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@adroit
At Parliament square:
"As police appeared to be moving in on their usual targets of Oxford Circus and Waterloo Bridge, Parliament Square sent what rebels they could spare to reinforce the other sites.
By 6:30, the roadblocks were stretched thin – and it was then that a concentration of police unlike any this week arrived, marching in a seemingly unending column and circling into the square. Word was instantly sent out to the other sites, but it looked like the back-up so urgently dispatched would arrive to find a square emptied of rebels. The massive police-force began removing rebels from three of five roadblocks, arresting an estimated 50; the displaced blockers regrouped for a final stand, lying down close together – and it was then the XR Samba Band arrived.
Rallying and reinvigorating with the rhythm of their drums, the band led the remaining rebels in a circle of the Square, growing in size as they went before slingshotting onto the bridge. For all the police’s numbers, comparatively few arrests were made; whether this was due to the newfound size, mobility and dynamic of the crowd, or due to nearly 400 prior arrests flooding police capacity, remains unclear.
What is clear is that Parliament Square was held, against all probability. Having outmanoeuvred police, a group of 10 rebels retook the southeast corner; at 1:00am this update went out internally:
“Now retaken all 5 roads at parliament square. The whole square belongs to us again. Hammock between the traffic lights and hot food from Hari Krishna van. It’s one o’clock in the morning and we’re feeling good!”