Film: Everybody to Kenmure Street

These two days - barring last-minute offers I can't refuse - I'm thinking documentaries, both in cinemas of which I'm a member. Today, was looking at Everybody to Kenmure Street, a documentary (Emma Thompson takes part) about a movement of Glasgow locals when a couple of their neighbours face deportation in a dawn raid! Was looking at it before, but didn't go - happily, it was on much closer now, in the Garden Cinema. When I looked today, it was mostly booked, so I booked myself.

My bus came on time - probably a factor of so many people being on holiday. And then.. you guessed it.. stopped for a CHANGE OF DRIVER! Anyway, our driver was kind enough to tell us that his replacement was delayed for seven minutes.. I checked what other buses I could take from there, got off - and lo - there was one of them! (The #1, in fact.) So I did get there in time. Had booked a member's ticket - no confirmation required, either while booking or from the guy at the box office: he just scanned it and let me off. I grabbed a glass of wine on the way in - when they eventually noticed I was there..

Well, you get a lot of history in this film. History of immigration to Glasgow, history of slave owners.. and history of protest. There's footage of Nelson Mandela getting the freedom of the city - the first to give it to him, apparently - and of the Glasgow Girls, who started a petition that led the Home Office to cease the deportation of children. And it's to the Victorian sandstone of Glasgow that this film takes us..

What an inspiring story. A guy saw what was going on, crawled under the deportation van, and grabbed hold of the axle, so they couldn't drive off (he's played by Emma Thompson - we also get stand-ins for a couple of the other participants - others are interviewed openly). The word went round - and they gathered in their thousands, literally. It happened on Eid - as mentioned a couple of times, could they have chosen a more contentious day to do it?! 

Ah, the erstwhile activist in me was cheered by the sight of all these people, united in a common cause. They brought food and drink - people laughed at the sight of someone rolling a water bottle to the guy under the van. The local mosque opened its doors for people to avail of toilet facilities - one of the funniest scenes has the imam describing how people who'd just been screaming at each other were now queueing together for the loo..

Spoiler alert..

Things were finally resolved when someone thought to call a human rights lawyer, Aamer Anwar, who liaised with the government - not London, who under, as he described, Priti Patel's racist government, weren't answering the phone: and as he explained to the police, they had two choices: they could release the men in the van into his custody, or they could go in, flailing batons, and break up the crowd. But if they did the latter, they'd be picking up the pieces for the next 20 or 30 years. They saw sense..

Eight hours, they were there. One student proudly describes how he got a D in biology, because he didn't go to class that day. But by all that's holy, they prevailed. A sterling lesson in the Power of the People - I'm reminded of Patti Smith's song, as picked up by U2.

I also have to think of their more recent song, American Obituary, which describes how peaceful protest isn't always a guaranteed right.. at least these people were lucky enough to have that. 

One other thing occurred to me.. this was during the pandemic - they were wearing masks. So much for social distancing then.. but well, the UK never did take the pandemic seriously..

We gave the film a round of applause at the end. A powerful reminder of the potential of peaceful protest.

And so to Nando's, where I was well-fed, and had a second glass of wine, but didn't feel like dessert. And yes, on my bus home, we did stop for another change of drivers..

And tomorrow thinking of Underland, a documentary about people working, and researching, underground. Showing in the Barbican, which is closer, but only in the morning - so I'll probably look at going to the Curzon Bloomsbury in the evening. Handy for shopping, of course..

Next three days are Meetups again - on Monday, I'm with London Museums A-Z for a trip to the British Museum to see the exhibition on Sufi Life and Art. Off to Penderel's Oak afterwards, as usual.

On Tuesday, I'm with London Classical Music and Theatre Group - I just couldn't resist Mayerling, it's my favourite ballet. Showing at the Opera House, and I'm eating at Cote Covent Garden beforehand.

And on Wednesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Marie & Rosetta, another Motown biographical musical, at Soho Place - stars Beverley Knight, and I'm eating at Bistro1 beforehand.

On Thursday, more storytelling with the Crick Crack Club - this is Island of Love, another Story Pick + Mix, at Next Door at Theatre Deli again. Again, it's related to Greek myth - this is the story of Cyprus, birthplace of Aphrodite, from a Cypriot storyteller. I tell you this though, I won't be eating in La Spezia again after the last time, it just isn't worth it!

On Friday, the second of the year's concerts from Rune, in St. Bartholomew the Great! This one is A Merveillous Swevene: Dreams & Visions, and again I'm eating in the Old Red Cow beforehand.

And next Saturday, I'm with a new Meetup group called, ahem, Get a Social Life! Well, see, they're doing a daytrip to Glastonbury and Cheddar Gorge - I've already booked my tickets for Glastonbury Abbey and the Cheddar Gorge caves. Sadly early start - but it is a long way..