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

[Thimble Queen]

If the police hadn't been imprisoning the man there with their dubious interpretation of the law, the man probably wouldn't have been there in the first place - or at the very least, he could have got medical attention quicker.

^This....

I desperately want to go to the solidarity demo this afternoon but im in work... I'm considering saying sorry to my boss and that I have to leave... but im a temp and will probably get the sack

Please go to the solidarity demo if you can.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Last warning.

just ban the stupid fuck.

a temp worker in our office was s&s'd walking in this morning, again on earl st ironically enough, under sec 60 and sec 60AA for "walking down earl street" - if this doesn't constitute an abuse of process and power, then its difficult to think what does.

 

[Spymaster]

I'm generally supportive of the police and early pictures from Bank yesterday did indicate to me that certain protestors were goading them and being aggressive. I also don't condone the trashing of RBS in any way.

However, subsequent pictures of the police actions and postings/links on this site and others would certainly indicate that the OB acted at the very least, heavy handedly and even outright aggresively which is to be condemened.

I really hope that the death was not a result of police action. Condolences to his family.

RIP.

 

[Thimble Queen]

I was sickened yesterday to see protestors, male and female, beaten to the floor at Bishops Gate, yesterday. There was no warning that police were going to charge... Protestors had there hands up saying a mixture of police no violence/please no violence and police stop the riot/please stop the riot....

The beat us up anyway.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

I'm generally supportive of the police and early pictures from Bank yesterday did indicate to me that certain protestors were goading them and being aggressive. I also don't condone the trashing of RBS in any way.

However, subsequent pictures of the police actions and postings/links on this site and others would certainly indicate that the OB acted at the very least, heavy handedly and even outright aggresively which is to be condemened.

I really hope that the death was not a result of police action. Condolences to his family.

RIP.

this is the rbs @ ~12.15

notice the two lines of police vans, the unboarded windows and the absence of any protestors. contrast that scene with this one from princes street about 5 minutes after the above:

no-one going anywhere there, so why not the same tactics to "protect" the rbs?

so it seems that they basically allowed people to be funnelled and pushed towards rbs branch, a couple of idiots smashed a couple of windows and bob's your uncle, out with the riot sticks and shields and violence kicked off.

funny enough, even the FIT squad were there waiting.....

 

[danny la rouge]

However, subsequent pictures of the police actions and postings/links on this site and others would certainly indicate that the OB acted at the very least, heavy handedly and even outright aggresively which is to be condemened.

I really hope that the death was not a result of police action. Condolences to his family.

RIP.

Yes. And condolences to the dead man's family.

I wasn't there, but it seems to me that the Editor's comments about access of medical attention are spot on, and of course that isn't reflected in media coverage.

 

[asbestos]

^Interesting post there PT.

 

[e19896]

I was sickened yesterday to see protestors, male and female, beaten to the floor at Bishops Gate, yesterday. There was no warning that police were going to charge... Protestors had there hands up saying a mixture of police no violence/please no violence and police stop the riot/please stop the riot....

The beat us up anyway.

Just spoken to me sister she got beaten, but is still going for it must be something to do with us lot? her mates and friends from sheffield got beaten likewise and the crime sitting down in suport of those who was being beaten inside the climate camp, images reports and film comeing soon once they get out of the convergance space which of course you guessed has the murdering filth outside if on twitter #imcg20 #g20 #ur32daurt from what she told the murdering filth was just kicking people in there heads.

 

[ska invita]

I've got a feeling that today's protest may prove to be a bit of a game changer, with a lot of people beginning to question both the police cordon tactics and their use of terrorism legislation.

Unfortunately I think today will be a quiet one. The position of the Excel centre on an island means that no-one will really be able to get close, especially so as the three nearest DLR stations are shut today. I think yesterday was the big day by comparison. Though good luck to everyone going down (i couldnt take a 2nd day off work).

As to the questioning of police tactics Im a little surprised by your surprise -we've had 10 years of this now. The game hasn't changed one bit in that time. Whats more Im certain the police will look at this as a big success - it could have been a lot lot worse.

The SOAS/SWP action at Bank a month bank created havoc with just a couple of hundred people (in many ways it was a better action - more vocal, angry and tactical - but little/no press coverage).
http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/200-anti-capitalist-students-do-us-proud/

On that occasion people moved around the city breaking through police line after police line - it would have been a real threat to of things to come for the police. Far from yesterday being a day that forces the police to look again at their tactics I think it just reinforces them all the more.

 

[xes]

Just spoken to me sister she got beaten, but is still going for it must be something to do with us lot? her mates and friends from sheffield got beaten likewise and the crime sitting down in suport of those who was being beaten inside the climate camp, images reports and film comeing soon once they get out of the convergance space which of course you guessed has the murdering filth outside if on twitter #imcg20 #g20 #ur32daurt from what she told the murdering filth was just kicking people in there heads.

god it makes me feel fucking useless sitting here

I hope she's safe mate And you keep yourself well in todays game.

 

[editor]

Yes. And condolences to the dead man's family.

I wasn't there, but it seems to me that the Editor's comments about access of medical attention are spot on, and of course that isn't reflected in media coverage.

It beggars belief that it is supposedly legal to imprison several thousand people in a confined space with no access to water, food, toilet facilities or immediate medical help for anything up to eight hours.

 

[e19896]

god it makes me feel fucking useless sitting here

I hope she's safe mate And you keep yourself well in todays game.

same here mate ive even looked at trains to london no can not do due to cost otherwise idd be of my backside and down, i do not cry but was when i herd of the death and then when i spoke to me sister her voice was shakeing you could here it, the fucking fear murdering filth:

 

[Crispy]

There is no evidence for murder, could you please refrain from accusing it?

