Have you ever joined a protest?

All this talk of protesting got me to wondering who here has actually taken their complaints to the streets. If so, what for and when? What were the consequences if any? I never have, but the day will probably come in the near future. Ever been been caught in the middle of a protest?

The 1990 Poll Tax Riots.

en.wikipedia.org...

uk.youtube.com...

uk.youtube.com...

At the time the British Police were being used as a weapon to enforce Thatcher's policies / will.
This finished her off.

Proof positive that direct action can change things.
Unfortunately due to thr combination of increased surveillance and new draconian laws I suspect we will never see the same again.

reply to post by Freeborn


Nice, I'm going to read up on this tomorrow. Thanks for the reply. What was it like 'being in the mix'?

I've been on several anti war protests in london,an anti fox hunting one (well,it was a pro fox hunting one by the countryside alliance,but we were the opposing side) Unfortunatly,andI don;t think that this is any coincidence,but they hold alot of protests midweek. And alot of people who'd normally turn out to them (like me) can't,due to work and stuff.

reply to post by Acidtastic


I'm pretty pro hunter (I do understand Fox hunting is rather pointless as there is no real meat, I would not care to participate), but I'm glad you stood up for what you believe in. How irritating is it that the rich stage rallies in the middle of the week to avoid having the 'working class' offer a different point of view? What was the rally like?

The fox hunting one got a little heated in parts. I was in a group of some pro sabatuers so they had some very strong views. (one of my mates got coshed over the head by the cops truncheon) But to be honest,I don't remember much of it,cos we were at an illegal rave the night before,and just kind of "fell" into the rally (I'm not anti hunting per se-but i think that fox hunting,and killing needlessly for sport,is wrong,especially when they chase an animal across miles of fields until it's worn out and scared half to death,it seems barbaric to me,but I 100% respect your hunting stance )

The anti war ones were great. The first biggy,apparently had 2 million on the march. People of all ages,grannies puyshing grandkids in pushchairs,anarchists and the normal folk,all side by side,chanting away. Felt like real solidarity. Shame it came to nothing. maybe if it were a more violent protest,like the poll tax riots Freeborn was on. maybe then,our voice would have been heard. (edit to say-but I voicefully objected to people saying that they were going to kick off against the police,telling them that we can't go on a peace protest,and then get violent,double standards innit)

"Bush bush,we know you,daddy was a killer too"

[edit on 5/1/2009 by Acidtastic]

reply to post by Acidtastic


Thanks for sharing the stories. I agree on the fox hunting issue, it seems a little senseless but it's hard for people to go against ingrained traditions. I'm not a fan of violent protests, but always respect peoples right to voice their opinions. I bet it was a cool feeling of solidarity.