Thread by @HUCKmagazine

good afternoon, this is @bencsmoke reporting from trafalgar square for #killthebill third national day of action!

a frantic and confusing start here as police swamp the front of the bus which turned up blaring out skepta. crowd tried to follow and then told to get back into the square by stewards.

today there are actions in over 40 towns and cities today in protest of the incoming policing bill. to find out more about it here’s @jeremycorbyn telling us why he’s opposing the bill huckmag.com/perspectives/i…

activists try to drive a soundsystem into the square. police try and open the door and are immediately blocked by other activists. now a standoff by the entrance to the square. more police arriving.

meanwhile in the square there’s a dance off between @UVWunion and @IWGBunion. fair to say it’s already a very lively demo!

tense scenes as the soundsystem is driven further into the square

speeches and chants here from the back of the van.

speakers here talking about the way in which the policing bill will impact different communities including young black men, gypsy, roma and traveller communities, women and others promising civil disobedience if this bill passes.

this gives you an idea of the scale of the crowd here. thousands have turned up to resist the bill after sustained building and organising by different groups over the last couple of weeks

and we’re off! thousands flooding out of the square with purple smoke flares being let off. chants of “kill the bill” as crowd makes its way under admiralty arch.

march slowly making its way up pall mall in the direction of buckingham palace

crowd still making its way up pall mall at a pace that could quite reasonably described as s l o w

chants of “A C A B, all cops are bastards” and “kill the bill” as the crowd reaches the palace and takes a left towards victoria

crowd is loud and hyped with music blaring as it marches through the streets towards victoria

crowd now moving down marsham st (towards the home office). beyoncé pumping out from the soundsystem, chants of “quit your job” aimed at the fairly heavy police presence marching alongside.

crowd catches up with the bus from earlier, cheers and chants of “kill the bill” as the soundsystem kicks in and the party atmosphere continues

bus leads the crowd down marsham st, past the home office as protestors dance behind it

bus stops outside the home office which is guarded by a line of police. thousands of people fill the street.

chants of “eat the rich” as the front part of the crowd pauses down the road. meanwhile the rest of the crowd remains around the bus outside the home office.

outside the home office, there are speeches from the bus as many sit in the road. a banner saying “more police powers = more police violence” is unfurled on the raised beds in front of the building.

crowd moves off from the home office and marches up horseferry road towards the river

crowd marching past a heavily protected millbank tower. one for the 2010 heads.

crowd making its way across vauxhall bridge

loud cheers and chats on “kill the bill” as the crowd moves through vauxhall. people outside @thervt cheering the protest as it moves into vauxhall pleasure gardens

a soundsystem has driven and the tunes have started again. a speaker says “it’s not a revolution without dancing”