Weds 1st April: G20 protests - discussion, reaction and chat

[taffboy gwyrdd]

Yes of course we are...we have forgotten the bankers and the capitalists and the industrial polluters ....now its' all the fault of the police.

Happens every time. You can't see further than your noses, Sad. No wonder protest in this way never works.

Got to go and plug myself into the socket.

Bollocks. I am forever denouncing the bankers etc. the comment was in response to something about the police.

The police are seeking to cause harrasment, alarm and distress. They can be construed in law as terrorists. If you are uncomfortable with that I dont blame you for wanting to deflect.

 

[in the face]

Ah, the response of the cretin. If this chap turns out to have died as a result of something other than police malpractice, will you come back and apologise?

You are the cretin. Swallowing shit from the policeman's arse. People like you are just brainless bafoons.

 

[spitfire]

Some of them may have done, but not the ones that I was watching. By riot gear I mean the full helmets, shields and batons.

As pointed out a couple of posts above me, they are the same police. They just go back to their vans to get their bone domes and head sticks.


So, riot police were there, all day, from the get go.

 

[agricola]

Some of them may have done, but not the ones that I was watching. By riot gear I mean the full helmets, shields and batons.

spitfire is sort of correct - lots of them had the overalls and gloves on as these pics show, all they then have to do is go back, or have someone go back, to the carrier to bring the rest of the gear:

 

[free spirit]

Good for you, lets make snap judgements four hours after this chap has died when we are in total possession of the facts, shall we?

tbf, that's the police's modus operandi when it suits them.

sure suits them now to have everyone believe the death was nothing to do with their actions, coz they know it'd kick off if there was even a hint that they'd caused it.

the met made a major rod for their own back in this regard with the de menezes killing where the reality of the situation bore no resemblance to their initial statements.

it's entirely possible that the poor bloke just spontaineously collapsed and died as the police claim, but it's also entirely possible that his collapse was a delayed response to being hit over the head earlier, or maybe just to being kettled and unable to get out and get water / go to the loo / get food / sit down etc when they started feeling unwell.

you're correct that we don't know the facts, but it also defo suits the polices agenda to keep it that way until the g20 is over in case it turns out it was their fault, and people decide to take revenge in his honour.

 

[Struwwelpeter]

I'm really glad I went today and witnessed what was going on. It's important to see this kind of shit first hand and publicise what you've seen.

As I said earlier, I was "working" today and got a grandstand view (No way I was going on a demo with a dodgy leg). The difference between what I witnessed and some of the news reports is impossible to reconcile.

Very sad to hear of the death of that man - if it was anything other than genuine natural causes, I hope justice will be done, but I can't see that happening if the death was caused by the police.

As for those who are ordered to delete photos - they can be recovered from memory cards using readily available software.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

You are the cretin. Swallowing shit from the policeman's arse. People like you are just brainless bafoons.

I thought agricola was a filth?

 

[agricola]

You are the cretin. Swallowing shit from the policeman's arse. People like you are just brainless bafoons.

GJ on spelling Buffoons wrong.

 

[DJ Squelch]

Wasnt there supposed to be some kind of "problem" with the CCTV in London today that meant that it wouldnt be recording?

I'm sure I read that somewhere earlier.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/mar/30/cctv-london-government-transport-g20

Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network

The security operation at this week's G20 summit was thrown into chaos last night when it emerged that the entire network of central London's wireless CCTV cameras will have to be turned off because of a legal ruling.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has ruled that Westminster council's mobile road cameras - a third of the authority's CCTV network - "do not fully meet the resolution standards required" and must be switched off by midnight tomorrow.

The blackout begins on the eve of the summit, when world leaders arrive in the capital and protesters take to the streets.

 

[Azrael]

There were BTP officers getting attacked outside Bank at around midday, and then of course there was the whole RBS thing.

How many people were involved in the assault on the transport police? Ditto the RBS vandalism. Was it not possible to arrest them? Even if it wasn't, how does detaining thousands to find a few criminals help things? If it provokes more violence, it's a high price to pay to sling a few idiots in a City lock-up. (Where they deserve to be if they assault officers without provocation, don't get me wrong.)

And that's saying nothing of the immorality (and lawlessness?) of mass-detention.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

A protesting pathologist

 

[editor]

Newsreader reported that another protestor had said he'd died of natural causes.

How could they possibly know that and why would they take this person's word?

 

[e19896]

"Shaking too much to text. Completely unprovoked attack. Please get the word out." #imcg20 #g20 text and phone call police attacking climate camp on the phone now will update:

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

They'd brought along their own kitchen and toilet tents, and people were going around picking litter up. If the police have gone in with their size tens kicking, then there *has* to be an outcry.

Ace!

Serving up herbal tea, fair trade coffee, organic fruit juice? And were the toilet tents composting? And was the loo roll recycled and/or made from sustainable sources?

 

[N_igma]

What's all these pictures for? Bunch of amateurs.

 

[lizzieloo]

"Sitting down peacefully outside the camp for hrs, with no warning the police moved in trampling us, I was hit round the mouth"

Then

"Shaking too much to text. Completely unprovoked attack. Please get the word out."

