Returning to the North Gate

Women remaining at the North Gate had kept up a strong presence throughout October 2 and 3, with groups knitting, singing, doing ceilidhs, planning actions, and holding workshops on various topics, including Palestine and international Women in Black. They had continued to test the police by periodically appearing to head for the road, etc.

Some time on Monday, the MoD again insisted that the tents that had been put up against the fence by the North Gate should be taken down, but it turned out that their owners had all been arrested. The other women refused to take them down, but watched carefully when the MoD police took them down and packed them up, although it is still not at all clear that the MoD were legally entitled to do this. The camp on the opposite verge was allowed to stay for the whole period.

Once those who had been incarcerated were back at the base, we discussed what had happened, debriefed on the police tactics and legal developments, and then took down the camp at around 6 pm. We closed with some more singing and dancing on the roundabout as dusk fell, before women either left or went back to one of the rented houses in Garelochhead to celebrate, relax and have a party.