A couple of thousand ravers were given the secret location for one of the annual highlights of the free party scene – the Easter bank holiday weekend Eggtek event.
The sun was shining and they arrived at a field on Ministry of Defence land in Lulworth, Dorset in a state of high excitement about a weekend of dancing to techno music playing from a variety of different stages and sound systems in the heart of the countryside.
They knew that police were likely to arrive and intervene at some point because raves are illegal under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which prohibits gatherings of more than 20 people on open land where the music played consists wholly or predominantly of “a succession of repetitive beats”. But they hoped to get a day or two of partying in before being moved on.
What happened next is disputed by police and ravers.
Police say the ravers threw plastic bottles and drink cans at them and that their response to being assailed by these “missiles” using officers with batons, riot shields, dogs and pepper spray was proportionate.
The worst Young Adult novels, the worst fanfictions, the worst grade-school rip-off essays targeting Dirty Dancing could not ever get away with such incredibly uninspired plot points as it would be considered far too unrealistic for any government or authority-bearing entity to be this specifically obtuse and uselessly restrictive.
And yet, for some reason, the UK sets the bar below what any fourth grader could ever vaguely plagiarize.
Fuck all the other stuff, this alone is why empires are bad, this is what they turn into after they fall.
Raves get heavy police responses in other countries too. Especially in France. I’ve also known it to happen in Belgium and the Netherlands.
It’s not a real rave unless it’s illegal. You are not punk of you are a rule abiding citizen.
Uhm sure. I’m only talking about how the police responds, not its legality.
In Czechia I’ve had the best raves. Police don’t really care.