As young punks, one of our mantras was “fuck hippies” – but what was interesting was that by 1983, many of us found ourselves a part of the peace punk movement, which in many ways had hippy tendencies. In the UK, this was extra true, because the New Age Travellers opened up their movement to the punks. Maybe it’s because both faced the same enemy: the police. I recently watched Operation Solstice, a documentary that takes a hard look at the the police brutality that took place at the Battle of the Beanfields on Saturday, 1 June, 1985. What’s interesting about this film is that you can see that not too much has changed, and that police brutality still reigns supreme worldwide.I feel that this point should be made: the police forces are the guards of the 1%! Many people in the US feel that the UK authorities are not abusive, but this is the furthest thing from the truth, as seen in the film Operation Solstice. No matter what country we live in, we all face the same arms of oppression, that is why we must take a stand together, no matter were we are from. The footage of police brutality that you will see on this film is mind-blowing, but what really impresses me is the way that travellers stood up for their beliefs. No matter the sub-culture you belong to, no matter how you look, you will always face prejudice from society at large – which is totally fine, at least you will not be a sheep led to the slaughter. It’s about to be 2012, and all we have to do is look at how the Occupy movements are being met with the heavy hand of the “law” to know that the fight is still on! So after the the jump, check out this eye-opening documentary, Operation Solstice, and ask yourself – who are the real terrorists?
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