London/UK: Mayday?

18:38 / 26.04.02

See you's there tomorrow comrades...

pacha perplexa

12:37 / 28.04.02

So, how was saturday? Me and Meme are up for Mayday, we just need to know what's been decided, where you'll be meeting, and all.

13:58 / 28.04.02

We've almost finalised arrangements, but note quite, so watch this space or await a pm...

Worth checking this too, there's a thread started on it in the switchboard

16:12 / 28.04.02

16:36 / 28.04.02

Hmm, you can tell I'm getting lots of work done this avo can't you?!

'Kay, serious moment folks: given that we're going to operate within the law, everything should be fine. However, that doesn't guarantee it will, so can people please read and try to remember this b4 they set out on wednesday? I know I sound like your Mum, but please, just humour me on this!

pacha perplexa

16:44 / 28.04.02

I'll be watching and waiting.
Thanks, Mum!

20:45 / 28.04.02

Thanks for the link! This was especially nice to read:

"Deportation"
"Unlike in some countries, the cops do not have the power to deport people. A person without a British passport can only be deported as part of a court sentence, but this is relatively rare and only happens in serious cases (no one was deported after J18, N30, Mayday 2000 or 2001)."

Naked Flame

22:02 / 28.04.02

I should also be able to make it along. Sorry to be absent for all the organisation... can someone post times for the 1st, or PM me? Cheers.

09:21 / 29.04.02

Basic plan:

Meet up around 3.30 on Mayday. We need a minimum of 25 people for this to work, so if you're coming - bring a friend (preferably 2 or 3). We really can't have too many people and it really is important so big this up to all your friends.

Try, if you can, to dress in white. Bring thermoses of tea, packets of biscuits and battery-powered stereos if you've got 'em. The tea is important.

We will be meeting roughly in the Kings Cross area, Bill and Gozer are finalising the route - exact location will be revealed at the last minute.

We also have an urgent need for a van or some other means of transporting all the placards from my house to the meet up point. Who's volunteering to sort this out? Stoatie, are you still on it?

Also, fairly hefty costs have been incurred (by me) in sorting out the placards. Any donations on the day are most welcome.

15:34 / 29.04.02

Clarification - "can't have too many people" means we want as many as possible, not the opposite.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

15:55 / 29.04.02

exact location will be revealed at the last minute.

I do like that. Makes it sound like we have an exact location which won't be revealed for security reasons, rather than being a mildly disorganised rabble who have yet to sort it out!

Cat Chant

17:14 / 29.04.02

when you say "last minute", do you mean "while Deva is on a train to London and unable to get to the internet?" (last minute for me is around 9:00am Wednesday morning)

Cat Chant

17:15 / 29.04.02

And no, I don't have a mobile.

17:18 / 29.04.02

Sorting a van has been problematic. Am still trying, but don't hold your breath. Donations no problem, though. (Just got paid loads of money I've been owed for ages. All at once.)

17:31 / 29.04.02

Ta for trying Stoatster.

Panic not Deva, Goozer and Lyra have mobiles and they will presumably pm their numbers to you. And anyway we ought to have sorted that by tomorrow. I am awaiting instructions from my anarchist leader, Big Chief Lyra on that one. Or so the press would view it....

pacha perplexa

20:04 / 29.04.02

They (http://diy.spc.org/ourmayday/) are talking about protective headgear, shields, and all... how necessary is this apparatus?

I've never been in such a massive demonstration before, can't see myself padded from head to toe to avoid getting beaten by cops.

20:09 / 29.04.02

Assembly Point: Courtyard of the British Library

Nice garden area with lots of benches. Be there 330pm, set off around 345 or so?

I'll post a map of the vague sort-of-planned route as soon as this screen capture program finishes downloading. A vague route of course, as randomness should be encouraged. The plan is to hit the side streets up to Camden, then head along either more side streets or the canal up to Primrose Hill where we have a nice picnic.

...of course, nothing is concrete and we can do whatever we feel like at the time.

