Awright, finished clipping out the highlights from Gilmour's stream. Please pardon the double-post, it's nicer for this one to be on its own.
Here's a recap of the brief, attempted protest at
Northcote Plaza, including Gilmour's arrest, the mystery of Sergeant Greene, and the discovery that riot cops now come in a bold new
~ purple ~ flavor.
About 150 people catch the heads up from other streamers and chat that Northcote Plaza is the place to be, and stroll on over. A number of cops are already nearby on the street, sporting
the day-glo color coded guns discussed yesterday, so the crowd veers into the parking lot, deciding to head to the nice little grassy park. It's open, its public, and there's plenty of people around, so they're hoping it'll keep the cops from going nuts.
Organizers start double-checking the plan and that no one looks like they're going to get stupid. Good thing, because Horton Hears A Tard. He's dressed in black from head to toe, with mask, sunglasses, gloves, and hoodie up, like a Black Bloc knockoff Unabomer. He's also got rocks in his pocket. He gets yelled at until he sheepishly throws them away. (Glowie? Wonder what the odds are he turns up in other videos being a jackass.)
The protestors don't even completely make it into the park before the cops suddenly charge, herding them across the green. They run like hell, but not everyone makes it. The cops split into multiple large groups, starting to encircle the park and prevent the remaining people from escaping. Many shoppers, pedestrians, and picnickers are confused as hell.
The sheer number of riot cops is remarkable. Almost seems like there's a cop for every protestor. A pair of helicopters circles overhead -- one from the cops, one from the media.
Gilmour tries to slip away as more cops up ahead at the bottom of the path snatch most of the remaining protestors, who had outpaced him across the winding path on the hill. Spotting a guy loitering at the end of the path he originally wanted to take who seems to be gently luminescent, he diverts across the grass, and an uninvolved rando who's nervous about all the 5-0 on scene tags along -- "keep that camera on me man". The detour is less than successful, and Gilmour meets Sergeant Green(e) and his pal, while his anonymous buddy gets stuck talking to half a dozen other cops.
Green(e) asks him a zillion questions, then tells him he's ok, he can film, and he's free to go. He even, when asked, walks Gilmour out of the park, past a shitload more cops, and to the street, so he can head the rest of the way back to his car on his own. The sergeant seems to be a bro. Gilmour ends up passing right by a bunch of riot cops and their van, in a clip full of eyecandy for the tactinerds.
He rounds a corner by the Aldi's and spots something weird. Purple riot cops. Who are these guys?
One of them catches sight of Gilmour right as he's turning away and points.
Busted. The
stop and arrest clips were clipped and posted earlier in the thread. Were they just assholes being assholes on their own initiative, or was Sergeant Green(e) a backstabbing dick who called ahead? It is a mystery.
www.belfastlive.co.uk
www.theguardian.com
