Gunshots, licks at Licensing Fete

PATRONS who attended it the annual Licensing Authority Fete at Wrightson Road on Saturday night got more than they bargained for. Police fired several shots in the air and dealt blows to a number of patrons at the fete. What had patrons incensed was the small passage to gain entrance to the fete to accommodate the thousands expected to file in. The crowd’s uneasiness began to set in due to the unbearable heat and the tension was made worse by patrons who voiced their fears of pickpockets. The crowd started to sway and buckle into a scaffolding.

One police officer, sensing some restlessness, fired about six to eight shots over the patrons’ heads. This quelled the crowd’s anxiousness for a while but then it began again. A policeman perched on a scaffolding began beating his night stick on the scaffolding urging the people not to push. But the situation had already escalated out of control.  The officer helped one hysterical girl over the fence and the crowd thought that this action was not fair. Patrons also complained of being pushed against the scaffolding. A fire engine and an ambulance pulled up behind the mass of people. One woman said, “Like they going and tear gas we.” A contingent of police officers came to the front of the scaffolding. One police officer began loading his shotgun.

Another police officer jumped into the crowd and started jostling and hitting people back with his stick. Within minutes the police had cleared the people from around the scaffolding. “Who in, in...Who out, out!” was what one officer said. The entrance was very small for the thousands of people in attendance. This caused a bottleneck. Added to this was the fact that the police officers ordered that everyone be searched, which included the removal of all shoes. By that time, patrons complained that they were beaten by the police.  One report was that a man was shot by the police and had to be hospitalised. The artistes performed at the fete, oblivious to the melee which occured outside the fete venue.