Garden House riot
Encyclopedia
The Garden House riot was a civil disturbance at the Garden House Hotel in Cambridge
on Friday 13 February 1970. It was the only serious disturbance in Cambridge in the period around the widespread 1968 student protests. The event has been described as a marking a watershed in student protest
in the UK.
The Greek Tourist Board organised a "Greek Week" in Cambridge in 1970, with support from the Greek government and local travel agents, including events at the Royal Cambridge Hotel and Garden House Hotel. Protesters against the "Colonel's regime" gathered outside the hotels for several days, culminating with a crowd of several hundred protesters – mostly Cambridge University students organised by socialist groups – demonstrating against a Greek dinner for 120 guests being held at River Suite at the Garden House Hotel from 7:30pm on 13 February.
The protesters picketed the venue – in a narrow cul-de-sac
beside the River Cam
– to discourage diners from entering. The noisy crowd attempted to disrupt speeches inside, with a loudspeaker in a fellow
's room in neighbouring Peterhouse playing music by dissident Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis
. Protesters invaded the hotel's garden, still icy from recent snow, banging on the windows of the venue and climbing onto the hotel roof. An attempt to break up the crowd using a fire hose played from a first floor window at the hotel failed, and violence broke out: the hotel was invaded and damaged (estimated at £2,000), one policemen was seriously injured, others received minor injuries, and a University pro-proctor
, Dr Charles Goodhart
, was struck by a brick and taken to hospital. Around 80 policemen accompanied by police dog
s restored order by about 11pm.
Six students were arrested on 13 February, and the university proctors provided the police with the names of approximately 60 people they had spotted in the crowd. Fifteen students were tried on a variety of charges at Hertfordshire Assizes in June and July 1970, including riotous assembly
, unlawful assembly
, assault
ing a police constable, and possessing offensive weapons. Charges against another four people – including economist Bob Rowthorn, the only senior member of the university to be charged – had been dismissed at a committal hearing in May.
After a trial of seven days, the jury took nearly four hours to reach its decision. Seven of the defendants were acquitted, but eight students were convicted, including the six arrested in February and two others seen pushing in the crowd. All were aged between 19 and 25. Judge Melford Stevenson
controversially gave harsh sentences to those involved. Six of the convicted students were sentenced to periods of between 9 months and 18 months in prison, and two aged under 21 were sentenced to periods in borstal
. One student from Brazil and a second from South Africa were also recommended for deportation. The sentences were criticised as heavy handed, as was the judge's comment that he would have passed heavier sentences but for the "evil influence of some senior members of the university". The Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, Owen Chadwick
, contradicted press statements that students were incited to violence by more senior members of the university.
All eight made appeals to the Court of Appeal against their sentences, and three against their convictions. The appeals were heard by Lord Justice Eric Sachs, Mr Justice Maurice Lyell
and Ralph Cusack
on 18 August. Only one appeal – the South African student, found with a mole fuse (a small smoke bomb
) in his pocket, and convicted for possessing an offensive weapon – was allowed, but the recommendations for deportation of the Brazilian student was also cancelled. The case remains a precedent for the legal principles that holding strong political views is no excuse for violent acts, that prosecuting only a few out of a number of potential defendants is permitted, that a defendant's individual acts should not be considered in isolation but must take their share of blame from the broader context of the disorder, and that encouraging or promoting disorder by words or actions is as culpable as participating in it. The case also continues to be cited in deportation cases, for the principle that a decision to recommend deportation following a conviction must be justified by the potential detriment to the UK if the person is allowed to stay. Jack Straw
, then president of the National Union of Students
, accused the court of discriminating against students.
Several of the defendants returned to their degrees after serving their sentences; others had already completed their studies. The incident led to a reform of the powers of the Cambridge University proctors. The hotel was rebuilt after a fire in April 1972.
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
on Friday 13 February 1970. It was the only serious disturbance in Cambridge in the period around the widespread 1968 student protests. The event has been described as a marking a watershed in student protest
Student protest
Student protest encompasses a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or academic issue and mobilization to communicate this dissatisfaction to the authorities and society in general and hopefully remedy the problem...
in the UK.
The Greek Tourist Board organised a "Greek Week" in Cambridge in 1970, with support from the Greek government and local travel agents, including events at the Royal Cambridge Hotel and Garden House Hotel. Protesters against the "Colonel's regime" gathered outside the hotels for several days, culminating with a crowd of several hundred protesters – mostly Cambridge University students organised by socialist groups – demonstrating against a Greek dinner for 120 guests being held at River Suite at the Garden House Hotel from 7:30pm on 13 February.
The protesters picketed the venue – in a narrow cul-de-sac
Cul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
beside the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
– to discourage diners from entering. The noisy crowd attempted to disrupt speeches inside, with a loudspeaker in a fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
's room in neighbouring Peterhouse playing music by dissident Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...
