demonstrations in Scotland, Princes Street - the capital's main street - was occupied and closed for the whole afternoon and till late in the evening. A significant number of local people were involved along with the many internationals present for the G8 summit protests.

Taking place two days before the G8 meeting kicked off at Gleneagles, the aim of the day was to encourage resistance to wage slavery, benefits slavery, debt slavery and army slavery. "This is a chance to link everyday struggles against the bosses and politicians here in Scotland with the struggles of working class people throughout the world. Let's tell the G8 and all rich bloodsuckers: we owe you nothing. You owe US. You have stolen the whole world from us. Now we are organising to take it back."

BUSINESSES SHUT DOWN

A victory was gained from the start as many businesses shut for the whole day, hopefully winning their workers a paid holiday, something much needed as UK workers toil for some of the longest hours in Europe. More businesses closed in the course of the day, including many shops and pubs, such as Boots, Next, Gap and Ann Summers, as the police advised every business in the city centre to close their doors.

The A4E offices in Rutland Square –- where unemployed people are forced to undergo compulsory courses - closed for the whole week, but are reportedly still forcing their slaves to do that week later. HM Love sheriff officers on Heriot Row – debt collectors – were closed on the day, after stating earlier that they did not close for the local holiday. Virtually the whole of the Multrees Walk designer shops development, including Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton, announced in advance they would close for 3 days due to G8 protests, not re-ng till the day after the Carnival.

The chief executive of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce said the G8 had had a "devastating" impact on retailers. "It was worse than we had expected", he said. (Edinburgh Evening News 8.7.05) B. Smellie of the George Street Traders Association reckoned city centre shops had lost tens of millions of pounds due to the G8 protests.

THE CLAMPDOWN

Repression started long before the Carnival began, with police surrounding and threatening arrests against a battalion of the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army as they put on their face paint and costumes outside the Teviot Row convergence centre around 10-10.30am.

Around noon, the Carnival's advertised starting time, the police trapped people and penned them in Canning Street, a side street near the west end of Princes Street. About 200 protesters were corralled outside Exchange Tower, where police in a line three deep blocked both entrance and exit. A three-hour standoff ensued. The pink and silver samba band played and kept the crowd's spirits up, while other protesters, wearing fluorescent wigs and brightly coloured clothing, danced and whistled wildly in front of the police.

Efforts were made to breach the police line but were unsuccessful. Before they were allowed to go on their way, everyone was forced to give their name and address into a video camera before being searched. The police were adamant that anyone refusing to remove their masks would be arrested immediately. The protesters finally left the police with a rendition of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". The Evening News reported that Martin Currie, the financial fund managers firm, had three bricks thrown through the windows of its Canning Street offices.

The Standard Life office on nearby Lothian Road was defended by a massive police presence, following misleading press reports that the building would be targeted. In fact carnival supporters had successfully leafleted Standard Life workers earlier in the week, focusing on how casualisation and the use of temporary contracts worsens working conditions and increases stress, and urging workers self-organisation to fight back.

CARNIVALISTAS RECLAIM THE STREETS

Despite the early set-back at the West End, around 1pm other people managed to come together at the west end of Princes Street, and join together into a group. Setting off eastwards they swept past a weak police line and marched together nearly half way along Princes Street.

Here they almost met the Infernal Noise Brigade contingent. The Infernals and friends, after being briefly boxed in on Rose Street, had made it to Hanover Street where the band struck up and headed onto Princes Street, heading westwards to meet the other main group of demonstrators.

Now however the Infernals were once more surrounded by police and due to these police corralling tactics, it didn't prove possible to unite the two groups, after some time the Infernal contingent having to once more head off eastwards.

Shortly after this the other larger group, which had marched east from the west end, made a big push to get through the police lines. This almost succeeded, but as both demonstrators and police tumbled to the ground, the police line just held.

Some time after, these demonstrators changed direction, heading unhindered back west up Princes Street, a FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT banner to the fore with chants such as NO BORDERS NO NATIONS STOP THE DEPORTATIONS. Turning south into Charlotte Square a stand off with police, including mounted police, ensued.

The Evening News reports that "Around 1:35pm in Charlotte Square, the cry went up from a squad of English police officers: "Batons up. Prepare to charge." The police then broke into a short jog before shouting in unison: "CHARGE!" The protesters pulled back. As the police line was bolstered by mounted officers, behind whom stood a third line of police in riot gear...one young woman in a clown's costume went along the line of riot police kissing each officer's shield."