Twitter

 

[agricola]

tbf, that's the police's modus operandi when it suits them.

sure suits them now to have everyone believe the death was nothing to do with their actions, coz they know it'd kick off if there was even a hint that they'd caused it.

the met made a major rod for their own back in this regard with the de menezes killing where the reality of the situation bore no resemblance to their initial statements.

it's entirely possible that the poor bloke just spontaineously collapsed and died as the police claim, but it's also entirely possible that his collapse was a delayed response to being hit over the head earlier, or maybe just to being kettled and unable to get out and get water / go to the loo / get food / sit down etc when they started feeling unwell.

you're correct that we don't know the facts, but it also defo suits the polices agenda to keep it that way until the g20 is over in case it turns out it was their fault, and people decide to take revenge in his honour.

TBH I think this is going to kick off tommorrow as a result of this whatever happens.

 

[cesare]

As pointed out a couple of posts above me, they are the same police. They just go back to their vans to get their bone domes and head sticks.


So, riot police were there, all day, from the get go.

spitfire is sort of correct - lots of them had the overalls and gloves on as these pics show, all they then have to do is go back, or have someone go back, to the carrier to bring the rest of the gear:

Ah, OK. The carriers just happened to be near RBS then.

 

[_pH_]

Some of them may have done, but not the ones that I was watching. By riot gear I mean the full helmets, shields and batons.

The BTP (and some of City of London) didn't seem to be provided with riot gear from what i saw. Met were certainly fully kitted up

 

[e19896]

Activists from Panda (connected with People & Planet) were clearly shaken when describing police brutality outside the Climate Camp on Bishopsgate.

Guy from Leeds said "I tried to text but I'm shaking too much... they cut us off from the camp so we sat here peacefully at the North end. All of a sudden they moved on to us." Hannah from Oxford told: "We were sitting on the ground as we had been for hours. Unprovoked and giving no warning they forced their way forward swiping at us with batons. I've been hit over round my mouth."

In contrast with some scenes near the Bank of England, the camp had been serene throughout the day, until police moved in surrounding the camp in the evening. Since then, despite complete non-violence, the police have repeatedly attacked protesters. The camp has promised to stay in place for 24 hours.

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426027.html

 

[spitfire]

yup, also here's one of the biggest policeman I have ever seen taken at 12.17 on Bishopsgate. Clearly ready for action, he just needs his hat and that.

 

[spitfire]

The BTP (and some of City of London) didn't seem to be provided with riot gear from what i saw. Met were certainly fully kitted up

sorry mate, the BTP near me were ready to rock, as were the City police^^

 

[_pH_]

They'd brought along their own kitchen and toilet tents, and people were going around picking litter up. If the police have gone in with their size tens kicking, then there *has* to be an outcry.

Abso-fucking-lutely. The Climate Camp was totally fluffy. City Of London plod were wandering around NOT in riot gear and there was no hint whatsoever of any aggression. No need for Plod to go in with batons a-twirling

 

[free spirit]

Newsreader reported that another protestor had said he'd died of natural causes.

the newsreader was reading from the police statement, rather than quoting the protester directly.

also, one protester wouldn't necessarily have any idea if the person had previously been on the receiving end of a batton / elbow / punch earlier that had led to the later collapse.

 

[quimcunx]

How could they possibly know that?

How could they possibly know that a protester had told one of their reporters he died of natural causes?

I might have missed out the word ''seemed''. The newsreader reported what a protestor had said.

It's rolling news that reports information as it comes in.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

...So what will their defence be at their trial? That the police planned in advance to provoke them by unlawfully penning them in, right in front of a target which the public are quite rightly enraged by. Talk about provocation.

Plus the police had arranged for the target to be undefended (unlike all the other buildings in the area) so they could hide a FIT team in there. Surely that's also a mitigating factor? Any insurance company would say the police were partly responsible for the damage...

If I was them, I'd be asking their brief to look into 'entrapment', sometimes judges can take a dim view of it.

 

[_pH_]

sorry mate, the BTP near me were ready to rock, as were the City police^^

Fairy nuff, just saying what i saw. Down at Queen Street it seemed weird that Met were fully kitted up with riot gear (helmets/shields etc.), whereas BTP had no protective gear at all, pretty much

e2a: i agree they were ready to rock, just contrasting the kit the BTP and Met were wearing, that's all

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Been watching the C4 News report - http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1184614595?bctid=18282385001

Tell me that footage of the RBS Incident looks right, like the sort of out-of-control justifies-anything rioting (with police already inside the building but oddly not doing anything) it's being made out to be.

 

[in the face]

How could they possibly know that and why would they take this person's word?

They said 'the police said they thought the protester died of natural causes'. The police said it not the BBC.

 

[quimcunx]

the newsreader was reading from the police statement, rather than quoting the protester directly.

Was he? I didn't hear him say that.

also, one protester wouldn't necessarily have any idea if the person had previously been on the receiving end of a batton / elbow / punch earlier that had led to the later collapse.

If you see someone collapse to the ground and die, without having been hit or shot or poked with a poisoned umbrella then it is reasonable to assume that it was natural causes until such time as a post-mortem has taken place or other information comes to light.