 |
| Friday Night in White City |
Anyone trying to get some sleep in West London on Friday night can hardly have missed the noise of the Police helicopters circling overhead.
According to BBC news, "seven police officers were injured after police tried to break up an unlicensed music event in west London."
But if "Unlicensed music event" sounds to you like some innocent fun on a friday night, think again. Local resident Adam tells the story.
 |
| White City Estate |
Twenty or more police vans lined the road outside Our Lady of Fatima in both directions and up to India Way; there must have been over a hundred police officers wearing full riot gear, equipped with helmets, shields and batons.
I asked a young man and fellow bystander what was happening and he said that the police had broken up an illegal rave in one of the blocks - I replied it can't have been that big - as these flats aren't huge! He laughed and said it had been in the courtyard of Hudson Close and the revellers had been dispersed once, but had come back to carry on partying.
Street Violence
By this point the party goers had been forced onto Bloemfontein Road and one could see the glint of flying bottles being hurled into the thin blue line, followed by the sound of breaking glass being scattered across the wet road. Then the police charged at the thronging crowd and the youths scattered in all directions.
Some had obviously found missiles from the road works opposite the parade of shops and all of a sudden you could see a hail of projectiles shower the police offices at the end of Australia Road, one could hear the sound of rock and concrete shattering car windows and pelting the doors and roofs of parked cars.
Some had obviously found missiles from the road works opposite the parade of shops and all of a sudden you could see a hail of projectiles shower the police offices at the end of Australia Road, one could hear the sound of rock and concrete shattering car windows and pelting the doors and roofs of parked cars.
The police charged again and another cry went up from the mob. A neighbour stopped to speak and he said that the party had been at the Cleverly Estate and the police had successfully broken this up before it started.
The thronging mob were then chased along Bryony Road and onto the White City Estate where they congregated around Hudson Close; the pursuing officers were then held off by knife wielding youths.
By this point the helicopter had gone and the scene went quiet; a group of about ten riot police then ran down India way. I turned to the young lad next to me and I said "well at least the helicopters are gone - I can sleep now."
No comments:
Post a Comment