Newbury Reunion Revelry

On Sunday 10th January the third Newbury Reunion Rally saw 250 people take over the newly-opened bypass for the afternoon. The reunion, initially planned as a vigil at Donnington Castle, went straight on to the road at the first opportunity, at the Speen Interchange, near where the Granny Ash camp once was. Both carriageways were successfully taken in what was effectively a spontaneous Reclaim The Streets partybut with a broader mix of people, no brain-shuddering techno and no lairy pissheads.

There was a slow walk north up the route of the bypass. Three vanloads of police overtook and formed a cordon across the road but the line was uselessly thin and easily breached. They went back to their vans, overtook and formed a cordon again, and were overtaken again. After a third leapfrog, the playground-style game swapped sides and the crowd cordoned the police back. There were four arrests (one for throwing rocks at the police helicopter and another for writing with a finger on a muddy roadsign!)

At the top of the route, by the three saved trees at Mary Hare the police brought out the helmeted riot thugs. But it was OK, the road had been closed for hours, the sun was setting, it was time to go anyway. Everyone slowly walked back up the road to Donnington, putting rocks and heavy iron drain covers and anything else into the road, ensuring that it stayed closed late into the night. At Donnington Castle, there was free soup for all. See you there next year!