Dominic Ponsford
Evening Standard reporter Andrew Gilligan was
bundled out of a meeting by anti G8 protestors on Sunday after being
recognised as a journalist.
bundled out of a meeting by anti G8 protestors on Sunday after being
recognised as a journalist.
Former Radio Four correspondent Gilligan was at Edinburgh University
students’ union building covering a meeting of the Dissent anarchist
group on Sunday.
He was standing near the back of the meeting when he said he was
“denounced” by one of the protestors.
students’ union building covering a meeting of the Dissent anarchist
group on Sunday.
He was standing near the back of the meeting when he said he was
“denounced” by one of the protestors.
He said: “The meeting instantly descended into chaos with a mob of
dozens of people screaming at me, grabbing me, tearing my clothes and
trying to take my bag. My glasses were snatched and kindly reconfigured
into a pince-nez. I lost the bag after a struggle.”
dozens of people screaming at me, grabbing me, tearing my clothes and
trying to take my bag. My glasses were snatched and kindly reconfigured
into a pince-nez. I lost the bag after a struggle.”
Gilligan said it was “quite an unpleasant couple of minutes” before he
could leave the meeting, although he said afterwards some of those
attending the meeting apologised and returned his bag.
could leave the meeting, although he said afterwards some of those
attending the meeting apologised and returned his bag.
Gilligan wrote in the Evening Standard today that he managed to sit
through 45 minutes of the meeting and commented: “what struck me about
the whole business was the sheer unlikelihood of this particular group
of would-be revolutionaries being able to cause any major bother to
anyone better protected than a solitary hack”.
through 45 minutes of the meeting and commented: “what struck me about
the whole business was the sheer unlikelihood of this particular group
of would-be revolutionaries being able to cause any major bother to
anyone better protected than a solitary hack”.
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