GIANT CARDBOARD CAT SPOOKS POLIS HORSES

However it was a giant cardboard cat that proved a secret weapon for the Carnival. One protester, kitted out with the costume, moved closer to the mounted police, causing the horses to grow jittery and difficult to control. A police snatch squad then moved up to menace the rebel feline.

A CUNNING PLAN

Some time after this group of demonstrators had marched eastwards along Princes Street from the West End, another crowd gathered, also at the West End. This contingent however – perhaps 60-100 strong and carrying a SOLIDARITY WITH AFRICAN WORKERS banner- set off northwards, down Queensferry Street. Then turning eastwards, making through some back streets onto Queen Street. Next heading back up towards Princes Street, emerging into Charlotte Square from the north.

Here however they were confronted by a line of police, including mounted officers, probably the same cops that were confronting the other roving band of demonstrators, and largely dispersed as a group, some people probably managing to filter through the line and others being forced out of the square. Reports have it that one of the giant puppets accompanying this crowd, a somewhat sinister and menacing creation, caused almost as much alarm among the police horses as the giant cardboard cat...

MAGIC CARPETS

After the Charlotte Square stand-off continued for some 15 minutes or so, the majority of demonstrators in this area re-grouped, several hundred strong, and headed east away from Charlotte Square along George Street and then south into Princes Street. The police presence at this point was weak and the demonstrators had control of the streets, right in the centre of Princes Street. Two magic carpets were prominent – these are like a banner, but actual carpets with handles attached, carried by 3-4 people and excellent for either pushing through police lines or for defensive use to block a police attack. They were adorned with slogans such as NO TO DOLE SNOOPERS. This was perhaps around 3pm.

A participant writes:

"This to me was the most inspiring period of the day. Totally unhindered by police we took over the whole width of Princes Street. Two magic carpets and the Freedom of Movement banner moved in unison down the street. Chants of "Whose Streets? Our Streets!" and "Whose World? Our World!" rang out, along with anti capitalist slogans in Italian. As we burst into a run, heading east, a group of police in front of us turned and ran like rabbits. Actually they were in no danger, the running was a playful expression of our joy in taking over the city centre.

"Now however things turned nasty as police turned, drew their batons and started attacking demonstrators. At this point I took a nasty blow to the hand from a police baton. Luckily for me two street medics were on hand and did an excellent job in treating me. Others were worse injured, as riot police were deployed and the iron fist was used."

STREET MEDICS

The street medics played an important role in the Carnival, as in many other G8 actions. They were present in the thick of the action and provided vital first aid to demonstrators immediately it was needed. This was doubly important in a situation where there were no state medical services on hand – indeed there is a report that ambulances were refusing to answer calls to aid injured demonstrators.

The medics describe themselves:"UK Action Medics are a network of activists who have first aid skills, together with a few who are nurses and doctors. We want to make sure that ourselves and others are trained in the unique areas of medicine in protest situations (eg. CS gas and the working conditions) in addition to the normal first aid. We want to be organised so people who are organising protests can let us know so we can try and be at the event. "

During the Carnival it became clear that the police were targeting the street medics. Medics were subjected to many stop and searches, five or six medics were arrested and their medic van seized. Two women medics were violently arrested by a police snatch squad in full riot gear in Princes Street Gardens while they were treating injured people (many had been injured on railing spikes trying to escape the cops). In the course of the arrests the women screamed in pain as the police deliberately used pressure point holds to hurt them — read an interview with the arrested medics.

PHENOMENAL

Another demonstrator says:

"I spent the day at the carnival, and it started out nicely. Like our man says, the walk along George Street and Princes Street was phenomenal, it looked like thousands of people (corporate media reports say about 1000 –- but with no cars around it looked like many more) in a massive version of our annual local Edinburgh reclaim the streets demo. It was great, really beautiful. Even the Black Bloc guys and the people who'd clearly come prepared for something other than nonviolent protest were all smiles.

"But when the police decided to stop us, they didn't hesitate to be brutal. We were walking peacefully, at this point there was no violence or stone throwing of any kind, when the mounted police charged us. At the east end of princes street, directly outside Jenners, They charged at least three times, with batons unleashed on the final one, and while this had been happening they boxed us all in with lines of riot police. Trapped and panicked by the brutal tactics, things did escalate. I've been on many protests across Scotland, and this was by far the most provocative and violent policing I have ever witnessed. "

Nevertheless demonstrators held the ground in Princes street and danced as a small sound system on a trolley blasted away. The appearance of the sound system was a triumph of perseverance as police had attempted to stop it joining the demo. Clowns drew funny faces on police riot shields and helmets, on at least one occasion disconcerting the police ranks to the extent that they backed away. As late afternoon went into evening, police moved in, attacking demonstrators on Princes street and the neighbouring gardens.

