love and rage ii - a tale of 2 shutdowns
the first two actions i took part in were the faslane blockade on mon 4th july and the protest outside dungavel detention centre on tue 5th. our bus left for the faslane nuclear base, which houses four of britain's trident nuclear submarines, at 4am and was intended to get to faslane (on the west coast of scotland) at 7am for the start of the blockade. trident ploughshares and scottish cnd have made this base an important target for anti-nuclear activists with many successful blockades over the years. my entry point into the world of activism was through anti-war campaigning and i felt compelled to join in with this protest against the hidden terror of nuclear weaponry.
the early hour really messed up everyone's sense of time, and it seemed like mid-morning even tho it was only 7.30. we were disgorged from our coach at the north gate, which was festooned with banners and cake stalls. time for a coffee. we knew that the base's activities had been shut for the day, which made the protests seem a little hollow, but it seemed like the festivities were going to be well worth joining in with. rhythms of resistance from sheffield were getting a good samba going and the mood was peacefully defiant. our party decided to follow a troupe of clowns from circa along the long perimeter road, lined with police and huge razor wire fences. at the bottom of the hill, on the edge of the loch, we joined in with the clowns to play peekaboo with police patrol boats, hiding behind blades of grass and leaves. a guffaw was heard issuing forth from a guy with binoculars. if only they knew who the joke was on...
the south gate crew were being kept lively by a sound system playing reggae. blockaders in lock-ons littered the space in front of police lines, and a geisha brigade from nottingham bowed serenely. i spent a while chatting to a veteran cnd campaigner and local, who told me all about the base, the warhead store and how they've been playing cat and mouse with mod for years. apparently the base is situated in faslane because it's the cloudiest place in britain, which makes it difficult to survey by satellite. soon general panic of the circa made the announcement that the clowns were about to launch operation weapons of mass distraction, a highly satirical bit of street theatre about the way that the press were diverting attention from the real issues at the g8 to 'violent anarchists' and the like. later on, much to everyone's immense enjoyment, a police fit team with silly yellow caps were chased back behind police lines by clowns jumping in front of the camera and saying "hello mum!".
visited the oil depot gates too, and passed a guy sitting on the fence. also took some time to have a look at the faslane peace camp, a collection of benders and caravans in the woods along the road. the countryside was amazingly beautiful, really contrasting with the obscenity of the base. a potent reminder of the potential annihilation we face every day.
the next day we were off to a very different, but no less heavily defended place. dungavel 'immigration removal centre' is a place where failed asylum applicants to the uk are held before being deported. it looks a lot like a prison - very grim. especially when plastered with about 1000 police and their riot gear. especially when you know that extremely vulnerable people who have probably been incarcerated before are held within its confines. especially when you know that the police have had them all removed to a prison for the duration of the protests.
we nearly didn't make it. the police did their best. a few miles away from the centre our coach was stopped and searched by police under section 60 of the public order act, ostensibly to look for weapons (although why they suspected that we'd be taking weapons is anyone's guess). the usual police intimidation and deterrence of legitimate protest it would seem. one officer started asking for peoples' details, which is not allowed under s60. fortunately we caught him out, and after a lot of shouting and bullshitting by a superior officer, they backed down, did a half-hearted pat down of a few people and realised they would have to let us go. the presence of rosie kane msp probably speeded things along too.
the demonstration itself seemed a little hollow given the huge police presence and the fact that we couldn't reach out in solidarity with anyone cos they weren't there. nonetheless it brought home to me the terrible manner in which our nations treat unwanted immigrants, and the devastating effects of imposing borders.
the early hour really messed up everyone's sense of time, and it seemed like mid-morning even tho it was only 7.30. we were disgorged from our coach at the north gate, which was festooned with banners and cake stalls. time for a coffee. we knew that the base's activities had been shut for the day, which made the protests seem a little hollow, but it seemed like the festivities were going to be well worth joining in with. rhythms of resistance from sheffield were getting a good samba going and the mood was peacefully defiant. our party decided to follow a troupe of clowns from circa along the long perimeter road, lined with police and huge razor wire fences. at the bottom of the hill, on the edge of the loch, we joined in with the clowns to play peekaboo with police patrol boats, hiding behind blades of grass and leaves. a guffaw was heard issuing forth from a guy with binoculars. if only they knew who the joke was on...
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the south gate crew were being kept lively by a sound system playing reggae. blockaders in lock-ons littered the space in front of police lines, and a geisha brigade from nottingham bowed serenely. i spent a while chatting to a veteran cnd campaigner and local, who told me all about the base, the warhead store and how they've been playing cat and mouse with mod for years. apparently the base is situated in faslane because it's the cloudiest place in britain, which makes it difficult to survey by satellite. soon general panic of the circa made the announcement that the clowns were about to launch operation weapons of mass distraction, a highly satirical bit of street theatre about the way that the press were diverting attention from the real issues at the g8 to 'violent anarchists' and the like. later on, much to everyone's immense enjoyment, a police fit team with silly yellow caps were chased back behind police lines by clowns jumping in front of the camera and saying "hello mum!".
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visited the oil depot gates too, and passed a guy sitting on the fence. also took some time to have a look at the faslane peace camp, a collection of benders and caravans in the woods along the road. the countryside was amazingly beautiful, really contrasting with the obscenity of the base. a potent reminder of the potential annihilation we face every day.
 |  |
the next day we were off to a very different, but no less heavily defended place. dungavel 'immigration removal centre' is a place where failed asylum applicants to the uk are held before being deported. it looks a lot like a prison - very grim. especially when plastered with about 1000 police and their riot gear. especially when you know that extremely vulnerable people who have probably been incarcerated before are held within its confines. especially when you know that the police have had them all removed to a prison for the duration of the protests.
we nearly didn't make it. the police did their best. a few miles away from the centre our coach was stopped and searched by police under section 60 of the public order act, ostensibly to look for weapons (although why they suspected that we'd be taking weapons is anyone's guess). the usual police intimidation and deterrence of legitimate protest it would seem. one officer started asking for peoples' details, which is not allowed under s60. fortunately we caught him out, and after a lot of shouting and bullshitting by a superior officer, they backed down, did a half-hearted pat down of a few people and realised they would have to let us go. the presence of rosie kane msp probably speeded things along too.
the demonstration itself seemed a little hollow given the huge police presence and the fact that we couldn't reach out in solidarity with anyone cos they weren't there. nonetheless it brought home to me the terrible manner in which our nations treat unwanted immigrants, and the devastating effects of imposing borders.
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posted by DanR at 2:36 pm
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