h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is my account of the Reclaim the Streets event on Mayday 2000 for those interested

I went along for the Guerilla Gardening thingy mainly because it sounded hilarious and I thought it would be quite fair to show my support for the Anti-Capitalist camp. I got up a bit too late to be there from the start but I made it at 12.50 armed with my water spraying bottle and the hippiest clothes I could grab

It was really sooo nice walking over Westminster bridge towards Parliament Square... no cars on the road at all, warm sun and even the Thames seemed fairly clean.

Reaching the crowd I first of all noticed the police and the inevitable tree-climbing protestors and in fact a large number of lamp-climing protestors exhibiting Soviet and Turkese, but couldn't actually see what had been happening until I walked around the outside of the square.
There were shrubs and and tremendous slabs of turf on the road all around the square with flowers planted lopsidedly which seemed to be more symbolic than horticultural but this was academic since they were obviously going to be swept away by officials soon afterwards.

The most enthusing sight was probably the maypole with people dancing around on the turf by Big Ben although the groups of cyclists going past without pollution masks was quite pleasant as well.

I followed the marching crowds to Trafalgar Square and yes, I saw people bottling Downing Street and trashing McDonalds (which I think people could have anticipated fairly easily) which although fairly amusing I can't condone because as with so many political thingies a minority turns up and spoils it for the people that actually want to make a point.

I think with so many groups turning up (Anti-Capitalist primarily but also Socialist Worker, Cannabis Legalisation, Asylum Seeker Rights, Gay Rights, Human Rights, Naked Rights) the message was a bit muddied.

I would now like to disown that pun