Calverton Colliery [Picketing report, 1984]

Much has been written about womens’ actions during the present miners dispute, but it has concentrated on ‘traditional roles’, such as in the kitchen and demonstrating passively. Whilst these functions remain vital, women on picket lines have been virtually ignored, although many have been on the ‘Front Line’ since day one of the strike. This action is now spreading, and police handling of the situation is interesting.

On June 27th a hundred women from various parts of the Nottingham and Yorkshire coalfields converged on Calverton Colliery near Mansfield. At that particular pit only 60 out of 1,300 miners are on strike, and attitudes towards strikers and their families are both vicious and vindictive.

When the first contingent of about fifty of us arrived, there were twenty to thirty police waiting, including a senior officer (amazing how they seem to know where people are going to be!).  We sang and chanted for fifteen minutes and cheered as other women arrived. This proved too much for the protectors of law and order who asked us to move. We refused and they tried to push us. Our ‘line’ held and they had to think of a new tactic. Response? Reinforcements. Now we were outnumberd and were pushed, not without a struggle, to the opposite side of the road. More police reinforcements and we were surrounded.

Scabs were arriving to go on the night shift, and we were not happy about being hemmed in, unable to get near the scabs let alone put forward a point of view. So a push took place to try and break police lines. Arrests began to take place as women were dragged out – still struggling. Unfortunately, not being used to this sort of activity we weren’t really sure how to break through the lines. The police are used to containing or at least, facing this kind of action, and whilst their task wasn’t made easy for them by the women, their line held.

A senior officer was heard to tell his ‘men’ to treat us like men, and later, not to make too many arrests because he’d be the laughing stock of the force.

Another push took place, and the police knocked out an elderly woman, and although allowed to carry her across the road, they didn’t call an ambulance. Luckily a nurse was on the picket line, and was able to carry out limited treatment. More arrests, but we were unable to break through, and the circle tightened. We tried to push back against this, giving rise to the loud comment on a certain uniformed persons erection (not so politely put) much to his consternation and embarrassment and amusement of his colleagues.

A lorry (mobile prison) arrived and the scabs were arriving by the bus. A further push and this time a woman not actually in that particular push was picked out and dragged out. She fought against this, and other women helped her. We managed to get her free – but the police ran in, kicked her in the back and pulled her – again having to fight off the women. This time they had no choice but to call an ambulance because she was in such a bad way, and the older woman was taken to hospital. Eventually we were allowed to go. More than twelve had been arrested. Two were in hospital.

The arrested women were allowed to see a solicitor at 4.45pm June 28th, and appeared in court at 5pm. Although they didn’t have their photographs taken, fingerprints were, and they were released on conditional bail.

Many of us at Calverton on Wednesday night were not used to such action, and some decided that they wouldn’t do it again. This of course is good, because if you make that decision, those who want to picket will know that those present are of similar mind and will not be troubled by people standing by whilst others are knocked about by police. There will not be the ‘spectator’ problem that the men have had, whereby you think everyone’s with you when in actual fact many are just there to make the numbers up. This will lead to a more militant womens’ force, independent of the Union, prepared to take autonomous action.

Three of the women were charged with assault on a police constable, and four with obstructing the police, the rest with threatening behaviour. All were released on conditional bail that states they are not allowed into Nottingham.

Black Flag : Anarchist Fortnightly vol VII, 6c No.114 [?July 1984] https://libcom.org/article/black-flag-vol-07-6c-114-1984