Claremont Falls... Eventually

As most of Britain must know by now, Claremont Road, London, East 11, arguably the flagship of the anti-roads movement, was evicted on 28th November last year. In a 4-day siege, and there is no other way to describe what went on, the police, bailiffs and road-workers used every tactic they could to get people out of the street which had become a centre for alternative culture over the year that the No M11 posse had lived there. It was called the biggest and most expensive eviction since the war, and is rumoured to have cost over million (The total cost of security and police at the M11 has exceeded £6 million since protests started.

Conventional newspaper reports differ widely, (the Observer said 200, Times said 500 protesters) and it was nearly impossible to estimate numbers, as some were on towers, some in bunkers underground, some locked into walls, onto the road, in the trees and treehouses and in the nets, but there were a lot (a few hundred?) of people there.

The campaign had had over two weeks of the strongest rumours, and so, when the ‘word on the street’ reached fever pitch, the phone-tree went into action. Again estimates vary, the Observer said 200 bailiffs, 700 police and 400 security guards, but anyway, there were loads of them - riot police, street police, transport police, cemetery police, bailiffs in riot gear, security guards and workers.

The security forces were late - or were they? Some of us who believe in conspiracy theories feel that the reason the eviction started so late in the day was so that most of the work would go on at night when the media’s long lenses would be ineffective. Anyway, the police, and bailiffs arrived mid-afternoon, having spent the day assembling at the nearby Territorial Army Centre, closely watched by the No M11ers, who had a communications centre set up nearby.

To the cries of "shame" and "sit down" from the protesters, the police and bailiffs entered Claremont Road from both ends, slowly gathering up stragglers who had elected to stay on the ground, and moving the media pack on.

There were many bizarre incidents, which were plainly visible to those on the roofs.

The first areas of defence, concrete cars, and other reinforced barriers gave various levels of difficulty to the planet- wreckers, some were effective, and some less so. By far the most effective at this stage were the ‘sleeping dragons’ - protesters locked onto the street surface itself, courtesy of tubes buried in reinforced concrete right in the middle of the road. There were half a dozen of these, and the police used a new cutting tool made especially for this barrier, which was more effective at getting people free.

The nets, stretched across the street in three places were totally effective at keeping the cherry-pickers at bay, as they were guarded by numerous protesters camped in sleeping-bags all day and night. In fact, the only time when the eviction could have turned into a riot was when a woman trying to lock herself onto a bulldozer below the net, was made to fall by the wanker driving the dozer. The vocal anger was quite obvious to the police, who very quickly put on the rest of their riot gear and brought in re-enforcement in case of trouble. Still, everyone kept their heads, even when she was lifted not-at-all carefully, and with no ambulance crews in site, and carried away from the site to await the ambulance.

After this incident, a mysterious TV crew was allowed onto the street, the only one allowed really dose. Although this may have seemed generous of the police, the crew was constantly asked where they were from, and the only answer given was that they were freelance - most of us suspected that they were working for the police.

The bailiffs and police (who remained in full riot gear the entire time) worked 24 hours a day in shifts to get us all out, and were completely beaten by the last level of defence - a 100ft scaffold tower above the middle of the street, on which there were three platforms for protesters, the highest of which was specially made so that the people on it were effectively welded in. It was completely impossible to get them out, and in the end it was a standoff between the last protester, who was taken off the tower by cherry-picker after holding out for 18 hours without food or water.

We could rant on about the amazing complexity of the defences, the communications system, the music, the bunkers, secret tunnel, etc, the abuse of rights which went on the entire time, the incredible bravery (or stupidity) of the protesters, the desperate lengths the security forces went to to get us out, and I’m sure we will remember the days all our lives. The video will be a must, and we can only assume that someone is putting together the whole story for us to pass on to the next camps, actions and generations.

True to form, the No M11 Link Campaign has not folded, and actions were relaunched in the new year. Also “The End of the Beginning”, is an exhibition in print celebrating the creativity surrounding Claremont Road. Anyone who would like to contribute art work, writing, poetry or experiences to share from Claremont, particularly from the eviction, please send to:

Clare Zine,
80 Elm Road,
London E11 4DW.
Tel: 081 558 2638 or 081 989 8741.