This is the world's most controversial rave party, it forced a change in the law, used to happen in...
Not just phones or wallets. Entire fence posts vanished. Sheep in the area mysteriously disappeared. Locals reported bizarre thefts and disturbances. No one could trace where anything, or anyone, had gone. For six days, chaos reigned. Was the police completely helpless?
At the time, British police had no legal power to stop such massive unlicensed events. Officers camped in nearby areas, watching the madness unfold, hoping it would burn out on its own. Crowd control was a nightmare; officers couldn't intervene fast enough, even when open drug use was happening. What did this rave lead to?
The sheer scale and publicity around the Castlemorton rave forced the UK government to act. In 1994, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act was passed. It gave police the power to shut down any event with loud repetitive beats, stop vehicles up to 8 km from the site, and ban gatherings that blocked roads or spread disorder. Why is this rave still remembered today?
Because it wasn't just a party—it was a cultural earthquake. Theatre plays have since been written about it. Some attendees claim the media exaggerated it, but many locals remember how it turned village life upside down. The event also became a symbol of freedom, rebellion, excess, and consequence. Was it the beginning of the end for rave culture?
Not quite. But Castlemorton did signal a shift. What was once an underground movement now had the government's attention. Laws followed. Control tightened. And a free-spirited era of open-air chaos was never quite the same again.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Trump says he ended friendship with Epstein for 'stealing his employees'
President Donald Trump said Monday that he ended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and threw the now-disgraced financier out of his private club in Florida after Epstein betrayed him more than once by hiring people who had worked for him. Trump did not say what the people's jobs were or where they worked, and the White House had no immediate comment. But with the fresh comments, Trump shed a little light on the reason why he has said he had ended the relationship with Epstein, though Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, recently said on X that, "The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. Epstein killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein's death before Trump returned to power and are now struggling to manage the fallout after the Justice Department said Epstein did in fact die by suicide and that it would not release additional documents about the case. The president and his allies, some of whom are now in the administration, had promised to release the files. The case has dogged Trump at home and abroad and even followed Vice President JD Vance during an appearance in his home state of Ohio on Monday. A small group of protesters assembled outside a factory in Canton that Vance toured, holding signs that spelled out JD Protects Pedophiles and indicating that GOP stands for Guardians Of Pedophiles. The Republican president spoke at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland, as he sat with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after the leaders had met and were answering questions from US and UK journalists. Asked to explain why the relationship had faltered, Trump said, That's such old history, very easy to explain, but I don't want to waste your time by explaining it. He then explained, saying he stopped talking to Epstein after he did something that was inappropriate. He hired help and I said, Don't ever do that again,'" Trump said. He stole people that worked for me. I said, Don't ever do that again.' He did it again, and I threw him out of the place, persona non grata. I threw him out and that was it. I'm glad I did, if you want to know the truth, Trump added. Trump recently directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the public release of sealed grand jury transcripts in the case. One federal judge has denied that request; a second judge has yet to rule. Vance on Monday visited the factory to promote Trump's tax cut and border bill, but also addressed the Epstein matter, saying the president wants full transparency in the case. The president has been very clear. We're not shielding anything," Vance said in response to a reporter's question. The president has directed the attorney general to release all credible information and, frankly, to go and find additional credible information related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Some of that stuff takes time, Vance said, adding that Trump has been very clear. He wants full transparency. Trump had said back in 2019 that Epstein was a fixture in Palm Beach but that the two had had a falling-out a long time ago and he hadn't spoken with Epstein for 15 years. Trump on Monday also denied contributing to a compilation of letters and drawings to mark Epstein's 50th birthday, first reported on by the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper said the letter believed to be from Trump included a drawing of a woman's body. I don't do drawings of women, that I can tell you, Trump said.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
UK starts online checks to stop children accessing harmful content
New UK age verification measures to prevent children accessing harmful online content came into force on Friday, with campaigners hailing them a "milestone" in their years-long battle for stronger regulations. Under the new rules, to be enforced by Britain's media watchdog, websites and apps hosting potentially harmful content will be held responsible for age checks using measures such as facial imagery and credit cards. Around 6,000 pornography sites have agreed to implement the curbs, according to Melanie Dawes, chief executive of British regulator Ofcom . Other platforms such as X, which is facing a dispute over similar restrictions in Ireland, must also protect children from illegal pornographic, hateful and violent content, she noted. "We've done the work that no other regulator has done," Dawes told BBC Radio. "These systems can work. We've researched that," she said. Around 500,000 youngsters aged eight to 14 encountered pornography online last month, according to Ofcom. The long-awaited new rules, which aim to prevent minors from encountering content relating to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders as well as porn, stem from a 2023 Online Safety Act. It imposes legal responsibilities on tech companies to better safeguard children and adults online and mandates sanctions for those who fall short. Rule-breakers face fines of up to £18 million ($23 million) or 10 percent of their worldwide revenue, "whichever is greater", according to the government. Criminal action can also be taken against senior managers who fail to ensure companies follow Ofcom information requests. The measures are coming into force now after the sector and the regulator were given time to prepare. - 'Different internet' - Children will "experience a different internet for the first time," technology secretary Peter Kyle told Sky News, adding he had "very high expectations" for the changes. In an interview with parenting forum Mumsnet, he also said sorry to youngsters who had been exposed to harmful content. "I want to apologise to any kid who's over 13 who has not had any of these protections," Kyle said. Rani Govender, of the child protection charity NSPCC, said it was "a really important milestone that we're finally seeing tech companies having to take responsibility for making their services safe for children". Children are frequently "stumbling across this harmful and dangerous content," she told BBC News. "There will be loopholes," Govender noted, insisting it was still "right that we're introducing much stronger rules to make sure that that can't continue to happen". Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government is also considering introducing a daily two-hour limit for children on social media apps. Kyle said he would announce more plans for regulating the sector for under-16s "in the near future".
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
11 hours ago
- First Post
Mike Johnson calls for 'great pause' on a Ghislaine Maxwell pardon, pushes for life sentence instead
US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson disagreed with Republicans who are floating the idea of granting a pardon or commutation to Ghislaine Maxwell as the Epstein scandal continues to rock the White House. read more US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson disagreed with Republicans who are floating the idea of granting a pardon or commutation to Ghislaine Maxwell as the Epstein scandal continues to rock the White House. While speaking to NBC News, Johnson said that he would have a 'great pause' about taking such measures. The remarks from the Republican speaker are coming at a time when many of the House representatives from his party suggested that the option to pardon Maxwell should be considered as part of an effort to obtain more information about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. For weeks, US President Donald Trump and his allies, including Johnson himself, have been under immense pressure to disclose more information about Epstein. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Johnson's take on the matter came after Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, met with Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, over two days last week. The former British socialite was Epstein's close confidante for years and his partner-in-crime, literally. The case became more complicated after Epstein killed himself in jail in 2019. I think she should have a life sentence: Johnson While speaking to NBC News on the matter, the House Speaker pushed for a life sentence for Maxwell instead. 'If you're asking my opinion, I think 20 years was a pittance. I think she should have a life sentence at least. I mean, think of all these unspeakable crimes,' he said. 'It's hard to put into words how evil this was, and that she orchestrated it and was a big part of it, at least under the criminal sanction, I think, is an unforgivable thing. So again, not my decision, but I have great pause about that, as any reasonable person would,' he added. When pressed further about whether he would favour a pardon, Johnson deferred to Trump. 'Obviously, that's a decision of the president. He said he had not adequately considered that. I won't get it in front of him. That's not my lane,' he said. It is pertinent to note that House Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has been pushing for disclosure of more Epstein information, said a pardon should be on the table for Maxwell. 'That would be up to the president. But if she has information that could help us, then I think she should testify. Let's get that out there. And whatever they need to do to compel that testimony, as long as it's truthful, I would be in favour of,' he told Welker on Meet the Press. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD California Democrat Ro Khanna, who has joined Massie's effort to release more information, said he did not support a pardon for Maxwell, who was charged with perjury in connection with a civil deposition in 2016. However, prosecutors did not move forward with those charges once they obtained her sex-trafficking conviction. 'I'm concerned that the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, is meeting with her supposedly one-on-one. Look, I agree with Congressman Massie that she should testify. But she's been indicted twice on perjury. This is why we need the files. This is why we need independent evidence,' Khanna told NBC News. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the Trump team would approach the matter.
