international news _ 4th September, 2006
Army Called In To Fight UK Rave War
Text by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)
Soldiers joined cops trying to break up a bank holiday rave in the Epynt
mountains near Brecon in mid Wales last weekend, as 500 revelers partied on
the Ministry Of Defence land for over two days. The outdoor event was one of
several which received national press coverage including one in Essex where
1,000 revellers fought back against riot cops police who tried to break up
the rave with force.
Eyewitnesses told the Observer that police beat partygoers with batons and
fired pepper spray during the incident, though local police commander Graeme
Bull defended his officers.
"There was a significant minority who met police with unprecedented and
ferocious resistance. Their conduct was disgraceful - weapons were used,
missiles were thrown, "the Chief Superintendent complained, "These sorts of
raves are quite unheard of in this county - I have not seen this sort of
violence since the old days of acid house."
Both parties happened as Britain's national press published a plethora of
articles claiming illegal raves have suddenly been reborn, despite the
phenomenon never having gone away since the early 90s. Even renowned 'dance
is dead' Guardian hack Alexis Petridis, who three years ago declared 'as a
youth cult, dance music seems to be in terminal decline', cheerfully ate his
words, proclaiming raves as vastly more exciting than legal music festivals.
"What self-respecting teenager wouldn't instead opt for an illegal rave,
with its sense of outlaw cool and danger?" the one timer Mixmag staff writer
mused, "Offering not just drug-fuelled hedonism, but an attendant palaver
involving the chance to run across motorways, trespass on private property
and the occasional spot of light rioting," he added.
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