Climate Camp and the G20 Protests

If you’ve picked up a newspaper this morning, or visited one of the major media websites, you’ll know that whilst Jamie Oliver cooked up dinner for the world’s most influential leaders yesterday, London descended into violent chaos as G20 protesters stormed buildings and fought with police – ‘Violence sweeps City’, ‘Blood and batons as mob besieges Bank’ and ‘Riot Police battle anarchy’ cry the headlines. A single banner unfurled outside the Bank of England seemed to sum it all up. It stated simply: ‘we are f**king angry’.

Except this didn’t sum it up at all. The underlying emotion that united the protesters wasn’t anger. Other placards –which received less media attention– proudly declared that ‘Resistance is Fertile’, ‘Yes we can!’ and ‘Believe’. Meanwhile, street performers were joined by artists and musicians to create what, at times, felt like a Carnival atmosphere. Established campaigns such as War on Want shared the Square with anarchists, the National Savers and Pensioner’s Union, student groups, the National Socialist Party, Climate Chaos groups, ‘Queers against Capitalism’ and a myriad of other causes and ideologies.

Standing amidst such a passionate crowd of people –some angry, some partying, but all determined to change the world in their own way– should have felt empowering. But as the midday sun rose and the police cordoned off exit routes, frustration was the overwhelming feeling.  Chants of ‘Let us out’ echoed around the Square and tension mounted. The ‘Four Horsefolk of the Apocalypse’ were joined by the MET’s own horsemen as the riot police arrived, and the camera crews rushed to capture the subsequent violence. Far from being exhilarating – and very far from seeming like the start of a revolution – I felt small; surrounded by huge buildings, even bigger institutions, and thousands of armoured police.

After three hours, we were allowed to leave the Square via a side street. Just five minutes’ walk away, at the Climate Camp, a very different atmosphere prevailed. Thousands of people sat amongst tents pitched along Bishopsgate. Seminars were being held to highlight the problems of Carbon Trading, a kitchen produced sandwiches and delicious cakes, and a group of drummers gave everyone a reason to dance in the sunshine. It didn’t feel like a revolution – but unlike the violent protests just a few streets away, it did, on some level, feel empowering.

Whilst the violence in the Square seemed desperate, divisive and senseless, the joy, generosity and sense of adventure at Climate Camp felt irrepressible. It didn’t pretend that it was going to change the world in itself, but it did allow for a feeling of hope and defiance that reverberated at a personal and potentially more powerful level. The banner that caught my eye here didn’t express anger (although undoubtedly many of the people attending were angry). It read, ‘Be the change you want to see’. By that measure, Climate Camp felt like it was achieving something.   

blog comments powered by Disqus