An illegal rave attended by approximately 2,000 people took place on Ministry of Defence land in Lulworth, Dorset, over the Easter bank holiday weekend. Police responded to the rave near East Lulworth with officers, riot squads, batons, riot shields, dogs, and pepper spray. Footage shows partygoers being dragged along the ground, bloodied and beaten by police. One man sustained injuries including a fractured nose, wrist, and toe, along with cuts to his head, and another woman had a bleeding head wound. Police say ravers threw plastic bottles and drink cans at them. The total number of people injured during the police intervention has not been confirmed, nor have specific charges been filed against individuals involved in the Dorset rave.
Police say their response was proportionate, but partygoers say they were shocked by the level of force used against them. According to The Guardian - Main UK, a man working with a sound-system crew described how his crew was attacked by police with batons for just standing there. He added that a lot of thought and meticulous planning went into the event, noting that attempts to make parties legal and licensed often fail when police or local councils pull out at the last minute. According to The Guardian - Main UK, a second raver who attended Eggtek described walking past multiple officers without any problem until police sent in the riot squad.
Our crew was attacked by police with batons for just standing there. People assume we are a bunch of feral, unemployed, uneducated druggies but that couldn't be further from the truth. People from all walks of life and all ethnic backgrounds come along to these events.
The rave caused disruption to residents, with noise heard up to five miles away. About 100 cars were left parked, many abandoned on verges, by revellers. Residents criticized the rave on social media, calling for tough police action. According to Daily Mail - News, one resident in Stoborough described how such events happen every year and leave awful mess behind. Joanne Jenner, a resident, posted on social media that it had not been the best night for residents of the quiet village. Rich Parker, another resident, suggested on social media that police should stop every car as it leaves to check for drugs and legal issues, with fines covering the cost. Lucy Morgan, a resident, added that such events happen every year locally and there must be some way to prevent it. The total estimated cost of damage or cleanup from the Dorset rave remains unknown.
Dorset Police closed roads to the area and urged trespassers to leave immediately. A Dorset Police spokesperson stated that their priority was to ensure the unauthorised music event was brought to a safe conclusion with minimal disruption to residents and visitors. The spokesperson added that those at the event were trespassing and should leave immediately. According to Daily Mail - News, a member of staff at Lulworth Equestrian Centre described all the roads around being blocked by police. How many arrests were made at the Dorset rave, and what the charges were, has not been disclosed, and measures being considered by authorities to prevent future illegal raves in Dorset and Cambridgeshire are unclear.
A lot of thought and meticulous planning went into this event. We have tried in the past to make our parties legal and licensed but often police or the local council pull out at the last minute and then we lose a lot of money. So we make the parties free now and organise them ourselves.
In a separate incident, an illegal rave of more than 400 people was uncovered in an industrial unit in Burrel Road, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, on March 8. Three people were arrested in connection with the Cambridgeshire rave and banned from entering areas in Cambridgeshire. Music equipment and control units were seized, and power was cut to the unit in Cambridgeshire. Neighbourhood Inspector Colin Norden stated that raves are not harmless fun but cause significant community disruption and damage, serving as an outlet for illegal drugs.
When we send out information about the location we ask people to bring their own food and water, litter bags to put their rubbish in and shovels to bury human waste so we can leave the site as we found it. We tell ravers to respect the location.
We walked past multiple coppers without any problem. Everyone was helping everyone else and the party was chilled until police sent in the riot squad.
This happens every year and every year we're told that there's little that can be done. The one on the heath at Arne and one near Corfe in recent years were both dreadful and left awful mess behind too.
All the roads around have been blocked by the police. I can hear it but I know nothing else about it.