PARKLIFE

At one point police attempted to arrest a single individual and chased him into Princes Street Gardens, which was packed with spectators and protesters, many of whom went to try and save the man, pelting the police with flowers and earth. Park benches were used to try and halt the police attacks, and some buckets etc were hurled at the police. Some locals were understandably upset at the use of the benchalso es, which are dedicated to deceased loved one. But it is almost certain that those using the benches were merely using whatever came to hand to defend themselves and had no idea of this fact. Much was also made in the press about the the uprooted flowers! However, a local blogger has pointed out that flowers at Princes Street Gardens are regularly transplanted anyway.

A few hundred Edinburgh residents on their way home found themselvestrapped outside BHS in Princes Street by the police cordons. One pregnant woman, with a seven-year-old child, pleaded with police – initially in vain –- to be let past. Green Scottish Parliament Member Mark Ballard criticised the police for effectively imprisoning passers-by.

The Edinburgh Evening News reported that "Further lines of riot police charged across the square at the bottom of the Mound, which caused more terrifying scenes. There was shouting and screaming and widespread confusion before things momentarily settled down."

The Evening News also quoted a passer-by as saying "I've been here since one o'clock and it's been absolutely terrifying. I think the police have been very heavy-handed by instigating most of it, because they're moving into the crowds, charging, hitting people on the heads with batons and their plastic shields. This has caused mayhem and caused the crowds to disrupt into angry scenes. I saw a police van drive into two protesters which knocked them to the ground."

A Carnival participant wrote in Indymedia about this part of the day : "Eventually, through charges with lines of riot police they trapped us inside Princes Street Gardens East. I managed to get out the other side before the stormtroopers had secured it, but many of my friends and comrades were trapped inside. The police were very hostile and threatening, barking at people to move arbitrarily from place to place, on what appeared to me to be filthy fascist power-tripping.

"People were let out one at a time, with many being photographed and almost all having to provide names and addresses. It took around two hours for my friends to be released, after which we went to Bristo square where the (amazing, brilliant and fantastic) Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army and many others were having a party. This was a celebration, a creative and positive thing, and it was very much the kind of action I like to see. Music, dancing, drumming, singing, making new friends, and all in solidarity against the brutal exploitation of the capitalist system and the (fresh in our minds) brutal tactics of the police."

SNOOPER HQ FLYPOSTED

Meanwhile in the mid afternoon a contingent of demonstrators, 50-60 strong plus the Infernal Noise Brigade, headed up the Mound, then down through the Grassmarket. Passers-by, attracted by the Infernal's catchy tunes, eagerly grabbed Carnival leaflets. By this stage free of any police presence, marchers converged on the Social Security head office at Lady Lawson Street, home of top Scottish snooper boss Joan Kirk – official title Principal Manager Scotland, Counter Fraud Investigation Services. (If you missed this opportunity to visit Ms Kirk, don't worry - you can always give her a ring on )

As the Infernal Noise Brigade blasted out rhythms of resistance, demonstrators plastered the building with posters, including ones proclaiming WE STOP THE SHERIFF. Two of the main themes of the Carnival were resistance to benefits slavery and to debt slavery.

ROSE STREET ROCKS

A mini riot erupted in Rose street, at the St Andrews Square end, in the early evening, around 6.30pm. One eye witness reported that local youth and black bloc united against the common enemy - the polis. The cops, who had assaulted people, were met by hails of missiles.

Another observer reports that demonstrators took advantage of Rose Street's cobbles: "Some more angry protestors ..... started to dig individual bricks out of the street to use as weapons. This technique spread, leading to wide-spread pelting of the police with bricks..." Bread pallets were also hurled and shopping trolleys were pushed into police lines. One witness reports around 200 demonstrators involved at this point.

A third witness described the events: "The Rose street "mini-riot" was an awe inspiring sight, Youths, Anarchists, left-wingers, punks, anti-capitalists, clowns, hippies, homeless people and even your average joe on the street united as one mass, differences aside, to fight against our enemy: The thugs of the ruling class."

