This was more an al fresco dormitory for drug-takers, drunks and
leftovers from the Summer of Love
By Arthur Martin
17th July 2010
Peace protesters camping in Parliament Square are to be evicted from
their makeshift 'village'. For nearly three months hundreds of
campaigners have turned the green space outside the Houses Of
Parliament into a squalid campsite. But yesterday the Court of Appeal
ruled they must leave the World Heritage Site, after mayor Boris
Johnson applied to have them kicked out. But who were the people
involved in the protest? And was it really everything it seemed?
To the casual observer they appear to be a group of hardcore
protesters determined to take their campaign against the Afghanistan
war to the very heart of the British Government.
But after a fortnight living amongst the mish-mash of tents, protest
banners and rainbow peace flags in the shadow of Big Ben, a very
different picture emerged.
The initial aim might have been to press for the withdrawal of
British troops in Afghanistan, but by the time I arrived the camp had
become little more than an al fresco dormitory for drug takers,
drunks and the homeless.
A tight-knit group of rabble rousers and veteran anti-war campaigners
first descended on the iconic lawns of Parliament Square on May 1.
Led by anarchist professor Chris Knight - who was forced to leave
his university for endorsing the violent G20 protests in London last
year - they set up a sprawl of tents on the green, calling it
Democracy Village.
A prominent sign on the grass put up by one protester says campers
must not consume alcohol and drugs. It had little effect.
Illegal drug deals were taking place just yards away from the
country's leading politicians as they arrived at the House of Commons
for Budget Day and other high-profile debates.
Cannabis and other illicit substances were then consumed virtually
alongside the armed police who patrol the Houses of Parliament.
During my stay, the lawn became an increasingly popular haven for
alcoholics who scrounged money from the thousands of passing tourists
to feed their addiction.
They were joined by international students and travellers attracted
by the opportunity of free accommodation in one of the capital's
prime locations.
The original anti-war message of the group became watered down by new
arrivals who thought the camp was an ideal opportunity to get their
own message across.
One put up a banner declaring 'Capitalism Isn't Working' while others
took stands against genocide or perceived abuses of the environment.
Each day the disparate band of around 30 bohemians joined forces to
discuss practical matters in the camp.
It could have been a gathering from the Summer of Love era as
hippie-types dressed in pink trousers with ribbons in their hair
convened-around a vat of lentil stew. High on the agenda was their
eviction by the High Court.
Although some are resigned to their fate, others talk animatedly
about 'bringing down the government'.
One protester, a former public schoolboy who now wears his hair in
dreadlocks and calls himself Tarquin, announces: 'This is just the start.
When people realise we are not moving they will come and join us in
their hundreds and thousands.
'Then there will be a peaceful revolution.'Within hours of arriving
at the square it became clear that there were serious hygiene issues.
Many had not washed for weeks and were using a now pungent bale of
hay on the green as a toilet.
A couple of protesters admitted to me privately that they could not
face the prospect of their makeshift toilet and instead used the
lavatories at a nearby McDonald's.
When I pointed out that they were visiting an establishment that was
the very embodiment of capitalism, the irony seemed lost on them.
After my first night's sleep had been broken by the chimes of Big Ben
every 15 minutes I emerged from my tent to discover a subdued
atmosphere in the camp.
A quick inspection of my companions' tents found many of them empty.
Either they have got up exceptionally early to run an errand or,
perhaps more likely, they have found a more comfortable place to
sleep at night.
As each day developed, the owners of the empty tents gradually returned.
Experts believe the damage to the square will cost £50,000 to repair.
The total legal and policing bill for Parliament Square is likely to
cost the taxpayer more than £1million.
The Democracy village protesters are camped alongside the long-term
demonstrator Brian Haw, who set up camp on the pavement in 2001 in
protest at Britain's foreign policy against Iraq.
Mr Haw has not taken kindly to the recent invasion and believes it
may disrupt his 'legitimate' protest.
Although some of the group have decided to leave after losing
yesterday's case in the Court of Appeal, they have been replaced by a
more militant group who are determined to stay.
Professor Knight, 67, wearing a tatty jacket with a fur collar, said
yesterday: 'It will be very hard to move us on.' Once they are
evicted, some of the protesters will return home, while the homeless
will look to squat in a house in London as unsettled weather takes hold.
Then the next round of court hearings and police evictions will
inevitably begin.
--
Arthur Martin camped for two weeks with the rabble on Parliament Square
.
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