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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/01/eight-arrested-after-scumoween-ravers-clash-with-riot-police
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| Eight arrested after Scumoween ravers clash with riot police | Eight arrested after Scumoween ravers clash with riot police |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Eight revellers were arrested and an investigation launched after riot police were pelted with missiles including a suspected petrol bomb as they spent more than six hours trying to close down an illegal rave. Fourteen officers suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene and a man was also treated by London ambulance service after hundreds of people tried to get into the Halloween event, dubbed “Scumoween”, in Lambeth, south London. | |
| Metropolitan police commander Mak Chishty said: “Unlicensed music events are dangerous and present a very real hazard to all those who attend. Police faced hostility and attack. This is completely unacceptable. We closed down the unlicensed music event in the early hours and as part of our investigation, we are appealing for anyone who has any information to contact us as soon as possible.” | |
| Crowds first gathered on Black Prince Road at Albert Embankment before midnight, before dispersing down Lambeth Road on to Lambeth High Street and nearby Whitgift Street. | Crowds first gathered on Black Prince Road at Albert Embankment before midnight, before dispersing down Lambeth Road on to Lambeth High Street and nearby Whitgift Street. |
| Police said they had posted officers at junctions to Whitgift Street to “to prevent any escalation” of the trouble. But footage from the scene showed an angry mob throwing chairs, bottles and an object reported to have been a petrol bomb at police lines as they chanted “scum” and “pigs”. Bangers were also thrown, a male was seen letting off a fire extinguisher, and bins were set alight on some surrounding streets. Riot police, with dogs and shields, were seen drawing their batons against a charging crowd. | |
| Extra resources from the Met were brought in shortly before 6am. Officers had entered the venue and stopped the event under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. The rave was finally closed down at 6am and police remained at the scene moving people on from inside the venue. | Extra resources from the Met were brought in shortly before 6am. Officers had entered the venue and stopped the event under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. The rave was finally closed down at 6am and police remained at the scene moving people on from inside the venue. |
| There were accusations from some present that the police had been heavy-handed in dealing with those present. Bradley Garrett, a Guardian Cities columnist, who was there researching an article, said: “When I got there, a friend told me about 500 people got into the event then the police started closing the street. | |
| “They turned up in full riot gear and created a huge bottleneck. There must have been 1,000 people trying to get in. The police turned aggressive very fast. People were trying to rationalise with them, saying it was better to let people in, otherwise this was going to create a mess in the neighbourhood.” | |
| “They [the police] were shoving everyone towards the street and she was saying, ‘Just put your backs to them’ … and that’s when she was hit on the head by the baton, and I really think that was the trigger [for the subsequent trouble].” | |
| He said he went to three different streets around the venue and saw trouble on all of them, with police charging partygoers. Some people broke into a yard under the rail tracks and came out with pieces of wood. | He said he went to three different streets around the venue and saw trouble on all of them, with police charging partygoers. Some people broke into a yard under the rail tracks and came out with pieces of wood. |
| Garrett said some officers taunted partygoers as they vacated the area. “The police were saying: ‘What, you’re going home? You don’t want any more?’ It seemed to me the easiest solution would have been to let people go into the building to contain it. It was certainly handled badly.” | |
| Scumoween: A Nightmare on Scum Street had been advertised on Facebook as taking place in Whitgift Street beginning at 8pm on Halloween night and lasting all weekend. Of 13,000 invited guests on the social networking site, 4,000 said they planned to attend. The free event was due to feature music “from the full spectrum of underground dance”. | |
| In a warning on Wednesday to those due to attend, organisers Scum Tek said: “This party is going ahead, stay peaceful, stay calm. Patience and numbers is in our favour. Do not antagonise the police. We don’t need to. At the end of the day we want to leave them remembering our good attitudes, we just came to dance, we are not their enemy.” | In a warning on Wednesday to those due to attend, organisers Scum Tek said: “This party is going ahead, stay peaceful, stay calm. Patience and numbers is in our favour. Do not antagonise the police. We don’t need to. At the end of the day we want to leave them remembering our good attitudes, we just came to dance, we are not their enemy.” |
| A post encouraging people to “keep coming” and “don’t give up” appeared on the Facebook page at around midnight when trouble flared, but police advised people not to go to the area. | A post encouraging people to “keep coming” and “don’t give up” appeared on the Facebook page at around midnight when trouble flared, but police advised people not to go to the area. |