A 'stewards' story on Monday night at Hillsborough

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday April 09, 2003 12:30 by Dave - n/a

There were previous posts on IMC wondering why the Stewards were so inactive during the protests on monday night. It's probably because they weren't really stewards.

I went on one of the IAWM/GR buses that left liberty hall at 2pm on Monday afternoon. I had travelled as an independent non afilliated individual (though i had some involvement in the Antiwar movement at previous rallies) Upon arriving at the shopping center, a member of the SWP/IAWM who I will not name, asked me if i would be a steward during the march. I was reluctant because i did not want to be associated with the SWP (again) and from previous experience, IAWM "stewards" were merely money collectors shaking buckets, handing out leaflets and touting for membership for the "movement". Eventually I agreed to wear one of the Flourescant bibs and i was given my bucket to collect money. I was not informed of any details as to what was happening, where the march was going, what would happen once the march arrived at it's destination, I had never been to Hillsborough before and had no idea of the surroundings. When i asked what it was that i was supposed to be doing i was given vague instructions to keep an eye on people and stop people from wandering out in front of the road.
I was given no training or instruction on how exactly to do this. As the march made it's way towards the speeches I noticed several people spray painting anti-war messages on the road and on road signs. I had no problem with this, but those with the spray cans were being harrassed by some marchers and I noticed a IAWM "steward" take a can of spray paint off a young protester.
I did not agree with this but i did not intervene. I probably should have.

The march was intended to stop at the stage where the ICTU were holding speeches. I had absolutely no interest in listening to the same people talking about the same things for the 10th time so i continued down the road to where the riot police had set up their road block. I noticed that there were 4 or 5 "stewards" in this group, several of whom i recognised and i knew that, like me, they had been given no briefing or training and were mainly charged with collecting money.

A few minutes after i arrived at the barricade Richard Boyd Barret began to address the crowd through a loud hailer. When I noticed this i and i heard him acting as if he had orchestrated the march towards the police lines i immediatly removed my "steward" identification. I no longer wanted to be associated with the hypocracy that was taking place before me. When the "pro war" individual climbed the pole with his poster and the crowd got distressed i was not surprised by the inaction of the "stewards" What were they supposed to do? They had no authority, no training, no briefing, no guidelines. They were brightly clothed individuals and it would have been a judgement call as to whether or not to remove the dissident and that call had merits on both sides.

The protest in Hillsborough, i believe, did a great deal to split the movement, not because it was too extreme or dangerous as the SWP might claim, but because it did not go far enough.
Barrets reason for not going into the field was because it would split the movement or lead to violence. The march was already split, there was a stage a few hundred yards behind the barricade. people who wanted to chant and sing had an obvious place to go. Barret should have allowed activists to act. Instead he used his loudspeaker to remind people that the buses would be leaving soon and that gave most people very little choice but to stay on the road. He then made a remark clearly intended to make fun of those in the field claiming that they were going the wrong way. Amazingly people believed him. While the activists might not have known exactly where the castle was, they had a reasonable idea and it would have easy to locate. besides, I'd prefer to get a litle lost fighting for something i beleive than to sit on the road, chant and go home.

I could not afford to miss the bus home. Once Barret declared the buses would all be leaving on time regardless of the situation on the ground i just left the protest there and then. On the way back I tried to look the catholic workers in the eye and i found that i couldn't. Theirs is dedication that we should all aspire to emulate

The protest in Hillsborough was a total waste of time. SWP want to build the movement until it collapses under it's own weight and the movement become just as disenfranchised with the "radicals" as they are with the establishment