Past
Campaigns: M11 Link Road
Campaigns
The M11 Link Road Campaign was the 'training ground' in Non-Violent Direct Action (N.V.D.A.) for many London Dragons. We had spent some time at Twyford, but the M11 was close enough to home for us to get there quite regularly, & this was our real initiation into this style of protest. The Battle of George Green, when hundreds of police & bailiffs descended on the defenders of the magnificent tree which stood there, was a 'baptism by fire' for many. It was the first big confrontation of the campaign, & one of the most violent. Neither the bailiffs nor the police seemed to know how to handle the situation, & the result was predicable aggression. Later evictions seemed to me to be less violent, but that may have been my good fortune combined with greater cunning from the authorities, for stories abound of protesters who were out of sight being bullied & beaten.
Photo. and text by Adrian Harris
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