Pure Genius

By 10am on 5th May, the banners were hung from the balconies of Dungeness House, overlooking the flattened site of the Wandsworth Eco-Village. At the same time, people were gathering across the river, to celebrate the anniversary of the occupation a year ago, when 400 activists squatted Guinness’s riverside plot.

The anger of local residents remains strong since the eviction last October. This anger has found expression in the formation of the Gargoyle Wharf Community Action Group, started by locals to put forward alternative development plans. “We want to celebrate the achievements of the eco-village and the positive things it brought to our borough. We want affordable housing, local shops, access to our waterfront, green spaces and facilities for our children,” said one local resident.

100 people from Pure Genius joined them in a re-seeding of the land, by throwing seeds over the razor-wire fences. Van loads of police seemed to be expecting much more than this ceremony, but 'made themselves useful' playing with the traffic, while the Pure Genius posse made their way elsewhere for a mini-festival of poetry, music and theatre.

Underlying the mellow atmosphere simmered a determination to continue the fight. “Guinness are vindictive bastards. We are all furious, not only did they evict our new friends, they have flattened the site....... We have to hit them where it hurts - their profits. I want a national boycott of Guinness,” a local said.

Support the campaign by boycotting all Guinness and United Distillers’ products. A full list can be found on TLIO website - http://www.oneworld/org/tlio/