The vital importance of holding territory in a protest is demonstrated by Tahrir Square. This has never happpened in rcent protests in the UK on a scale so big. So how about turning Hyde Park into Tahrir Square On March 26th -27th. I herebye launch the ‘STAY 4 1 DAY’ campaign to stay occupying Hyde Park overnight on March 26th and till 5pm on the 27th. Since about 500.000 will already be in occupation for the rally it is already occupied space – all it needs is a refusal to leave. Any aggressive response by the police to clear the park would immediately be compared to Tahrir Square. When the bureaucrats say go home and get your coahes they should be greeted by chants of ‘STAY’ and the takeover of the stage. This would demonstrate the tokenistic nature of the TUC’s opposition and divorce them from the more radical elements who decide to stay. More importantly it would reach out to people from all over who want to do something a bit more radical than the TUC but aren’t upfor street battles. Of course some people can’t stay all night but could come back early in the morning. The sight of london waking up to occupied territory on Sunday 27th would be new and galvanising. People elsewhere could occupy territory in solidarity in their own town centres. people staying overnight could bring tents, food, blankets and whatever else will be needed. ‘STAY 4 1 DAY’ would need to go viral on youtube, facebook, twitter, would need flyers, stickers, badges. It worked in Egypt it could work here. More details to be worked out but i float it here to see what people think. Suspend your disbelief comrades and BRING TAHRIR SQUARE TO HYDE PARK on March 26th. ‘STAY 4 1 DAY’ If 10% stay that’ll be 50,00o strong. It will be an aid to other plans not a substitute for them. We can’t wake up on March 27th and think ‘Is that all there was’. Please repost everywhere.
NB I’m talking about the Marble Arch/Speakers corner end of Hyde Park at the junction of Park lane/Oxford street/Edgware Road/Bayswater Rd – so not exactly out of the way!
Ian Bone 
This is a good idea, allot of people aren’t up for fighting police and burning shit but the majority would be up for simply occupying a space and then things could develope from there.
Hyde park is not the answer, Parliament Square is the front line, the front door. Let us all march on Parliament, going to Hyde Park will do nothing, the People need to take themselves to the gates of Democracy. We need to take over the area and demand justice for the people and the eradication of this quango self imposed government. The people’s choice is the right choice make it heard. Go to Parliament and Downing Street, this is the root of the problems to the people. There is substance to this calling;
1. Sign the “New” People’s Constitution where all are held accountable to the people
2. A fully transparent system run by the people for the people with the environment taking the lead
3. Network this call to all.
http://thepeoplescharter.blogspot.com/
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/42312.html
Yea I would say Parliament Square and Downing Street too
I’ll bring me tent and a crate of tinnies then 🙂
When 2 million people marched against the war in 2003 they were ignored. The only thing that might have stopped it was a general strike, or an occupation. Ian’s right. This is the way forward and should be pushed.
Excellent idea! love it.
I think this is an excellent idea, like student occupations but for everyone.
I really dislike your article though – I’m neither a trot or involved with the TUC but if you make this factional, and about attacking people who are against the cuts, you will piss off a lot of people who would otherwise join. I say re-write this and I hope it goes viral.
Great idea il back it
I fear Hyde Park could too easily be ignored. A much higher profile place such as Parliament Square might be more appropriate for an all nighter.
A park is already public land. Lets seize the banks and westminister. Reclaim whats ours. Warmer and easier to hold too.
Yeah good idea, but Hyde Park is very out of the way, parliament square would be much better, setting up tent there, I can just imagine it 🙂
oh OK then I’ll bring a sleeping bag
Hyde Park is owned by the Queen.
Was on a Demo once (CJA I think I remember). Gagging for a slash & all the public underground bogs were locked. Found this little place in the middle of the park. Bladder healthly emptied. Turned out to be the local cop shop I was pissing up against when I walked around the corner of the building to see pigs getting tooled up with equine mounts, body armour and batons. Was I hallucinating or is there a pig station in the middle of Hyde Park?
Another thing. Were plastic bullets used for the 1st time on that demo at Downing Street ’cause my mate yer reckons they were and he got shot in the stomach. The 1st time on the mainland I mean (what ever that is). Mainland I mean.
Can someone enlighten me? (shoot me please).
Can someone sort me out with info here and tell Rob not to be such a ponce?
If this does kick-off can the lumpen masses make sure we let a few ambulances through the barricades so as to deliver the wounded to the appropriate NHS departments? Unless they are pigs of course and we can happily let them bleed to death on the street. (Come on. They’d extend to us the same courtesy).
More to come on fucking EDL in my fucking area. Police, bosses, clergy, bankers, landlords, dealers, muggers & fascists. What’s the difference? All greedy bastards.
Fuck ‘um!
We will triumph. We will win.
Cheers.
Ta. Ta.
Sorry.
Left ‘Magistrates’ off that list of elitist, Nazi, judgemental scumbags.
