2 May 2001
Ha! Capitalism lives to smirk another day!
Close thing though.
Came into work today amid builders removing chipboard, Niketown graffitied up with purple paint (at least they didn't burn it down, it's a nice building, shame about the occupants). Tottenham Court Road was pillaged by a mob of sixty hardcore anarchists. Bet that gave the six thousand cops something to worry about. Bit of stress-relief probably.
My workmates and I left our office around half two to avoid being locked in for the night and went to the safest nearby place. The pub. Nobody ever looted a pub during an anti-capitalism demonstration. There we sat for a few hours downing pints and watching live footage of what was going on five minutes away. We even got to watch Critical Mass cycle past en masse. The footage got boring after a while though and could easilly have just been a photo being held up to the camera, so pacified and inert were the demonstrators penned in at Oxford Circus.
Then, after being told that hordes of rioters were heading our way we took extra precautions. We got another round in. And a bag of peanuts in case they turned up hungry.
Leaving the pub however we ended up at Marble Arch, at the far end of Oxford "Flashpoint" Street and immediately took action. We went into another pub. They practically boarded up the entrance behind us so swish was the pub. Trapped inside we had no choice but to drink more pints and enjoy the food while watching it all live on BBC News 24 as the seething mass of total anarchists displayed their contempt for society by... standing perfectly still surrounded by police in riot gear, still trapped at Oxford Circus. Oh sure there were a few scuffles and break-throughs, but overall the trouble didn't start until the police, under heavy protest, let the protesters trickle out and head home.
Trouble was inevitable, however the degree of containment shown meant that the government and police forces proved their point. They could control the situation and did so during a seven-hour standoff, their organisation was stronger and better equiped and only cost the tax payers £3 million in extra wages.
Hold on... 6000 cops, a few hundred horses, petrol money... they brought their own helmets and shields... and this makes £3 million how? I guess capitalism's greatest enemy is capitalism itself.
D and friends hit the town.
i hope you are ok and got home safe
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