Was anyone else involved in direct action/protests in their yoof? How do you feel about it now? Just wondered 'cos ten years ago this week...

[AnarchyAunt]

...my 17 year old self was dragged out of the entrance of a tunnel in a derelict house on the Birmingham Northern Relief Road protest, arrested, kept in police cells overnight, and charged with obstruction of the undersherrif (some pics on my profile for a while).

We lost and the road was built - 27 miles of privately run toll motorway, destroying 40km of greenbelt land and 2 SSSIs, and perpetuating the madness that we can tarmac our way out of traffic chaos and environmental destruction.

I'm still damn proud of trying though.

I was in the SWP, hello comrades. Actually I still think they are right on quite a lot of things except actual politics . And Respect-wtf is that all about? (ah yes, of course dressing as a cat)

I mainly don't go on marches nowadays because of the kids, went on some a few years back in London (oh christ, nearly TEN YEARS AGO) where the police approach did scare me and I don't feel safe with little children. I expect we will again though.

I do believe in marching, at least you are doing SOMETHING.

I was never in (or anywhere near) the SWP and the people who I knew who were involved were, I'm afraid, absolute dicks: humourless bullies who liked thuggishness they could be self-righteous about.
Mind you maybe that was a man thing. I used to have a theory (in which I still think there is some truth) that for a certain type of hefty, testosterone-addled teenage boy, it's a toss of the coin whether he'll join the BNP or the Anti-Nazi league: both provide justification for beating people up and smashing windows, and it just depends which lot try to recruit the bloke first.

actually I do think the SWP and Anti-Nazi League have done rather more good for the country than the BNP

the BNP are a fascist organisation with a membership that support forced repatriation and the smashing in of families windows. The Anti Nazi League are basically a group of students and music fans who get really hacked off with giving platforms to organisations like the BNP, because actually, the stuff they are coming out with is deeply offensive to anyone with a brain.

Here's a difference. I am happy to say I have been an ANL member. If someone were to post a list of ANL member from around 2000 . I wouldn't be pursuing legal action as some members of the BNP have done.

Some people do like a barny and will tend to join groups for this purpose, that is not the groups fault. The ANL has done some good work. I can't remember ever seeing a fight in the whole time I was in the ANL.

The SWP is a little odd in many ways but still, doesn't chuck bricks through anyone's window.

oh yes was a greenham also

was great fun. must have been about...3?

FIllyjonk: I am not claiming any moral points for either organisation - but I have met nasty oafs who regarded being in the ANL as a good excuse to threaten, intimidate and assaut people.

Also, most of my activism has been anti-censorship stuff and I have always been of the opinion that, no matter how vile someone's views they have a right to hold them and express them, and that public debate is ofteh the best way of showing quite how rubbish and wrong some views are.

I was also at Greenham Common! And a number of anti-nuclear "die-ins". Obviously more my mother's choice than my own.

I was in the ANL (growing up in Welling you really had to be on one side or the other). Never knew anyone in the ANL be violent mainly we used to go out at night removing BNP graffiti, that kind of thing. Oh, and drinking the social life was good, and the chance to meet fit young idealistic men .

Also went on animal rights marches, and the big ones against the Criminal Justice Bill/Act (much good did it do...).

I would far rather have been slightly naive and idealistic as a youth, than apathetic.

My direct action days were almost 30 years ago

Mainly animal-oriented; hunt sab (surprised how many of us there are on this thread) anti- whaling, anti vivisection.

I think you have a passion for causes when you are adolescent that fades as you get older.

I went on the odd CND demo. That's about it.

Did anyone see the BBC4 documentaries about the motorway system a few weeks ago? There was one concentrating on the history of road protest. I was quite amused to see all these 30something road protestors being interviewed in lovely kitchens with granite hobs and brushed-steel fittings, which were presumably brought to the shops where they bought them by big nasty lorries on big nasty motorways.

just googling a link on one of your photos AnarchyAunt...dont have time to look now, but i will browse them later. I was at Pollok free state in 1995, dying to see if I recognise anyone

plus I need to bookmark this thread for some happy reading later (cant be bothered defending myself on the illegeal download thread )

me!
Against springboks tour of nz aged 11.
Arrested well detained with mum for flour bombing a tour bus. Lifelong active member amnesty wrote over 200 letters for release of nelson Mandela.
Marched for homosexual law reform in NZ aged 14-15
Also marched in huge clash with police against the us nuclear warship Truxton ( truck off fuxton was our graffiti of the time) got a baton between shoulders.
Yes an still fixated on things. Irish unity, Palestine/Israel to name a few.

