i was recently chatting to someone about 'the battle of the beanfield' at stonehenge, which everybody should know about.. i think that it was one of the clearest examples of thatcher's way of dealing with minority groups in this country.

i wasnt there myself, but i still find it appalling, if anyone dosnt know much about it i would urge them to find out about it..

-i attempted to visit the stones for the summer solstice a few years running (i can't remember, but the first time was a year or two later, -mid/late 80's) during the time of the 4 mile exclusion zone. ..

-the first time i went, there had been a large, peaceful procession of 1-2000 people (including their children) which had seemingly been allowed to walk from outside the exclusion zone (continually broken up into smaller groups by the police, of whom there was a massive presence) along the main roads to the site, where we were stopped and allowed to congregate (in the dark) in the road along the side of the stones, within sight of them. although there were police everywhere, the general mood was happy and peaceful. the general concensus was that they were just keeping people together, and that by dawn, we would be allowed onto the site...:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O />

-we were kind of penned in to this section of the road for a few hours before the solstice dawn, there were barriers erected and a line of shoulder-to-shoulder police in normal uniform (although with 'strapped-on bobby helmets and NO NUMBERS on their eppelets. - this was also common during the miners strike protests, -some believed that they in fact were not the police, but the army) there were also helicopters above etc.

behind this row of barriers and police, there were a large number of 'police' in riot gear. a few people became impatient and there was some taunting along the line of barriers, with one or two people 'making a dash for it' being cheered by everyone else, but then being immediately arrested, -it was no big deal. - i remember one of the people going for it on a uni-cycle amid huge cheers from the crowd (and yeah, getting caught and arrested) such was the party atmosphere..

suddenly, and pretty-much as dawn broke, the police line opened in the middle and the riot police came running through, battons drawn, and indescriminately lashing out at people, i dont even think they were trying to arrest anyone particularly (and for what?). everybody turned and tried to get away.. we were all running into the field behind us, away from the stones, which sloped away from the road quite steeply in places.

i particularly remember a young couple running immediately in front of me, hand-in hand, when the guy fell over, as we were running as fast as we could. -the next thing, there were about 4-5 riot cops standing over him continually beating him full pelt with their battons, with his girlfriend just standing there screaming.. it is an image that i will never forget, -i could hear the sound of the blows as they beat him. i stopped for a moment, in shock and disbelief, i dont know how long for, but they did not stop beating this guy who was curled up on the ground. AND THIS WAS GOING ON ALL AROUND..

after i had got away, i was physically sick, with shock and exhaustion. it was now daylight.

things eventually calmed down after everyone had fragmented, the police were going round telling everyone to go, or be arrested.

this was the worst case i have ever seen of unprovoked police brutality. the next day, there was very little reported in the media, apart from the usual 'there was a small number of hardcore instigators trying to cause trouble' bullshit.

i will never forget, or forgive.

tex
 

.................-there is a short film, made, i think from a longer documentary about the 'battle of the beanfield' on the myspace page of :

'THE TRUTH'

(see my top friends)

cheers, tex

 

thatcher getting the police to beat the shit out of the miners and working class reminded all of us of what game it is they play, for keeps!
 

"I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.' 'I'm homeless, the government must house me.' They're casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first."


 

Where to start. . . . .

Crushing the miners; battering the travellers; selling off national industries to privateers; funding cuts in education, health, the welfare state; the falklands war, the poll tax, taking the dole away from 16-17 year olds; forcing people to work in shite jobs for poverty wages, shall I go on. . . . .???  Fuck Thatcher, Fuck all politicians - I hope I get the chance to dance on her grave when she's gone!!!

 

I gre up in the South Wales valleys and remember my mother cooking for miners and their families, we collected food for them. When I asked why she just said Thatcher, I think I remember her crying at the same time. God bless you, Thatcher you deserve it!
 

I remember the strikes that affected communities. My step dad seemed to be out on strike every week and my poor mum had to take 3 cleaning jobs just to make ends meet. One Christmas all my sister and I got was a pair of slippers, pyjamas, school clothes and some chocolate but we were lucky to even get them as our house was reposessed a few weeks later. It destroyed my poor mum who felt she had failed us.
My burning hatered for Thatcher will last an eternity and I hope that she dies sooner rather than later as she will then have more time to rot in hell where she belongs!
 

Cocky fucker when she escaped getting killed in Brighton.
...........and that frankenstein fucker, at least his scabby wife got it!!!
Great work provos...................pity you missed scab thatcher...roll on the partyyyyyyyyyy!!!
 

This is a copy of a blog I wrote a few months back.

The Battle of the Beanfield

Hello cyberworld, this is Ed Banger (Jon) new to the Internet and a techno-phobe at heart, but in for a penny in for a pound as they say.

