(A short update, I’m exhausted and it’s past midnight. And not from any of this stuff, I just wandered along to observe for a bit when it had all gone quiet. Relax mum.)
Well, it was expected to kick off today if it would any day. I’d hoped it wouldn’t, and expected that there’d just be small-scale stuff if it did. I think I was right, but I’m not sure, because the police response was enormous.
My best take on the situation was a bunch of carnivalists were setting up little spots of whatever in random places, and this was mostly going well, but the enormous numbers of police on hand were constantly present and constantly trying to reduce disruption. Whether anything more serious than space occupation had been planned by the more extreme groups, we’ll never know, because it turned into confrontation before anything really happened.
The heavy police presence did lead to some provocation from protesters, and the police did not hesitate to respond in massive numbers. (The type of provocation is a bit unclear – things were definitely thrown at police lines, but whether this was a starter or a response or something in between hasn’t been apparent from people I spoke to or media coverage.) Exactly what the protesters were doing is likewise unclear – there were many small groups and at least two large ones at different points in the day. Rumours flew around of building invasions and windows being broken, but the only account that made it into the media (the BBC’s report that protesters had invaded the Standard Life building) was retracted a few hours later.
Credit where it’s due: the massive numbers of police seemed to keep their cool and not exacerbate the situation, as some had feared. They weren’t shy about moving crowds along and bringing out the mounted police and riot gear, but they were a disciplined bunch by and large. There were at least a few baton charges and mounted charges, however, and some of the Getty photos show a bit of enthusiastic baton wielding.
It all seems to me like the police tactic was to stamp things out and cut groups off before they could actually do anything. In other words, to overreact in order to seize control of the situation. It worked. It’s not a tactic I approve of, but given the range of potential police responses to anarchist groups wandering through the financial district, it’s one I can live with.
I’m not sure what I’m going to find when I head up to Gleneagles on Wednesday.
Lots of pictures here at the Getty site.
Indymedia coverage
BBC report, complete with the amusing spectacle of a police spokesman pointing damningly at cellphones and maps as evidence of sinister intent. Er, cellphones and maps, so that would be just like tourists then yeah? (To be fair, he also claims that weapons were taken, so it’s not complete bullshit on its face.)
EDIT TO ADD:Derek’s photos and video clips
EDIT 2: Siobhann’s account is really good – she was right in the thick of it
EDIT 3: BBC provides various opinions on the policing tactics used
EDIT 4: Malc’s take