Yes proud be proud

"Also, most of my activism has been anti-censorship stuff and I have always been of the opinion that, no matter how vile someone's views they have a right to hold them and express them, and that public debate is ofteh the best way of showing quite how rubbish and wrong some views are. "

shouting fire...crowded cinema...blah blah

I actually don't think anyone has a right to chuck bricks through the front window of a young family.

Public debate good and well. My experience of the BNP is that they are violent. The ONLY time I have ever been seriously personally threatened was, by a BNP member, when I organised a gay rights march (and cleverly put my bloody PHONE NUMBER on the flyers, fgs . Well, you know-imagine if anyone had got lost ).

At 12 went along with my Mum to protest at a local hospital children's ward closure.

At 15 got involved with Greenpeace then the fun really started- protested at whaling conventions, blockaded Shell garages, did anti French nuclear testing protests, caused havoc at nuclear power plants, lived at the Newbury bypass protest on & off for the duration of the protest, got involved briefly with Reclaim The Streets, anti-criminal justice bill protests, protested against the "older" Iraq war, went on anti-capitalism marches in London.

Moved over to Northern Ireland and not so much I can get involved with really, and now I have DCs and wouldn't risk taking them on any large marches due to having experience of frightening riot police... But hope I raise them to questions the status quo...Now I mainly write letters for Amnesty when I get a chance...(not as often as I'd like).

Glad in a way my only formal arrest (for aggravated trespass at Chequers) was pre 18 so I have a clean slate now

Was member of swp and anti-nazi league.
Went on every demo going. Most memorable thing was baricading ourselves in sheffield university for 2 days protesting against student fees.And being attacked by police on several occasions of course.

Showing my age: Anti Nazi League, Greenham, Reclaim the Night, Clause 28.

It was an education. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Poll Tax riot 1989
hunt sabs
reclaim the streets
women against pornography and censorship(I know)
Southall black sisters
A brief stint in Left Unity as a student
Various Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, etc
Anti CJ Bill protests
Then a long gap - kept missing things - until
Climate Rush 2008.

LOL at Birmingham northern Rlief protest. You didn't think that would make a difference did you?

Well, at the time I did, obviously.

I still think now that direct action can have an effect in a few different ways. I do think the road protest movement of the late '90s was a factor in the ditching of some schemes, mainly due to the increased costs that protests added to building works. Legal challenges mounted in conjunction with occupations have also been very effective - moe so than legal action alone.

For example, the Nine Ladies anti-quarry campaign in Debyshire has recently won a nine year court battle to prevent the land being destroyed - had protesters not been in occupation the quarry company would certainly have started works before the legal process was finished, causing irreparable damage to a beautiful ancient landscape.

Direct action also raises awareness and can mobilise huge numbers of people - its a very visible and powerful way to campaign for change.

Like I said, I am proud to this day of my involvement. It may have been unsuccessful but I am glad I did it, rather than hoping someone else would do something.

yeah, used to do CND rallies, anti-fur and anti-vivisection marches and was at Greenham.
Poll tax riot 1989 and student grants protest.

Sometiems I don't think anything made a difference

Ah,interesting and heartening thread
I too did the hunt sab thing and will again as I live in Ireland now where they still do it.
and demos in Dover against animal exports.Arrested twice and fined etc
Also,a few animal rights things at school.

I would hunt sab but I'm in a wheelchair. I'd frighten the horses

Lots of marches- demonstrations in the past. The last one was 2 weeks ago against the school reform here in Italy (and ds came with me).

Embrace the Base at grenham
And was once part of a team that occupied County Hall when it still housed the GLC. We arrived laden down with ropes, sleeping bags, walkie talkies (I was in charge of walkie talkies and cmmunication between the occupiers inside and the support team outside) and all manner of revolutionary kit. Revolutionary fervour deflated a little when GLC staff showed us in, led us to the kitchenette and told us how to work the kettle...
Resourced the 'people's Armada to parliament' - a flotilla of boats that went along the Thames from the Docks to Houses of Parliament to protest about removal of planning law and lack of democratic consultation amongst local people in the creation of Docklands. My job was to move piano from sound stage to sound stage along the river - Sarah-Jane Morris (of the coomunards) sang with her regular outfit - The Happy End.
Loads of marches - and vigils outside S Africa House.
Big anti-poll tax riot in Brixton (I myself filled poll tax form in in Begali script and sent all reminders / demands back in Bengali...only gave it up when Lambeth council said they were sending a bengali interpreter to my house and I felt embarrassed at the idea of wasting the poor woman's time. Since I speak about 15 words of Bengali).

I think it's vital sometimes, fo real people tostand up, visibly, and say 'this is NOT all right'.

I think

Oh yes, supergluing up locks on Barclays Banks, and spraypainting sex shops.

oooh, yes, hester! Did you put those stickers on sexist posters on the tube escalators, too? I did that.