Not the Royal Wedding

A couple of people are getting married in London tomorrow. Some other people who haven't been invited, and who the happy couple wouldn't piss on if they were on fire, are nevertheless planning to celebrate.

Most of the rest of us will probably just be happy to have the day off work, but if you feel the need for some group therapy during this time there's are some local alternatives. Seemingly there's a free anti-Royal Wedding party of some kind happening at the Frog on the Green on Consort Road, SE15 from 3 pm. Deptford Social Centre Plus, the occupied Job Centre on the High Street, are holding an Anti-Monarchy Street Party from 1 pm promising cake, dancing, drinks and music. In the same area there's also an all day street party by the Deptford Project with performance by Ta Na Deptford - unfortunately they are also showing the Wedding on the screen, some might say typical have your wedding cake and eat it apolitical Deptford art scene (generalisation I know, feel free to exempt yourself!).

There will be an anti Royal Wedding picnic in Brockwell Park at 1pm, in front of the cafe. Urban 75's Offline club night at the Grosvenor in Stockwell tonight has an anti-wedding F*ck the Toffs theme.

Nothing to do with the wedding one way or another there's lots of arts stuff going in Deptford, Peckham and Bankside as part of the monthly South London Art Map 'Last Friday'. This includes the regular Dirty Cop Friday at the Old Police Station in New Cross (114 Amersham Vale).

Police raid in Camberwell

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police have started their wedding celebrations early with a series of blatantly political raids on social centres and squats across London - 'pre-emptive' policing, i.e. arresting people on the basis that they might commit a 'crime' (like demonstrate against the monarchy) at some point in the future. One of the buildings targeted was the Rat Star by Camberwell Green, squatted for around two years and home to countless gigs, parties and meetings. Suddenly it is deemed a nest of criminals, with up to 15 vans of police raiding it and 19 people arrested - supposedly for 'abstracting electricity'. Earlier this week the police launched an appeal for information on last year's murder of a 90 year old pensioner in Camberwell - perhaps they could usefully redeploy some of the numerous officers hanging out at an empty building in Camberwell all day today?

Latest reports are that Brockley's own Chris Knight has been arrested in a further round of arrests this afternoon.