A secret text message used to organize an “illegal” radish in North Cornwall has revealed the importance of the free party, the reason behind it, and contains some sweet instructions for the ravers who attend.
It was understood that the event, at the former RAF Davidstow Moor site near Camelford, had been organized by secret text messages sent to the phones of the partygoers attending the rave. Cornwall Live has now seen this message, and it shows that the event was not organized to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Instead, it was to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the largest free party ever held in the UK, which saw between 20,000 and 40,000 ravers take Castlemorton Common in Malvern Hills, Worcestershire, England between the 22nd and 29th. May 1992.
However, the message sweetly asks all attendees to “be respectful of neighbors and authorities” and says that “the mission is to leave the site as we find it.” He also says the event will feature “80 teams spread across several stages” and “let’s make some noise.”
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While the text reveals that the party “celebrated 30 years of Castlemorton,” instead of the queen’s platinum jubilee, the message says “thanks to Lizzie, we’ll start the party Friday night through Sunday.”
Castlemorton was a legendary free party that started out as a small free festival for travelers, but went down in history as the biggest illegal radish ever made in the UK. It led to a £ 4m trial and the passage of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act which effectively criminalized rave culture, and made it illegal to hear “a succession of repetitive rhythms” in a ” meeting on the ground outdoors “. .
Ravers at Davidstow Moor Saturday Night (Image: Matt Smith)
The Act came less than ten years after the infamous “Battle of Beanfield” in 1985 in Wiltshire, which ended in one of the largest mass arrests of civilians in English legal history. This resulted in the police being successfully prosecuted for illegal imprisonment.
ITN reporter Kim Sabido was at the Battle of Beanfield on June 1, when he reported that he had seen a number of people, including those who “had babies in their arms,” were “beaten” by officers. of police. Sabido said he had just witnessed “some of the most brutal police treatment of people” that he had seen in his career as a journalist. Images of the incident formed the basis of the terrible Channel 4 documentary Operation 1991 Solstice.
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Photographer and author Matt Smith, who has now documented the UK’s free party scene, festival circuit and rave culture over five different decades, told Cornwall Live earlier: “The Battle of Beanfield was not the only incident, there were others. “Anything. that he made the people independent and gave them power was attacked; he was crushed, mercilessly.
“The Criminal Justice Act was the culmination of attempts to shut down this culture. It was going to eliminate a whole lifestyle. It was illegal to go out with your classmates and have a party in the woods.”
The full secret text message
Free festival culture celebrates 30 years of Castlemorton again! Thanks to Lizzie we will start the party on Friday evening and until Sunday.
It is attended by 80 teams spread over several stages! Please be prepared … bring enough supplies to last you for as long as the sound lasts.
We have a bad place big enough for everyone! The party is open to all sound systems, artists and performers. There is an information email for teams to request your connections!
Please be respectful of your neighbors and the authorities. We don’t give them a reason to become hostile to us. The mission is to leave the place as we find it. We are all responsible! Please bring trash bags and take home as much as you can with your vehicles.
Information lines, call from 2pm on Friday 3 June: Please keep all information out of social media. Don’t pass this message on to Instagram, Facebook Messenger or Snapchat!
We make some noise
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