. Protesters invaded the hotel's garden, still icy from recent snow, banging on the windows of the venue and climbing onto the hotel roof. An attempt to break up the crowd using a fire hose played from a first floor window at the hotel failed, and violence broke out: the hotel was invaded and damaged (estimated at £2,000), one policemen was seriously injured, others received minor injuries, and a University pro-proctor
Proctor
Proctor, a variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The word proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam or dormitory.The title is used in England in three principal senses:...
, Dr Charles Goodhart
Charles Goodhart
Charles Albert Eric Goodhart, CBE, FBA is an economist. He was a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee from June 1997-May 2000 and a professor at the London School of Economics . He is the developer of Goodhart's law, an economic law named after him...
, was struck by a brick and taken to hospital. Around 80 policemen accompanied by police dog
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
s restored order by about 11pm.
Six students were arrested on 13 February, and the university proctors provided the police with the names of approximately 60 people they had spotted in the crowd. Fifteen students were tried on a variety of charges at Hertfordshire Assizes in June and July 1970, including riotous assembly
Riotous Assembly
Riotous Assembly is the debut novel of British comic writer Tom Sharpe originally published in 1971. Set in the fictitious South African town of Piemburg it is a savagely amusing lampoon of the forces of law and order in apartheid era South Africa....
, unlawful assembly
Unlawful assembly
Unlawful assembly is a legal term to describe a group of people with the mutual intent of deliberate disturbance of the peace. If the group are about to start the act of disturbance, it is termed a rout; if the disturbance is commenced, it is then termed a riot.- Section 144 :Section 144 is a...
, assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ing a police constable, and possessing offensive weapons. Charges against another four people – including economist Bob Rowthorn, the only senior member of the university to be charged – had been dismissed at a committal hearing in May.
After a trial of seven days, the jury took nearly four hours to reach its decision. Seven of the defendants were acquitted, but eight students were convicted, including the six arrested in February and two others seen pushing in the crowd. All were aged between 19 and 25. Judge Melford Stevenson
Melford Stevenson
Sir Aubrey Melford Steed Stevenson PC was a British lawyer and High Court judge who served in many high-profile cases. He defended Ruth Ellis and prosecuted suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams, both unsuccessfully.-Career:Stevenson was educated at Dulwich College. He became a barrister in...
controversially gave harsh sentences to those involved. Six of the convicted students were sentenced to periods of between 9 months and 18 months in prison, and two aged under 21 were sentenced to periods in borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
. One student from Brazil and a second from South Africa were also recommended for deportation. The sentences were criticised as heavy handed, as was the judge's comment that he would have passed heavier sentences but for the "evil influence of some senior members of the university". The Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, Owen Chadwick
Owen Chadwick
William Owen Chadwick, OM, KBE, FBA, FRSE is a British professor, writer and prominent historian of Christianity. He was also a rugby union player.-Early life and education:Chadwick was born in Bromley in 1916...
, contradicted press statements that students were incited to violence by more senior members of the university.
All eight made appeals to the Court of Appeal against their sentences, and three against their convictions. The appeals were heard by Lord Justice Eric Sachs, Mr Justice Maurice Lyell
Maurice Lyell
Sir Maurice Legat Lyell was a British barrister and judge, who sat in the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice from 1962 to 1971.-Life:...
and Ralph Cusack
Ralph Cusack
Ralph Vincent Cusack , later Sir Ralph Cusack, was a judge of the High Court of England and Wales.-Life:Cusack was born in Ireland, the son of Dora and John Cusack, KC, later a judge , who once contested the seat of Newry against Éamon de Valera. One of his brothers, John Cusack, known as Jake...
on 18 August. Only one appeal – the South African student, found with a mole fuse (a small smoke bomb
Smoke bomb
A smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce smoke upon ignition. Smoke bombs are useful to military units, airsoft games, paintball games, self defense and pranks...
) in his pocket, and convicted for possessing an offensive weapon – was allowed, but the recommendations for deportation of the Brazilian student was also cancelled. The case remains a precedent for the legal principles that holding strong political views is no excuse for violent acts, that prosecuting only a few out of a number of potential defendants is permitted, that a defendant's individual acts should not be considered in isolation but must take their share of blame from the broader context of the disorder, and that encouraging or promoting disorder by words or actions is as culpable as participating in it. The case also continues to be cited in deportation cases, for the principle that a decision to recommend deportation following a conviction must be justified by the potential detriment to the UK if the person is allowed to stay. Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
, then president of the National Union of Students
National Union of Students
-British Isles:*National Union of Students**National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland**National Union of Students Scotland**National Union of Students Wales-Scandinavia:*Danish National Union of Students*National Union of Students in Finland...
, accused the court of discriminating against students.
Several of the defendants returned to their degrees after serving their sentences; others had already completed their studies. The incident led to a reform of the powers of the Cambridge University proctors. The hotel was rebuilt after a fire in April 1972.
Further reading
- The Cambridge Garden House Hotel Riot of 1970 and its Place in the History of British Student Protests, David Crook, Journal of Educational Administration and History, Volume 38, Issue 1, April 2006, Pages 19 – 28