Skip Navigation | Sheffield IMC | UK IMC | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

UK Indymedia UK Indymedia Sheffield Indymedia Sheffield Indymedia

The DSEi Thousands

Sheffjeff | 17.09.2005 00:10 | DSEi 2005 | Anti-militarism | Sheffield

If you want massive feel good Demos don’t come to DSEi it is only for hardened dedicated activists who want to shut this disgusting business down.

Low level policing!
Low level policing!


Okay is it worth it?
I went to Dsei this year and in 2003 and I can say yes I was at first disappointed at the number of UK citizens willing to demonstrate (Fluffy or in direct action). However given the disgraceful way I have been treated by the front line police and covert policing operations it is no wonder people feel harassed and intimidated. There has been and I believe will be in future years a concerted effort to discourage peaceful protest and direct action. And if they subject Newham to another exhibition in 2007 I will be back. My experiences have only made me more determined.
The Police descend upon us like a dark cloud and it can be a repressive and depressive experience. But they are only being controlled by higher powers In my opinion we need to look beyond them and keep focussed on the dealers in death. Having said that the police involvement is not all bad news, who pays the £4 million is an ongoing debate that CAAT and other groups can exploit.
This is not an argument or value I would subscribe to but it is their only way of thinking /200 or so people divided by 4 million = £20,000 each hopefully to be paid by DSEi in 2007 in a similar way to football crowd control!
The movement in opposition has as ever been creative and diverse, values they do not understand or can control.

Organically we have developed positive responses to the glum oppressive lines of police
Firstly the Samba bands
Then we sent in the Clowns
Then got the kids involved with Baby Block
Then OAP block
The good old critical mass
Direct action groups on DLR/ Road blocks / Water action in the Dock
Buddhist block
Cleaning ladies
Hotel hassling
Dracula blood suckers

KEEP DEVELOPING KEEP CREATING!!!!

We only see the total effect if we report every action on the indymedia so get writing

Sometimes I feel isolated doing my little bit and then I notice something simple like there has been no DLR trains for ages, I know my fellow activists are busy and my heart is lifted. Or suddenly there is 20 or 30 delegates who cant get out by train leaving by one of the entrances and I have a chance to challenge them.
RESPECT RESPECT RESPECT I am so so proud of you. We who are committed have a feeling of deep affinity.

If you want massive feel good Demos don’t come to DSEi it is only for hardened dedicated activists who want to shut this disgusting business down. Only for those willing to stick their heads above the parapet and be counted, be hassled, pushed, searched regularly, verbally and physically assaulted.
They have been given £6 million to stage the event we have nothing
They have the police to protect them at a cost of £4 million we have volunteer legal observers.
They have a direct line to control the police we get kicked and hassled.
They get paid (handsomely) as they wine and dine in their corporate boxes while we have to put in leave days and eat packed lunches.
It is massively unequal however I know there is only one side I can be on, I want to be at peace with myself, I want to sleep at night, I want to watch the news on the TV and know I have not been part of the blood shed.

Melt away dejected ! I think Not
See you all 2007 with a friend or 2 who I have convinced to come with me



Sheffjeff

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

Police intimate ace in

17.09.2005 11:39

I went to the vigil, the main march and the critical mass and I found the police to be ok. I am as fluffy as they get so I guess I wouldn't feel the wrath of the poo-lice. If you have never been to the DSEi demos or others, please don't get put off by these stories though.

Om

Ritchie


Wary

17.09.2005 13:31

"If you want massive feel good Demos don’t come to DSEi it is only for hardened dedicated activists who want to shut this disgusting business down."

I disagree with this. Why are ordinary people excluded from your protest? Why are you trying to create an activist elite? I'm not hardened but I was out there protesting too.

Sean


elite?

17.09.2005 19:42

i don't think Ritchie WANTS to limit the people who protest DSEI to any 'elite', it's more that this is a bloody hardcore event, the protests are horribly overpoliced and almost entirely unreported in the mainstream (did anyone see ANY?!), and for a lot of people it's more than they can take to get down there day after day, year after year, in good spirits and creatively enough to feel it's worth it.
which means all the more respect to those who do, and huge encouragement to those interested in checking it out for the first time.
But fact remains, and they might as well know, that it's a largely thankless task, and I for one like the way ritchie has written about it. better to tell the truth and spread the love than to pretend that everything in the garden is rosy...

did't make it this year, not up to facing down shameless political 'policing'


Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Sheffield Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Sheffield [navigation.actions2016]

Sheffield [navigation.actions2015]

Sheffield [navigation.actions2014]

NATO 2014

Sheffield Actions 2013

G8 2013

Sheffield Actions 2012

Workfare

Sheffield Actions 2011

2011 Census Resistance
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Occupy Everywhere

Sheffield Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Sheffield Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Sheffield Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Sheffield Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Sheffield Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Sheffield Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Sheffield Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Sheffield Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

Server Appeal Radio Page Video Page Indymedia Cinema Offline Newsheet

secure Encrypted Page

You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.

If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech