Drifting Through The Streets - Episode 3 - White Panthers in Abbey Wood

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"Drifting Through The Streets" is a series where Neil 'Controlled Weirdness' and Neil 'Transpontine' tell stories and tales around areas and locations of esoteric subcultural interest.
This episode explores the fascinating history of the UK White Panthers, focusing on their presence in Abbey Wood, South East London during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The White Panthers emerged as an anti-racist revolutionary group inspired by the Black Panthers in Detroit, with John Sinclair and the MC5 band leading the American movement.
The UK branch, initially started by Mick Farren, began as a semi-fictional organization to protest the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival but evolved into a legitimate countercultural movement. The Abbey Wood chapter became one of the most active groups, organizing community programs, running street theater groups, and distributing free food to local residents.
Key aspects of the episode include:
The connection between music and activism, featuring bands like Hawkwind and Pink Fairies playing benefit gigs at the local Harrow Inn pub.
Personal accounts from Sean, a former squatter who lived in the White Panther commune in Conduit Road, Woolwich.
The broader counterculture scene in Abbey Wood and Woolwich, including squatting, feminist consciousness-raising, and anti-establishment activities.
The evolution from the hippie movement to a more street-level activism.
The connection between this era and later subcultural movements like punk.
Discussion of the area's musical heritage, from 1950s skiffle to 1970s underground rock and 1990's rave culture.
The continuing legacy of radical politics and counterculture in South East London.
The episode contextualizes the White Panthers within the broader sweep of revolutionary movements while acknowledging the vast difference between their experiences and the violent repression faced by the Black Panthers in America.

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