Spooked riot police forced to retreat as 600 Halloween youths cause chaos at an illegal rave in central London

Eight Halloween revellers have been arrested after violent clashes with riot police who tried to break up an all night illegal rave.



A number of officers were injured when bottles were hurled during clashes with a crowd of up to 500 youths at an abandoned former post office in central London.

Police desperately battled to calm the party but most of the people went back inside the building in High Holborn and continued partying.

Nick or treat: Seven Halloween revellers were arrested during violent clashes with police at a suspected illegal rave in central London

Unrest: Police calmed the crowds of revellers as hoards of tourists flocked to the building to witness the suspected illegal rave

Witnesses said outnumbered officer were forced to retreat as more than 600 baying ravers emerged from the building and rounded on officers.



But dozens of officers who were ordered to simply 'watch' stood on street corners outside the 1960s style concrete building in what Met chiefs called a 'containment policy'.

But innocent drivers who were caught in the chaos last night and this morning after roads were closed will ask why more was not done to disperse the crowds.

One terrified officer said they were holding back because they did not want to cause any more trouble.

One officer said: 'We're hoping people will get tired and go home.' He said it was 'more trouble than it's worth' to cause a confrontation between police and party goers.

Rave victory: Police are forced stand and watch as 600 hundred Halloween ravers continue partying inside the disused building

Violence: A youth in a hoodie with his face covered outside the illegal rave in High Holborn where seven people were arrested Stand off: Police kept watch on Museum Street as the rave, which saw several colleagues injured, continued through the night

The rave continued into the morning with deafening hard techno pumping around the surrounding streets.



Hundreds of youngsters in hooded tops - many wearing Halloween masks - crammed into the streets around the building.



Police kept watch as the sun came up today and the atmosphere was friendly. Hoards of tourists have also started to flock to the scene in a bid to keep the rave going.

Officers have now surrounded the eight-storey building, which is bordered by High Holborn, Museum Road and New Oxford Street, while the rave takes place.

Police were first called to High Holborn at 11.20pm yesterday.Violence was sparked when some people in the crowd became aggressive after they were asked to leave the area, police said.

Bottles were hurled at officer and dozens of riot squad officers from the force's Territorial Support Group were drafted in.

Anti-social: A raver balances over a ledge as he gestures at crowds gathered outside the Halloween rave Trouble: Roads around the suspected illegal rave have now been closed causing delays Packed in: Hundred of people crammed into the disused building in High Holborn for the rave which has been going on all night

At least seven people have been arrested for suspected public order offences. Three policeman are believed to have been injured.

The Met said bricks were also thrown at officers as they attempted to disperse revellers. A number of buildings and vehicles were also damaged.

A number of buildings and vehicles were also damaged close to the eight-storey building, which is bordered by High Holborn, Museum Road and New Oxford Street.

Three people ended up needing hospital treatment, the force added.

One was the police officer with what was described as a minor head injury. He was discharged.

A woman in her 30s who police said was caught up in the disorder was also taken to hospital with a cut face, while a man in his 20s needed treatment for intoxication.

The injuries to police officers have been described as 'minor stuff'.One suffered non-serious cuts to the head.

Police officers look on as people leave the rave in an abandoned building. Earlier in the night, three people were taken to hospital with injuries following clashes

But one man who said he was attacked by police during the altercation revealed bruising on his thigh.



The man, who did not want to be named, claimed: 'It was the police who were being aggressive. All we came to do here is party.

'They wouldn't let people in and then just started hitting people. I was on the floor and they kept on hitting me.'

The party continued after the violence in a tense stand-off with police as revellers refused to leave the building.

Ravers in boiler suits, bear suits, and jester costumes, and an array of hoodies, top hats, fluorescent caps and dreadlocks, were in the road.

Some were drinking beer in the road, many were clinging to water bottles. The police kept their distance as about a dozen officers stationed in sight on the nearby corners.

It is not known when the gathering will break up, but similar events have been known to run on well into the morning. There were still hundreds of people outside the building on Sunday morning.



Samanta Coletti and Flavia Pickler, from Brazil, tried to have their picture taken with some officers. The pair of experienced ravers were armed with earplugs, water and fake blood.

Two men show the words 'Got LSD? Why not?' written on their knuckles after attending the rave

Miss Coletti, 27, a waitress living in west London, said: 'We love it. We always go to squat parties, you never find fights, if someone is stealing or harassing girls they are told to leave, you can leave your bag on the floor and dance.'

Miss Pickler, 28, dressed as a toffee apple with her face paint fading away, came on the train from Brighton where she works as a nanny.

She said: 'It's very friendly, you can trust people.'

Inside the building space was dark. Some people were dancing while others were barely moving - raising fears that many may have used the rave to take drugs.

Up on the roof one raver lowered himself over the ledge, obscuring graffiti which read 'F*** the police' but he soon pulled himself back up.

David Ameri, 24, who lives in a squat in Hownslow, said: 'Thank God I wasn't here earlier when there was trouble. I just came down to have a good party.

A reveller sleeps on the stage. The organiser claimed there were 200 DJs and 30 sound systems at the event

'There is music everywhere, trance, electro, progressive, psychedelic progressive. The only thing is I've been here since 3am and I haven't had the chance to go to the toilet yet.

'We're rebelling but we're not harming anyone, we don't cause damage.'



Asked about drugs, he said: 'Drugs are everywhere, it's not about drugs, it's about enjoying the music, enjoying the vibe.



'There are different groups, squatters, punks, but the message is that the system is failing us over and over and over.'



Another young man was detained by two officers after urinating against a wall just in front of them.



As people left, some shook hands with officers or asked the best way to get home. One young woman, dressed as a skeleton with gory face make up, asked for the nearest taxi office.

As she left, the officer said to his colleague: 'To be honest I don't think any taxi driver will pick her up.'

Sunday morning tourists stood and stared in amazement at the scene on the street.



'I just feel like I could join in and have a dance,' one said.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said the rave was 'ongoing' and officers were keeping a watch on the party.

A Met spokesman said: 'Most of the people are still there. They have gone back inside the building, and are going ahead with the rave.

'Officers at the scene have a watching brief.'

A man who said he was attacked by police during the altercation revealed bruising on his thigh.



The raver, who did not want to be named, claimed: 'It was the police who were being aggressive. All we came to do here is party.

'They wouldn't let people in and then just started hitting people. I was on the floor and they kept on hitting me.'

A young man, who also did not want to be named, said he had been in negotiations with police all night to ensure the night passed off smoothly.



He said the event, Scumo'ween, was organised by word of mouth, with revellers phoning a number the previous night to discover the location.

Noise control: The illegal rave - dubbed Scumo'ween- had 30 sound systems and 200 DJs playing throughout the night

The promoter said this was the first such event in central London for nine years, adding: 'There will be a big resurgence of this sort of thing because of the economic situation. It's mirroring what happened in the last recession'

Inside were 10 different 'arenas' with 30 sound systems, and 200 DJs playing through the night and day, he said.



He said this was the first such event in central London for nine years, adding: 'There will be a big resurgence of this sort of thing because of the economic situation. It's mirroring what happened in the last recession.



'It never went away but now it's a lot more in your face again. It's organic, it becomes its own life form.'

He said the police had been 'very understanding'.



His friend, 20, said the trouble earlier started when four officers attempted to stop revellers entering the building but were vastly outnumbered and had to call for backup when they were 'rushed'.



He said: 'It turned into a street war. A couple of people were hit with batons.'



At one point the crowd charged at the officers with a wheelie bin but let go, the man added.



'Although there may have been a few stupid people it was a largely peaceful event,' he said.

Police have now sealed off the road after the party came to an end mid-way through Sunday afternoon.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police made eight arrests after officers were attacked as they attempted to close down an illegal rave in High Holborn.

'Officers attended the venue, a disused property, shortly after 11pm following reports that an unlicensed party was under way.



'On arrival officers attempted to disperse those in attendance, both inside and outside the venue - believed to total hundreds of people.



'During this process the group became hostile and extra officers, including some from the Territorial Support Group, were called in to attempt to pacify the situation.



'Missiles, including bottles and bricks, were thrown at officers during the incident. A number of buildings and vehicles were also damaged.



'One male officer was taken to a central London hospital with a minor head injury and was subsequently discharged.



'A female member of the public, aged in her 30s, who was caught up in the disorder, sustained a minor facial cut which required hospital treatment, while a man aged in his 20s was also taken to hospital due to intoxication.'