REBEL PIPER INSPIRES REVOLT

A bit later, around 8-9pm, and not far away, on South St David St, off St Andrews Square, more clashes broke out between crowds of mainly locals and the police. The Evening News/Scotsman web site reports : "Several hundred onlookers gathered at the junction with South St David Street while chants of "scum, scum, scum" were hurled at the police. Later, some of the crowd began hurling stones and cobbles at the advancing police line. ..... a large number were locals."

An eye witness writes on Indymedia Eire, of events later around the east end of Princes Stree t: "This was 8pm.......I cycled up and it was hard to find out what was happening. There seemed to be no 'centre' of activity, and there were certainly no 'activists' left at this point. I cycled around a long way to get to the other side of the police line, where 4 or 5 people were being detained with plastic handcuffs in front of a boarded up mobile phone shop. They were definitely not pink, black, clown, or any other bloc. Just ordinary folk. An onlooker said they were being arrested for refusing to move on when ordered by a police officer, but I cannot confirm that.

They were put into vans, with a chorus of boos and hisses from the crowd, chanting to let them go. Next thing a glass bottle hit the line, racking up the tension. The cops were getting nervous, and the crowd were telling them to fuck off (because most of the riot cops were English rather than local police, it seemed). The cops jumped into the crowd and snatched a teenage girl, provoking more anger and the occasional missile from the crowd.

A bagpiper blowing out traditional tunes seemed to be stirring the Scots into a bit of an anti-establishment fervour. It seemed as if this crowd had mostly just turned up after they saw what was happening on the news, and joined in the activities themselves.

A group of about a dozen riot cops were left in a laneway while the others had been taken away in vans. Possibly they were just waiting around for an empty van to come and pick them up. Several people saw them down the lane isolated, and the next thing they were being stoned and bottled by people steaming up the laneway. Bottles were fired at them from close range, a dumpster was pushed straight at the line of shields, and a traffic cone and a bin were thrown at them when they charged their way back to the junction of the street.

Four or five of the Clown Army showed up at this point, trying to stop people throwing stuff at the cops, and making faces and generally being sill in front of the Police. One female clown was nearly hit in the head with the big traffic cone. Their attempts to calm the situation didn't work at all, so they left fairly quickly.

Within a minute a huge amount of police vans arrived into the area with sirens squealing, pouring out more padded riot units. This sent the crowd scattering. They also brought out the dog unit, forcing people away from the laneway, threatening to use the dogs on people that did not back off.

Eventually the police got all their officers back into vans, and retreated out of the area rapidly. The crowd cheered and was chanting anti-G8 slogans as well as 'Whose streets? Our streets!' ..."

A participant also says:

"Suddenly a group of thirty to forty young boys and girls rushed forward and we trapped about ten cops in this dark alley. There were two skips from the shopping-mall so we had plenty things to pelt the cops with (old sandwichs, empty bottles etc.). Some guys got their hands on metal barriers and waste bins and threw them, it looked pretty bad for the cops. Then four or five 'clown rebel army'- peacekeepers appeared and tried to calm people down in their hippish manner:'We want to make the police smile', while angry folks finally had the chance to break their teeth.

"The re-inforcement arrived, so people went back onto the main road, skirmishes continued. I heard a more stylish activist on his mobile: 'you won't believe it, the "chavs" are having a rio!t'. Classist git!

After another twenty minutes of back and forth the cops withdrew. Some drunken ladies in their fifties started shouting 'whose streets - our streets', the homeless guy, the track-suit gang joined in and we all enjoyed the free space of 'Princess Road'. The sunset shed a last spot-light on the banner below Edinburgh castle and its 'Make Poverty History' slogan had a more immediate feel to it..."

Other reports on Indymedia corroborate these observations; the described laneway being apparently off Rose Street, and the time of the police pull-out put at 9.35pm.

Indymedia Scotland quotes a local Scottish Socialist Party activist as saying around this time: "It's been mental and the riot police have been here and really been squaring up to young people who mostly live in Edinburgh who are really outraged that the riot police are used in Edinburgh. It's never happened before and it must never happen again. They're our streets! The attitude of the police has been disgraceful. They're our streets!?"

An Australian guy standing nearby stated, "We did throw some bottles but only after watching our girl friends get bashed and our brothers get crumbled and that's understandable. You wouldn't throw bottles after your brother and your girl friend had both got crumbled? Fuck that!"