21:13 / 29.04.02

Here we go, proposed route:

Meet: British Library
Up: various streets, over to Mornington Cres.
Either: Up Camden High St. or through more side streets around Camden
Either: Along Regent's Canal or various streets
Eventually: Primrose Hill and/or Regent Park.

Of course, all that matters is that we all start in the same place.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:15 / 29.04.02

The pictures aren't showing up in my browser, but they're at:

http://www.geocities.com/pulse411/route1.jpg

and

http://www.geocities.com/pulse411/route2.jpg

Less searchable M0rd4nt

23:58 / 29.04.02

Go here if you're into that whole sigil-charging thing. It's a composite destroy-capitalism-and-protection deal.

07:04 / 30.04.02

Pacha: hopefully (and probably) not necessary at all. Still, better to be safe than sorry, eh? (Sorry- once spent a night in hospital with a serious head wound after one of these- admittedly, I was much younger and was being spiky rather than fluffy, so probably brought it on myself, but still).
We're going for "nice" this time, so that shouldn't be a problem.

lentil

07:57 / 30.04.02

More sigil - charging fun here. This one's specific for our thing tomorrow.

08:39 / 30.04.02

So we look quite sorted now, huh?

I will be getting there early to scout around for the filth and check the route is clear.

But we still desperately need some sort of transport - I cannot carry 50 placards by myself as I am too small...

Please someone say they have a car.

Also, does anyone deeply object to the blank placards being a sort of dull brown-y colour instead of white? Is a fair old hassle to obtain and stick the required 30 sheets of A2 paper...

lentil

08:54 / 30.04.02

Well, I live near an enormous art supplies shop and can bring a load of sugar paper and masking tape with me, I can also nick a few marker pens from work (i seem to recall that gozer mentioned part of the idea being trying to get 'joe public' to write stuff that they were concerned about on the placards)

Lyra, where do you live? If a few of us could get round to yours at, say, lunchtime, to help carry placards, would that help at all?

12:47 / 30.04.02

Lentil - we could all carry them up (I live in Bethnal Green) but it would be preferable to drop the placards off after we've all met up so that the demo will be less obvious.

If you can get the art supplies then meet me in the morning to do it, that might be the best thing. Can you maybe look into van hire?

Ganesh

12:54 / 30.04.02

Heh. The manager of our trust has circulated a memo relating to potential May Day protesting: he gives all staff permission to "dress down" for the day. The only reasoning I can extract from this is the suggestion that dressing less formally will somehow protect us from being targetted (as willing tools of capitalist authoritarianism) by vindictive crusties. Or something.

Me, I'm digging out the pinstripes...

lentil

15:10 / 30.04.02

I have a possible van. (Lyra - it's the same place I mentioned in the PM i sent you a couple of weeks back). £45 for the hire, which includes £5 worth of petrol and a £5 collision waiver (reduces the charge in case of any damage from £1000 to £200 - not that we'll be damaging the van). I'm happy to front the £45, problem is that they're asking for a £200 deposit. We'll get this back when we return it unscathed, but I don't have £200 available right now. i could probably cover half of it at a push, or a third quite comfortably.

We can decide tomorrow morning as they said they've got a couple free (I asked for a Transit). Thinking about it, it'd be quite useful for me to have the use of a van, as I've got some big paintings that need moving and I could use it for that in the morning... not that I need an incentive!

Lyra - check your PMs, I'm sending you my phone numbers so we can discuss this tonight or tomorrow am.

17:02 / 30.04.02

My SO has offered her car for placard transport so we should be sorted. Will make lots of phonecalls this evening.

And PLEASE - everybody hustle for bodies even if you're not coming...

Cat Chant

17:05 / 30.04.02

sorted - see you then.

can I bring my "blake's 7 fans against central control" placard?

Less searchable M0rd4nt

17:42 / 30.04.02

Oh, man- this is gonna be *lovely*

Trying to get a few ppl together...