Illegal Easter Rave Turns Violent in Rural Village
Revellers at an illegal 24-hour Easter rave in a rural village pelted riot police with missiles and attacked one officer as they tried to break up the event. The incident, which took place in East Lulworth, Dorset, saw around 10 people arrested.
Police were first called to a field near a British Army base at 11:45pm on Saturday, where approximately 2,000 people had gathered for the annual illegal rave known as EggTek. The event featured massive sound systems that played trance music loud enough to wake up sleeping locals five miles away.
Riot police faced a ‘violent and hostile’ crowd as they attempted to shut down the event. Plastic bottles and cans were thrown at officers, and one officer was assaulted during the confrontation. Despite being asked to leave by police, the crowd refused to disperse.
Last night, officers in riot gear, supported by colleagues from neighboring forces, stepped in to disperse the crowd and seize the disruptive audio equipment. Footage shared on social media showed ravers pushing against the wall of riot police while a helicopter hovered above. Other clips captured attendees inhaling ‘hippie crack’ from balloons and dancing to the thumping music.
A spokesperson for Dorset Police stated: ‘We have successfully dispersed an unauthorised music event near East Lulworth following robust intervention by officers. The incident was first reported to us at around 11:45pm on Saturday. It is believed that around 2,000 people were in attendance, with in excess of 100 vehicles present in the area.’
The spokesperson added: ‘We remained on-site and worked tirelessly throughout the day and into the evening to ensure the event was brought to a safe conclusion. We took proactive and robust action resulting in Dorset Police seizing equipment under section 64 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. While responding to the incident, our officers came under attack from missiles and faced a violent and hostile reception.’
Violence in communities and against officers will not be tolerated, the spokesperson said. In addition, 10 arrests were made for offences including driving while under the influence and assaulting an emergency worker. Officers from Dorset Police were joined by officers from across the country, and the spokesperson expressed gratitude for their assistance.
These types of events are illegal and cause significant disruption to communities, according to the spokesperson. They emphasized the need to respond to ensure everyone’s safety and noted that it is unacceptable to face violence while doing so.
Local residents praised the police for bringing the event to an end. Janet Lickiss, 63, said: ‘Well done Dorset Police. We live very close to the rave site. I understand the comments about young people having fun but I think what is not understood is that a great deal of damage was done by ravers entering the site. Local roads were impassable so emergency vehicles could not have reached local residents and livestock have been left distressed. Plus the cost of the clean-up which will be borne by the taxpayer.’
The area of East Lulworth, a village of 240 residents, has been the site of numerous illegal raves during Bank Holiday weekends over the years. One resident in Stoborough, five miles away, said they could hear the ‘thumping’ bass music all night long.
Resident Jennifer Hyde said: ‘I was woken up at 5am by the noise, especially the thumping bass that went on until about 7am this morning, giving me a pounding headache. It is not what I expected on Easter Sunday and I cannot comprehend what pleasure is gained by those who organise such events. They have absolutely no consideration for others or respect for the law and are utterly selfish.’
Mrs Lickiss, of East Stoke, lives around 200 yards away from the rave site. She said her horses were left distressed. From midnight, she heard an ‘awful lot of music’ throughout the night. She said: ‘Obviously, it’s happened before, so we sort of knew then what was going on. But, we’ve got two horses that are in stables and went to check on them – there were police helicopters flying around, you could hear people shouting, going up and down the roads – and they were going round and round in their stable, wild eyed and sweating. We have festivals here, we can hear Bestival, that’s very close to us, but that’s all properly organised and people pay to get in and that’s fine. I think it’s the fact that whichever way you look at it, they’re breaking the law by being there.’
However, some critics accused the police on social media of ruining people’s fun and ignoring serious crime elsewhere.
