May 1st in London: Mayday (Anders Jacobsen's blog)

April 30, 2003

May 1st in London: Mayday

Ananova: Thousands prepare for May Day demonstrations:

Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets across the country for May Day demonstrations.
There are concerns that the traditional international workers' day celebrated by trade unionists could be hijacked by groups intent on violence in London.
A number of anti-capitalist, anti-war and anarchist groups are planning events nationwide, including demonstrations in Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leicester and Bradford.
Previous May Days have seen riots and mass arrests in central London with offices and businesses being attacked. In 2000, masked demonstrators ransacked a McDonald's and trashed other buildings in the City of London.

Seeing that I both live and work in the City area of London in the weeks; this is not good news.

There's "Our May Day" with a threatening display of balaclavas in their leaflet and an action list where several of the sites are places I will walk by tomorrow, there's the Wombles listing various demonstrations throughout the day, and last but least more hilarious (although I doubt their intentions are to be funny):

Cleaning the Square Mile - The Vacuum Cleaner on May 1st, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. "In a futile attempt to rid the City of London's financial district of its capitalism, The Vacuum Cleaner will be vacuuming up all the dirt he can find. Armed with a vacuum cleaner and fluorescent jackets, with 'Cleaning Up After Capitalism' printed across the back, cleaning will last from 10am until the end of the working day.... You will need your own cleaning equipment".