Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
My visit to the Newroz Festival in Finsbury Park
Me and mine walked down to Finsbury Park tube via the Newroz Festival this afternoon. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Earlier in the week I studiously ignored the humbug article in the Journal reporting on fears of trouble starting at the festival related to "terrorist organisation, the PKK".
I'd spoken with Aysegul at the Kurdish Centre in the Gardens and been told that it was very much a family festival, but from the festival info she sent me it was clear there was going to be a strong political undercurrent.
What I found this afternoon was pretty much what I expected, perhaps pretty much what ought to have been expected given the local circumstances in the Kurdish homeland. Lots and lots of impassioned speeches in Kurdish and English and some guest appearances by the SWP and the like. For the 40 minutes or so we stayed that's what dominated, but alongside it was music and kids and families being kids and families.
It was an interesting visit and everyone was very friendly and very happy to be photographed. This three minute video captures a few snippets.
Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury park, kurdish, kurdish marches, newroz
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Yes, between them the organisers and the the firm managing car parking for the festival were doing a terrible job. When I left through the Hornsey gate, they'd closed off the park to all parking but were still allowing cars to queue nonetheless. Even four or five cars queueing was enough to block up Endymion Road and send ripples back along Wightman and down, no doubt, to Green Lanes. Wightman was solid till at least Hewitt and I imagine all the way to Turnpike Lane.
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Permalink Reply by Maddy on
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I wonder if this is a foretaste of what it'll be like during the Olympics with "Jamaica Village" in the park? It took me almost twenty minutes to get from Umfreville rd as far as Oakfield!
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It needn't be. It would have been very simple to have just moved the queue on. It was just bad management. (Just in case they hadn't seen it, I even politely pointed the problem out to the guys on the gate, but they weren't interested).
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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We will getting fit and walking a lot more... The W5 was badly affected by the jams caused by the event with shortened routes etc. It doesn't bode well for the Games, Jamaica Village etc. unless these have good management. Not convinced they will.
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Permalink Reply by Suze on
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Also we have to pay for parking permits around here, and couldn't park anywhere close! Amazingly it wasn't declared an event day with parking restrictions, so there was a huge influx of motorists comandeering all the parking spaces. Haringey is happy to keep up the match day parking restrictions, even though Arsenal's move to Emirates has less of an impact on local parking than events at Finsbury Park.
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