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1985: Hippies clash with police at Stonehenge
More than 300 people have been arrested after an attempt by police to prevent a convoy of hippies reaching Stonehenge led to a violent confrontation.
The travellers were on their way to the ancient stone circle in Wiltshire for an illegal festival but were stopped seven miles from their destination by 500 police officers, who blocked a road and refused to let them pass. Officers from six different forces dropped 15 tons of gravel onto the road and used council vehicles to block the path of the 140-vehicle convoy. What happened next is hotly disputed. Police have said they came under attack, being pelted with lumps of wood, stones and even petrol bombs. But those in the convoy insist that police "ambushed" their peaceful procession of vehicles, methodically smashing windows, beating people on the head with truncheons as they tried to surrender, dragging women along by their hair, and using sledgehammers to damage the interiors of their coaches. Protesters have accused the police of reacting with extreme brutality to an essentially peaceful gathering. After the initial police intervention some 200 people - including mothers with small children and babies - fled into a nearby field. Four hours later, following an appeal by the authorities, some of the protesters left quietly. Twelve injured people were taken to hospital and 200 were ferried away by police, leaving behind fires and damaged vehicles.
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