You've heard about a really big demo in London and have decided to attend. You arrive at the Tube station with thousands of other people and spend a bit of time searching for your friend.
After a good look it appears that your friend isn't here and the Demo has just started...
From outside the tube station you watch thousands of noisy people march away towards the centre of London to the sound of Samba drummers.
There is still no sign of your friend...
Well, you're still waiting for your friend and the sound of drums are fading, but there's time to catch up with the Demo...
Are you still going to wait for your friend? or
While loyally waiting for your accursed friend a paper seller informs you that a riot has started at the head of the Demo...
Do you engage the paper seller in a lively discussion? or
You join the rear of the Demo where there is good natured chanting and various socialist groups are handing out placards on sticks.
There seems to be a lot of noise coming from the Anarchists at the front of the Demo..
The Demo comes to a standstill and people are starting to sit down on the road, there seems to be some commotion down at the front of the Demo...
Do you go and check out the action at the front? or
You get home just in time to catch the news, there is a short piece about the demo on it.
They concentrate on the violence at the front of the demo blaming it on an extremist minority and barely mention the issues involved.
The figures they give for attendance seem greatly under estimated and the shots they show of the Demo bare very little resemblance to the Demo you were on.
But at least you were there and you have your version of the events to recall.
Start again?
You get as near to the riot zone as you can but the cops have sealed off the area...
Do you go home in the hope of catching something on the news? or
You hang around until night comes watching plumes of smoke rise above the rooftops.
Because of your loyalty to your friend you missed the action but at least you were there on the sidelines ready to lend your support if the revolution happened.
Start again?
You join the throng of the Demo, there are thousands here.
The sun is shining and the atmosphere is vibrant, you notice that the anarchist contingent make a move to head the Demo...
The Demo has been going well, there are all sorts of people here and you have been joining in with the chanting.
For some reason the Demo has come to a standstill and people are starting to sit down in the street...
The paper seller is a Young Socialist and talks very confidently and knowledgeably about the current political situation.
He sells you a paper and gives you a flyer for a public meeting, he is trying to get you to sign a membership form...
The paper seller is a Young Socialist and talks very confidently and knowledgeably about the current political situation.
He sells you a paper and gives you a flyer for a public meeting, he is trying to get you to sign a membership form...
You find yourself amidst a sea of black flags and face masks, the air is sizzling with excitement.
The Demo is brought to a standstill with an army of riot cops blocking the road, things are coming to a head...
You're sitting down in the middle of the road along with the majority of the other people on the Demo.
You can see sticks, stone and bottles flying at the front of the march and the police presence is steadily increasing from the side streets...
You are at the front of the Demo, a few sticks and bottles are starting to fly over your head.
Facing you is a wall of ugly riot cops linking arms behind their sheilds...
You are breaking up masonry and paving slabs to throw at the cops, making sure that your face is well covered.
A few sticks and bottles are already being thrown, the situation is about to explode...
You stop what your doing and the situation dies down a bit, after a while the cops let the Demo reach its objective.
You can feel proud that you didn't let the cops dictate the outcome of the confrontation (even though they were dying to try out their new riot weopons), and yet you forced them to let you finish the Demo.
All in all an excellant day out.
Start again?
As the bottles start to fly you try and reason with the cops, appealing to their common sense to let the Demo proceed.
But the rain of debris is increasing and the time for negotiation is fast slipping away...
You appeal to the demonstrators to remain calm so that the Demo can go ahead and reach its objective.
After a while things die down a bit and you can finish negotiations with the cops.
You can feel proud that you didn't let the cops dictate the outcome of the confrontation (even though they were dying to try out their new riot weopons), and yet you forced them to let you finish the Demo.
All in all an excellant day out.
Start again?
You are taunting and jeering at the cops, casting aspertions on them and their families and coating the visors of their helmets with saliva.
You can see that they are losing their discipline, things are about to erupt...
A riot is well under way as you sort through the collection of missiles at your feet.
You start to throw the rubble well beyond the front line of demonstrators, flying debris blocks out the view of the sky.
Snatch squads are trying to isolate and grab protestors, you can see groups of mounted cops about to charge through the crowd...
Snatch squads start rushing the crowds and grab people at random, you link arms with fellow demonstrators and stewards to try and keep the cops back but you just get beaten with sheilds and batons.
You can see the mounted cops getting ready for a charge...
You run for your life, with the sound of horses hooves just behind you.
Pandemonium breaks out as hundreds of demonstrators do the same thing.
you start pulling the crowd control barriers over to slow the progress of the horses, this gives you time to make your escape.
The heady mixture of adrenalin and fear is still coursing through your veins for many hours to come and you feel proud to have taken part in an historic battle with the cops.
Still, you had better lie low for a while. What an excellant day out that was!
Start again?
A full scale battle is on and you're in the thick of it, mounted cops are charging the crowd sending demonstrators flying.
Elsewhere a cop car is having its air conditioning improved by a group of demonstrators with sticks while its occupants attempt to reverse out of the crowd, and a cop bike is being set alight by another group.
This is chaos, people are running in all directions, a few cops are seperated from their squads...
You charge at a stranded cop, your boot catching him completely by surprise sending him sprawling across the street to the waiting feet of other protestors.
While they kick at his body you try and wrestle his riot helmet off, it would make an excellant trophy.
Unfortunately the rest of his squad noticed that he was missing and have made a snatch at you. You are being dragged of towards the police lines...
You accepted the situation and let yourself be arrested without too much fuss, you were charged with riot and affray.
Fortunately the cops being the imbeciles that they are, completely managed to mess up their notes by the time your case came to court.
Forcing the judge to abandon your case, you managed to escape the whole thing with nothing more than a slight kicking from the cops in the back of their van on the day.
Maybe you should sue them for wrongful arrest???
Start again?
The cops drag you kicking and screaming towards their waiting vans, but despite your best efforts their grip on you remains firm.
Your noise alerts a large group of demonstrators who manage to fight to secure your release, after thanking them briefly you hastely make your escape.
Your heartrate doesn't slow until hours after you are in the comfort of your own home, what a superb day out that was, one to relate to your grandchildren in years to come.
Still, better change your appearance and lie low for a while.
Start again?
