Published
Tue, Mar 15, 2022, 13:15
- Last Sunday, a convoy of soundsystems blasted out drum & bass, acid techno, house and UK garage.
Central London became a big free party zone last Sunday, March 13th, as thousands of ravers joined a convoy of soundsystems to protest the war in Ukraine.
Organised by Save Our Scene, with all money raised going to the Disasters Emergency Committee, The Dance For Peace Parade saw at least six rigs blasting out house, UK garage, drum & bass and acid techno. Hosts included Hot Bed, Kaluki and Stay Up Forever Records.
The protest began at 2 PM with around two thousand people outside the BBC building on Portland Place. The crowd, a mix of kids, young party people, older ravers and stalwarts of the UK free-party scene, swelled as the convoy proceeded towards Oxford Circus.
"It's important to be here for many reasons," Jojo, who has been taking her rig to free parties across the UK for nearly two decades, told Resident Advisor. "It's basically a continuation of what we've always protested about ever since the Criminal Justice Bill was created to put a stop to large outdoor gatherings. We're not only here for Ukraine, but also for our right to protest and for people in places like Palestine, Yemen and Iraq. It's about justice and peace."
More passersby joined as the protest snaked towards Marble Arch and then along the full length of Park Lane. Doormen standing outside the iconic five-star hotels The Dorchester and Grosvenor House watched on with a mixture of bemusement and curiosity.
Originally from Germany, Claudia Melton has lived in the UK for 20 years. She said the event was significant because it demonstrated "the art of real protest." She added: "We're doing everything in our power to vocalise our anger at the war in Ukraine because there is not much else we can do."
Ukrainian pop duo Bloom Twins, AKA Anna and Sonya Kuprienko, were also at the protest. They recently helped curate the lineup for fundraising event Night For Ukraine at the Roundhouse. "It's so important for us to be here right now," they told RA. "Public support is critical because this problem is not going to vanish overnight."
The protest was meant to culminate at Parliament Square but the police stopped the march before it got there. It finally came to a close, at around 7 PM, on the corner of Buckingham Palace Road and Lower Grosvenor Place.
Check out some more photos.
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Other stories / Ukraine: How to help, resources, messages of solidarity Ukrainian clubbing community shares experience of war Ukraine fundraisers happening around the world Ukrainian electronic music scene urges Russian boycott in open letter From One Ukrainian to the Global Underground: Help Photo: Anu Shukla