GUNPOWDER, CLASS WAR & PLOD

The bonfire bit of the Class War Bonfire Party at London Fields on Wednesday night didn't exactly happen this year, but that's not to say that sparks didn't fly. 200 people or so turned up at the park and in the nearby pub to 'remember, remember, the fifth of November...' They were met by up-for-it cops - as well as a few blatant undercover plod too.

After one van of firewood was confiscated, a second appeared, only to be searched and warned off from entering - so no bonfire. A few beers later, revellers sent police in all directions as they left the pub in two columns to reach the park for the fire-show. Someone let off a firework - only to be jumped on by police - but after a scuffle they managed to de-arrest her.

The next bout of trouble kicked off when sparklers were handed out and lit up, and police waded in trying to seize them. A brawl erupted, leading to more arrests, which were quickly de-arrested. While this was going on, others let off a few small rockets near another group of police, but avoided arrest after a chase.

The undercover police were easy to spot: they were the ones with radios which kept going 'Crrrrkkk - charlie tango oscar moonbeam four, over, crrrkk'.

The old bill said that they were enforcing a Hackney parks by-law forbidding the use of fireworks in London Fields. In response, people moved further out into the park, letting off their explosives with hilarious consequences. In total two were arrested, with many more de-arrested.

Another fine evening of local park by-law enforcement and squiffy scuffling. Meanwhile elsewhere in Hackney there were quite probably a number of beatings, robberies, burglaries, maybe some rapes and muggings.