Guard

Claremont Road - Link Road, the last stand, Nov 1994

In November 1994 the last battle against the A12 Hackney to M11 link road took place in Claremont Road in East London. The anti-road protesters had almost completely occupied the street and had painted the houses with extravagant designs. The protesters were using sit-ins and site invasions to try and halt the road construction; This lead to the construction company employing large numbers of security guards, mostly young men, who were kitted out in blue overalls, hard hats and safety waistcoats. The guards were placed at close regular intervals behind the the construction site fence, protecting the site from invasion. It was odd to see them all, and reminded me of the zoo, as they seemed like the captive ones, behind bars and unable to leave their position until their next break.

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