Student journalist's account of G-20 protests (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Student journalist's account of G-20 protests

3:05pm Friday 3rd April 2009

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STUDENT journalist Adam Binnie went to the City of London to witness last Wednesday's mass demonstrations, as world leaders gathered to try to find a way out of the economic crisis.

He did not join the demonstrations, preferring to remain impartial, but gathered personal accounts from people from the St Albans area, demonstrators as well as those who earn their living in the heart of the financial district.

Here he writes of his own feelings and experiences:

Britain's police are bracing for a violent summer of protests and demonstrations, bolstered by thousands of citizens who feel they have no voice in the current political climate.

The protests surrounding this year’s G-20 benefitted from the explosion of social networking websites, which allowed them to call upon and organise overwhelming numbers. The Facebook group G-20 Meltdown had grown to almost 4,000 members by the big day.

Four separate marches converged on the Bank of England for a “street party” from four different London stations. Protesters could follow a red horse against war from Moorgate, a green horse against "climate chaos" from Liverpool Street, a black horse against land closures from Cannon Street or a silver horse from London Bridge, representing financial crimes.

The pseudonymous creator and spokesperson for the Facebook group told me by email: “The G20 Summit is the perfect opportunity for us to oppose the past and future agendas of the richest, most powerful people in the world.”

“I believe in the power of non-violent direct action and hope that the G-20 protests will be successful in linking our current economic system to climate change and the growing divide between the haves and have-nots of this world.”

He/she summed up the main objectives as: 1. Participate in a carnival party at the Bank of England.

2. Support all events demonstrating against the G-20 during the "meltdown period" (from March 28 onwards).

3. Overthrow capitalism.

Although the support has certainly been substantial, and the party atmosphere at the bank was undeniable, little conspicuous progress towards Point Three has been made, and most of the protesters I spoke to had no specific plan or alternative to the current economic system.

One protestor who had painted his face to look like a zombie banker, told me: “They’re working in banks, they’re all the same.”

Many of the more extreme demonstrators expressed contempt for anyone working within the square mile, not just those with big bonuses. As employees looked on from open windows they were greeted with chants of “Jump!” from the crowds below.

The protest was on the whole quite peaceful, with just under 100 demonstrators arrested in London. The police used new crowd control tactics which the protesters were not expecting. Groups of protesters were met by road blocks at all the major junctions, as police “kettled” or “corralled” them into groups, relying on boredom as an effective method of crowd dispersion.

Police made very few arrests, but the presence of numerous photographers doubtless acted as a brake on the more reckless and determined protestors.

Certainly by the end of the afternoon most were complaining of thirst or hunger and had made their way out of the protest area of their own accord, complaining their human rights had been violated.

* Adam Binnie is studying journalism at Harlow College, and lives in Harpenden.

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