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MAYA , the Windsor Free Nation

Was an alternative newspaper that was circulated during and after the 1974 festival. This issue was created after the festival and is chock a block full of pictures covering the police action that evicted the remaining festival attendees.

Statement by stagemanager of stage B - Richard Aulton

    I attended the Windsor Free Festival for the period August 24th to 29th 1974. I was mainly concerned with construction and management of stage B . I had attended the previous two festivals and consider that the third was the best co-ordinated of the three, although I knew the festival to be illegal , but no restricting order had been issued.
I was impressed by the facilities and services available , although I knew none on those were supplied by the Windsor Town Council or by the Crown Commissioners.
On the numerous occasions that I left the site, I was twice harassed by and unnecessarily inconvenienced by the police who seemed completely biased by my appearance. On other occasions I saw many festival goers treated in a demeaning and aggressive way by the police. It is true that many officers impersonated Release workers and made arrests in this manner.
    The festival itself was very enjoyable, marijuana was quite readily available . More addictive drugs like morphine, heroin , barbiturates and amphetamines, which I consider detrimental to mental and physical health were not in evidence. There was some very strong LSD available ( it was rumoured that the worst of this was sold by the police to damage and undermine the community feeling of the festival goers) . The Divine Light tent was a haven of refuge from a world of insanity for some LSD takers, as was the Hare Krishna tent .

    I was woken late on Thursday morning by the arrival of a large force of police. ( I estimate 5 squads of about 850 policemen ) , who proceeded to intimidate and harass the remaining 3.500 in attendance. I understood that this was brought on by an attack on a couple of plainclothesmen and a spontaneous sit down demonstration in the road late on Wednesday. This was a peaceful demonstration in protest against harassment . In the face of provocation this was not an unjustified act. During this incident a police car deliberately swerved off the road side verge and ran over my sister's foot. She was later treated for the cracked bones by Dr Henery of the Edward 8 th hospital in Windsor. There were numerous witnesses to this incident and an official complaint has been made.

Richard Aultons arrest


    During the early part of Thursday morning police activity became more and more aggressive. No loudhailers were used to warn people that they were to move off the site within my hearing.
I saw people bullied and insulted, 3 kicked and punched for doing precisely nothing: tents were pulled down and property damaged. About 10.30 that morning I was arrested for asking why a young man of about 18 was being beaten and dragged away by 5 policemen. All I said was " why are you treating him like that, does it take 5 of you?"

         I was sat on, punched kicked and generally brutalised then carried to a transit van where I was sat on, kicked kneed and struck repeatedly to the fonterelle (the soft part of the head above the temple) particularly by P.C. 1945. I asked why I was being arrested, the reply was " because your'e twisted ". I said "what do you mean twisted?" the reply was " you know, bent".
     I was the only person in that van with 5 or 6 officers, I was dragged out into Combermere Barracks where I was made to remove all my clothes (something about being bent?)AND PUNCHED WHILE NAKED, behind the ears and in the ribs. I was not searched,; I am quite tall so I was let off lightly. Other people in the room were brutalised and humiliated by officers present. I saw this happen twice and can identify one especially sadistic plain clothed bully, a stocky man in a grey suit with bushy eyebrows, short thick black hair and large black police eyes. I would say I this officer was under the influence of amphetamines: he took delight in banging his victims heads against the wall.

    I was forced through the machinery of information, documentation photographing and finger printing (There were no lawyers or medical people present) and led into a large room with 50 or so other "Arch criminals" many of whom were very young, e extremely bewildered and very frightened. Soon after my arrival a person I know as Willi was removed and beaten up: he was not returned to the room. Later he told me he had had three more charges added to his charge sheet, these I know to be fabrications.
    During the next 4 hours many more people were brought in including one man who was groaning, clutching his rib cage and vomiting yellow liquid, I asked him had he seen a Doctor, he replied that he'd asked to see one & had been taken to a room where a man was seated behind a desk he was then told he'd seen a doctor. Only popular pressure on the part of prisoners persuaded the police that they should find a medic quickly. Later in the day he was returned to the group. He told us he had been given a quantity of morphine to beat the pain. So much for the drug problem.

    We were moved from the barracks to a church hall: some people were not properly dressed, still uncharged and not officially arrested. Finally we were given food and charged, still without legal consultation, in another church hall near the court and released on our own bail: mine was 20 pounds.

    I returned to the site to find no property. The site was desolate and deserted, a huge bonfire of tents sleeping bags, ground sheets personal effects, clothes was blazing. This I was told was started by the police at about 6.00 in the evening. -
I am male 25 years old and fairly intelligent. I am not a 'Hippie' or a 'Pop Fan' a better term might be, 'Alternative Culturist , I was indignant at the outrageous behaviour of the police at Windsor. There are 20 large football grounds in London alone but not one site in the whole of Britain for a FREE non commercial ~ Festival of alternative music which is one of the most popular forms of relaxation available to young people today. I feel like many other's (including a labour M P in Leicester) that there should be.
The brutality of the police in attacking peaceful people as they did has served to radicalise more young people in 24 hours than any popular movement could have in 2 years. The people were provoked by the police.

   I think the main points are
I . The Festival was free, therefore it cannot be compared with the other Festival in the area at Reading which most people avoid as they realise the extent to which the organisers of that event co-operate with the police.
2) The Windsor Festival could not have inconvenienced more than 20 people as the nearest house was quarter of a mile from the site, noise was never excessive.
3) The vast expense occurred by the clearance operation ..150,000 was a total waste of money the site would have been cleared and cleaned 3 days hence, all litter would have been collected and left in the available skips: we were not allowed to do this.
Finally outside the court I overheard a Sergeant saying "Some of
the men were too rough, I had to restrain a few of them myself."

Statement by Richard Aulton