Hull Street Party, 23 May 1998
Hull RTS this saturday went very neatly, police panicking and calling up or on anyone
who was everyone for weeks before hand, then on the day they largely stood back, (having
scared off the bigger soundsystem somehow it seems...) and did a deal which meant that
after a few hours of tripodless party everyone trooped off through the middle of town to
sit in the crossroads for a bit outside the Hull Daily Snail sorry Mail, then to the park
to chill out in trees and grass - though the sound system was not allowed in and instead
escorted halfway to Beverley by police outriders!
2 arrests as far as I know: one geezer was being a bit lary then spraypainted a bus
behind the main (still moving) crowd which was a bit daft really considering the number of
cops about, the other I don't know he was apparently just snatched for skinning up but may
have been wanted from before... dunno I wasn't there.
so anyway, Hull held its own against major competition from the far more groovy
Lancaster, and a good day was had by almost all - to the extent that the Hull Daily said
on Monday that 'street protest has a party mood' with a completely mellow report, pictures
of smiling girls and children playing with sand and not a hint of the 'sinister RTS
organisation' in sight. Oh well!