THE CARNIVAL CONTINUES

So - how successful was the Carnival for Full Enjoyment? Difficult to sum up the day, but our main feeling is that in the face of a police presence that was both massive and, for Scotland, exceptionally violent, participants in the carnival achieved a great deal. Much of the city centre was taken over by carnivalistas for significant periods of the day.

And even when the police controlled things by corralling demonstrators it was at the cost, for the system, of a complete closure of the city centre and a huge disruption of "business as usual". Not to mention the very high cost in lost business and in state expenditure. The closure of many businesses and workplaces for all or part of the day was in itself a victory, winning many workers a bit of temporary freedom from wage slavery, hopefully with full pay.

We have no illusions about the police. They are a tool of the rich and powerful, and will always act to defend their interests. Therefore while it is important to expose their brutality, the overwhelming need is to work out how to combat their tactics. While the carnival did break free of the penning in tactic on many occasions, too often protestors were corralled, notably for several hours at the west end, and more thought, planning and action will be needed in future to avoid this.

The aim of the carnival was to link everyday struggle – especially in the workplace, among claimants, against debt, against the recruitment of working class people to the army – with the international mobilisation against the G8. The publicity for the Carnival made this clear (though predictably this was almost totally ignored by the mass media). However on the day it proved difficult to put this into practice, by for example a clear targeting of certain institutions. The weight of police repression made moving together through the streets, without being driven off or penned in, a major achievement in itself, though there was an excellent action at the Social Security HQ, home to Scotland's top dole snooper.

But the success or otherwise of actions such as the Carnival for Full Enjoyment is not to be judged only – or even mainly – by the events of the day. First, what effect did it have on the general mobiilisation against the G8? Some activists feared that mass arrests at the Carnival could detract from the Wednesday blockades; some even thought it was a diversion. However, several people participating in the most successful blockades around Stirling talked about a positive impact. As one participant said:

"In a recent speaking tour, a woman from a barrio in Argentina explained why the piqueteros continued to blockade the roads. 'It is not enough just to be a self-organising community', she said, 'it is important that we continue to confront the state.' That the specific aims of the Carnival for Full Enjoyment were frustrated by the massive policing operation was, in some ways, irrelevant. It succeeded in the most important way possible – it succeeded in confronting the state. For once, the police tactic of splitting the crowd and containing people in cordons was actively challenged, and for those of us who are sick to death of the ritual humiliation of Section 60, it was inspiring.

"It didn't always take large numbers. Resistance to the police 'pen' in Princes Street crystalised around a small group - half dozen or so - that marched towards the police lines with a banner. The block of no more than a few hundred that formed spontaneously around them resulted in the police abandoning the cordon.

"Of course, it wasn't all positive. At least one non-UK activist was shocked by just how easily a large group of demonstrators could be brought to a halt by just a few policemen, and some police cordons were not challenged, and remained in place for hours. Also a number of activists had been arrested (although not as many as was feared) and others were injured by police batons.

"But the Carnival for Full Enjoyment set the stall out for the hugely successful blockades that were to happen later in the week. The refusal of people to be penned like sheep was a good indication that the state was not going to get everything its own way. Most of all, perhaps, the Carnival helped to cement a bit of solidarity, and that in itself is always inspiring. Respect to all those who made it happen."

But then there are the long-term goals – our main aim was to strengthen everyday struggle and resistance in the future. We hope that the links made on a Britain-wide and international level before and during the Carnival – though limited in number – will develop to enable us to feel more part of a continuing movement rooted in daily activity.

One of the most positive aspects of the Carnival was the significant number of working class people from the Edinburgh area who got involved. If this can assist in the growth of a more visible and organised resistance to bosses, benefit authorities, debt collectors, the state and capitalist authority in general in this part of the world then the Carnival will have been well worthwhile.

As the Carnival flyer puts it: "Whether we are waged or unwaged we are often faced with isolation and a lack of collective power. We can overcome this by supporting each other in job centres, workplaces, compulsory schemes and in our communities - and by reaching beyond to find new ways of struggling and living. Let's share information and reclaim what's ours on the streets, in the shops, on public transport."

CONTACT US

If you are interested in what we are saying and doing, please do get in touch. There will be follow-up meetings to the Carnival, and continuing activities, in Edinburgh, London and elsewhere. We are very keen to network with groups and individuals engaged in similar activity anywhere in the world. This report was compiled from a lot of sources — Indymedia (thanks for pictures too!), participants, friends and even enemies. Comments and info to improve it – still a work in progress – are very welcome.

Carnival for Full Enjoyment
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