DTI Evacuated

As part of the Liverpool Dockers Mystery Tour, approximately 80 activists met at Victoria Station in London. Destination: unknown. There was a plan to meet up with the Liverpool dockers at Shoreham docks but for one reason or another we didn't make it there and that was fine because they didn't need any help in shutting down the docks for the day. Meanwhile armed with chaos and not much else, we descended on the Department of Trade and Industry. 40 people found themselves climbing the stairs of the offices while the confused employees evacuated the building. Others protested on surrounding streets. 12 people occupied the roof of the DTI building for most of the day while others were removed early on. 37 people got arrested, mostly for suspicion of burglary! The police totally over reacted and enclosed the entire area with maybe 40 or more riot vans. Their ridiculous approach to the situation generated quite a lot of public support for us. At the end of the day we showed our strength and our solidarity with the dockers and their struggle.