Last orders Tube party was 'misunderstood' says Boris Johnson

by Dave Keating | June 5, 2008 at 02:25 am

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London mayor Boris Johnson had some itneresting comments about the booze party protest that occured on the London underground network Saturday night as a protest against his new rule banning alcohol on the tube. Johnson described it as a "exuberant, Celtic-style wake forthe passing, the long overdue passing, of a custom" that nonetheless "entirely vindicated our decision."

It was an interesting reaction. Rather than focusing on the minority of hooligans who caused destruction and chaos on that evening, he focused on the majority of people who just wanted to mark the passing of being able to have a beer on the tube, long a custom for young people in London. Though the media has made the event out to be an orgy of destructuion, Johnson's sympathetic take may go some ways in placating the younger demographic that strongly dislikes him.

The Tube party which resulted in a string of arrests for assaults on policeand transport workers was “anthropologically misunderstood”, Boris Johnsonsaid today.

The new London Mayor also announced that he was standing down as MP forHenley-on-Thames to concentrate on his job at City Hall.

“I think what we had there was the kind of exuberant, Celtic-style wake forthe passing, the long overdue passing, of a custom,” Mr Johnson said of theCircle Line booze-up.

He said that while most people “got into the spirit of things” and were merrybut well-behaved, the party was ruined by a few. “Most people who saw thescenes of violence and disorder thought that that entirely vindicated ourdecision (to ban alcohol on public transport), he said.

Six Tube stations were closed on Saturday night as thousands of people partiedon the Circle Line, in the event organised via the social networking siteFacebook. They made good use of their last opportunity to consume alcohol onthe capital’s public transport system. There were 17 arrests after four Tubedrivers, three other members of staff and two police officers wereassaulted. Around 50 staff were said to have been verbally abused or spatat.