My first blog is about something that happened 22 years ago so it's hardly news, but with ever-more laws being passed to restrict personal freedom,( the recent anti-terrorist laws are to control YOU not terrorism,we didn't have much of a terrorist threat until Iraq), I think we should remember what the people who pass these laws are capable of. A lot of you out there will have heard of the Battle of the Beanfield, (mis-named, Slaughter would be more appropiate), especially Levellers fans, but many people don't know or haven't seen what went on that day. If you haven't seen the video clip on our My Space or elsewhere check it out. For younger people out there (and just to remind you old 'uns), a quick run-down on the political climate back then (boring or wot).

The Thatcher government had just broken the miners strike, and therefore the unions, and had passed laws virtually out-lawing workers rights to with-draw their labour, (ie: strike). and were on a high and looking for another target for their bully-boys to harrass, and guess what, there are those damned hippies again. Enjoying themselves, partying in the fields, making music, dancing and having a good time. 'Allo 'Allo 'Allo we can't be 'avin' this now can we. (Does this sound like the Taliban to you?). So in go the police.

We were living in West Yorkshire during the miners strike, and although not involved in the strike we know from personal friends who were, that the same police tactics were used against the miners on more than one occasion. The miners pickets were also told to park in fields designated as 'car parks', and then the heavy mob moved in. At the least the miners had a slim chance of fighting back and their families and homes were not at direct risk.

There were more women and children at the Beanfield than men, but it didn't make any difference to them. The police on these operations were mainly volunteers and were paid over-time for the privilage of cracking skulls out of tax-payers money.

These people were only trying to celebrate the passing of the season's like our ancestor's had been doing for thousands of years, before Christianity jack-booted it's way into our culture on the back of the Romans, and forced us onto our knees and into their churches. NEVER SURRENDER, and keep on partying.

As an interesting (?) post-script to this, in 2005 we went to the Stones as they now let people in for a short time at the Summer Solstice, (you get treated like cattle, all that was missing were the cattle-prods and they probably had them in reserve).As Mash is disabled we got one of the free taxi's from the car park to the Stones, (must admit this is a nice touch). In the taxi with us were two women who were not disabled but who worked at Stonehenge.

These women's conversation between themselves was very revealing, and as we look pretty normal now they obviously didn't realise we were ex-travellers. This conversation revealed that the police were expecting trouble from the travellers, and had large numbers of extra police waiting in the wings, because it was 20 years since the Beanfield and the police were expecting an Anniversary Battle.

In the unlikely event of any police cuntstables happening to read this, I would like to point out that it was the police who caused the trouble at the Beanfield and 99% of travellers (current & ex) would much prefer to forget the events of that day and not have a repeat of it. Where ARE your f*ckin' heads at.

Any road up that's enough rantin' for now. If you got this far you deserve a f*ckin' medal.
I'd like to thank Vern for inspiring this rant, Cheers mate.
Ed Banger (Jon)
 

I wasn't alive. Lucky me.
 

"Thatcher was one of few Conservative MPs to support Leo Abse's Bill to decriminalise male homosexuality, and she voted in favour of David Steel's Bill to legalise abortion. She supported retention of capital punishment and voted against the relaxation of divorce laws. "

I can't bring myself to hate Thatcher. I'm sixteen and all i know about her is the hate that good people have for her. She's an old lady - even if she was an evil cow (which from what i hear she was) it's over now.

Move on.

Surely gordon brown is a much more important enemy right now. We can't change the past but we can do something about what's happening in politics right now! I mean for god sake people - she's basically dead, she's no real threat anymore.
 

she caused alot of sufferring and killed the culture of this country. she invited mass murderers/torturers (pinochet) around for tea and scones. she made proud communities suffer hardship and degradation. she started the falklands war in which 1000 mostly young people died. and she was, and still is an arrogant cunt about it all..
she introduced the poll tax. she allowed the police to beat and torture people to death.
she supported the then aparthied regime in south africa.
i for one cant move on. there will be tears aswell as joy when she dies. no-one stopped her when she was dangerous, thats to our loss and shame. the day's joy will be part hollow for me.
if there was any real justice she wouldnt have been allowed to do what she did.
she turned families into beggars. she made more children cry than any other leader.
SHE WAS THE ONE THAT DECLARED CLASS WAR!

i feel sick
 

Well said is all I can say!
 

"Maggie! Maggie You Cunt..."
 

i wan't alive either, but all this giving her slack cos she's on old woman is a pile of wank. my dad, too, had tears in his eyes when he told me about her. stalin was old and frail before he died too, does that mean he should have been treated more kindly? she can go and sip tea with pinochet in hell.
 

I wasn't alive when Thatcher was in power, thank God.

I'm very anti-conservative & right-wing in general and see Thatcher as a cruel and devastating example of how terrible people can be, I respect those who stood against her, no matter how subtly and can't express how angry I am at those who supported her or voted for her.


My friends at school don't seem to understand my views and see it as something that happened in the past and my awaiting for her death is "pitiful" and "disgraceful". Their attitudes to this subject saddens me, these same friends study history but instead of learning from it they're using it to get a good grade.

 

its a shame the IRAs maggie assassination attempt failed