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Tribal Gathering: Whose Land Is It Anyway?

William Shaw, Select, July 1996

The residents of Otmoor hated it. The good citizens of Beckley insisted it should be halted. Members of The Woodland Trust claimed it would cause "irreparable damage" to the common and Thames Valley Police produced a thick document of objections. England's respectable countryfolk didn't want their green and pleasant land disturbed by Tribal Gathering. Not even for one solitary day. So they wielded astonishing power and had it stopped. William Shaw uncovers the full story behind the latest culture clash and asks why dancing is such a crime?

Total word count of piece: 3276

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