Yes, good idea Ian. If you make it clear that it is the ‘leadership’ of the TUC which are the problem in this case, of course whatever structures are a barrier to working class emancipation that is true, but we need to point out that the TUC leadership are not naive. That they know they are organising an event which is NOT protest if it goes according to their plans with the police, so this is an attempt to create politics for ourselves and protest by soing something non confrontational and simple.
Also, replace ‘radical’ with ‘progressive’ and we potentially include more people than self identified radicals in this article. Write it up, send it out electronically and as a leaflet ready for the march (cos remember people, there are still shed loads of people not on line – mainly older, who are some of the marchers).
^ This but, central London. No-one will give a fuck about us being in Hyde park… Tahir Square is the bustling centre of Cairo, being in Hyde park is the equivalent of occupying a bit of out of the way desert…
It simply doesn’t agitate enough… I say Trafalgar square…?
We need to strike at the heart of these cunts; bring down their fucking command centres. I know it’s Fantasy Land 🙂 but a Siege of the City of London would be fucking brilliant 🙂
Why not Trafalger square or Parliament square..great idea let’s hope it happens!
MarbleArch/Speakers Corner occupation great, go for it, but I think there is call for more than one occupation for those who aim to head for Parliament Square and reestablish Democracy Village (the twelve week occupation in summer which in its small way prefigured Tahrir Square)
Mere tokenism…
Airing the tent now. Will bring spare space blankets.
I read this as ‘stay 41 days’. I was thinking you were planning on stepping things up a gear!
Hyde Park? What, where it might inconvenience a few joggers and dog walkers? Nicely on the edges of town centre? All they’d have to do is close the gates and post a few coppers at each exit and people would have nicely kettled themselves.
Sorry, but if you want to do it so that it has an impact, it’s got to be either Parliament Square or Trafalgar Square. Either will gridlock the other very quickly anyway, with Whitehall and therefore Downing Street in the middle, not to mention Scotland Yard and other important places of power.
Oh, and incidentally, if you want people to get the message, you need to make it clear: “stay 41 day”, to most people over 15, will have read “fourty-one day(s)”, stay away frm txt spk, you might even get a bit more attention.
Conclusion: Potentially good idea, but poorly thought out.
PS to whoever relieved himself on their walls, not a cop shop, but the Hyde Park Barracks, home to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. 😉
Yes, an occupation is the way forward, but advertising one in Hyde park is pants. Parliament Square is right under the bastards noses. Thats the place to occupy, right at the beginning of the march, when everyone is fresh. If theres enough of us, straight into the Palace of Westminster and have the mother of partys.
parliament square will just be a kettle, and not enough soft grass to kip on
To be honest, an event like this is not about getting comfortable. so what if we have to sleep on hard ground. lets be honest most people wont sleep. and secondly we have to make a point that we are willing to inconvenience ourselves so that for once we may be heard
Yeah I’m inclined to say Parliament Sq,
Sure it will be a kettle, but our objectives will still be achieved!!
But besides this we have to make sure that we all have the same plan and that we don’t get divided – Hyde Park would definitely be better than nothing even if it is a bit flaky.
The most direct way to change the plan would probably be to talk to Ian Bone and get him to change the plan officially.
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This has so much potential though, we could really get some good shit done if we go with it – but we have to REALLY go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Parlicunt square is chosen and pe0ple are kettled but have provisions then they could stay longer and force the Polite to remove by force
Hyde park would appeal to more people though, i suspect.
God bless the royal couple.
Elephant & Castle – they won’t be expecting that.
Well up for an occupation! Hyde Park does make sense, and we could always march on Trafalgar Sq, Parliament Sq, Buck Palace, whatever, the next morning.
Ha, good stuff. Marches suck. Someone just published a list of suggested targets for the day here: https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/02/474187.html
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I hope the high speed rail protesters get down to London 17 billon to take 20 minits off the journey time ,fuckin joke with all the comunication we have today,the gods make these goverments from Thatchar on wards fuckin mad, spread out in all the city
Please please please get to Hyde park for an occupation, do not change location. It is important for those who have something up their sleeves.
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The Park is no good, the people must go to the people’s square, which in this case is Parliament SQ. To add a little to this; Let’s go viral
United Nations declaration Universal human rights Article 21.(3)
The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
They laugh as they talk of different ways to initiate their plans on the British public.
None of them are, per say, normal people. They are all on big wages plus a large funding of expenses, paid for by the electorate. It is time to put a stop to their corruption and the underhanded way they are stealing the peoples, money, livelihoods, schools, housing and health services.
Million of pounds are being given to big business in tax cuts, this is unacceptable whilst people are being forced into a situation by an unscrupulous government that wreaks of corruption and dissent.
Government and the councils are breaching protocols, they are breaking the rules and acting unlawfully.
They must ALL be sacked.
Revolution is not an easy transition, but as a Nation we cannot afford to stagnate.
We cannot allow the corrupt and unscrupulous to continue in their unlawful business.
The business of the day is THE PEOPLE.