 

[t0bytoo]

It beggars belief that it is supposedly legal to imprison several thousand people in a confined space with no access to water, food, toilet facilities or immediate medical help for anything up to eight hours.

I wondered if that's why they had the portaloos by the bank.

 

[tangentlama]

god it makes me feel fucking useless sitting here

I hope she's safe mate And you keep yourself well in todays game.

e numbers hasn't been to the protests. the fotos he circulated were not ones he took - he gleaned them from twitter and other places and collated them in one place.

 

[e19896]

There is no evidence for murder, could you please refrain from accusing it?

What people beaten kicked abused, peened in for hours and man dies? so what do we call this? over policing? speak to people there, speak to my sister yards from what happened, and then just sat down the police come and kick her head in and no one and I mean no one from the people ive spoken to, have messaged me and sent e mails have told me that any of the protesters offed any violence, but the police kicked them in there heads as they was sitting, and a man dies I know what I think and ill let it be that thought, but for fuck sake no matter there class or politics there was no need for them kicking people in there heads as they sat down I hope people take my rage to the protest at 1 0 clock outside the bank, under the pavement lies the beach let them have it back. good luck be safe people..

 

[Crispy]

Murder has a specific legal meaning, and in these days of easy server seizures, we don't want to put urban75 in the position of directly accusing police of murder. That's the only point I'm making - I'm not condoning the events that led up to the death and on the whole I agree with everything else you've been saying on this thread.

 

[e19896]

e numbers hasn't been to the protests. the fotos he circulated were not ones he took - he gleaned them from twitter and other places and collated them in one place.

oh do fuck off, yes i was not there yes the images are from the net, ive been up from 5am Wed reporting this, a man dies people beaten and you come out with this crass comment, my sister is there you mother:

 

[well red]

Actually I think the incident at the RBS has less conspiratorial origins, but turned into a handy PR coup for the cops.

I was not there, but from the various photos I've seen the police FIT team were clearly already inside the RBS building before any windows were smashed. The cops can't just walk in and out of empty buildings at will, so how did they get there? I think this is answered if you look back at what everyone was saying - this was the only building in the area without boarded up windows. And not only not boarded up, but with mirrored glass on the windows. Everyone has seen how cops use two-way mirrors on the TV to watch people without being seen. What are the odds then that this building was being used by the FIT team to get good street-level surveillance photos of the crowd without being seen? And that the last thing they expected was people coming in through the windows at them!

Meanwhile, the bizarre behaviour of the two or three unmasked nutters performing for the cameras gives the cops and the world's media everything they wanted from the day. Now, I'm not afraid to use violence or to encourage its use in the right situations (i.e. where it might actually succeed) but this stupidity overshadowed everything else and allows a determined police attack that results in the death of a demonstrator to be portrayed as an appropriate response to dangerous hooligans.

We should not judge our actions by the media's response to it, but I think this failed on anyone's terms. Double whammy.

 

[cesare]

oh do fuck off, no i was no there yes the images are from the net, ive been up from 5am Wed reporting this, a man dies people beaten and you come out with this crass comment, my sister is there you mother:

Hey you did some great work collating those pics and info, was really useful and interesting. Plus, it must be very worrying and upsetting about your sister. Would be good to calm it down with that specific accusation though, cos none of us want the server seized sorta thing.

 

[Cobbles]

If the police hadn't been imprisoning the man there with their dubious interpretation of the law, the man probably wouldn't have been there in the first place - or at the very least, he could have got medical attention quicker.

It strikes me as surprising that none of the folk standing near the guy who collapsed managed to do anything useful like basic mouth to mouth. Maybe they were all to busy bottling the police?

 

[Crispy]

It strikes me as surprising that none of the folk standing near the guy who collapsed managed to do anything useful like basic mouth to mouth. Maybe they were all to busy bottling the police?

ho ho ho

 

[Divisive Cotton]

So what did this bloke die of then? There must be some information out there by now.

 

[tangentlama]

oh do fuck off, yes i was not there yes the images are from the net, ive been up from 5am Wed reporting this, a man dies people beaten and you come out with this crass comment, my sister is there you mother:

I didn't pass a judgement on you, enumbers, but you feel free to dish out abuse at me. I informed xes, who mistakenly thought you were actually there, that you weren't. The foto collation was good, yes, but you didn't make it clear at the time of posting the link what you'd done, so it was an easy mistake to make.

 

[N_igma]

The protestors were at fault too, on another thread I suggested setting up a barricade and attacking behind that. Would have stopped them being penned in, I mean thousands of people all converging in one spot in a restricted area. What you gonna expect?

 

[cesare]

It strikes me as surprising that none of the folk standing near the guy who collapsed managed to do anything useful like basic mouth to mouth. Maybe they were all to busy bottling the police?

How do you know they didn't? Besides getting the police medics etc.

 

[lopsidedbunny]

Actually I think the incident at the RBS has less conspiratorial origins, but turned into a handy PR coup for the cops.

I was not there, but from the various photos I've seen the police FIT team were clearly already inside the RBS building before any windows were smashed. The cops can't just walk in and out of empty buildings at will, so how did they get there? I think this is answered if you look back at what everyone was saying - this was the only building in the area without boarded up windows. And not only not boarded up, but with mirrored glass on the windows. Everyone has seen how cops use two-way mirrors on the TV to watch people without being seen. What are the odds then that this building was being used by the FIT team to get good street-level surveillance photos of the crowd without being seen? And that the last thing they expected was people coming in through the windows at them!

Meanwhile, the bizarre behaviour of the two or three unmasked nutters performing for the cameras gives the cops and the world's media everything they wanted from the day. Now, I'm not afraid to use violence or to encourage its use in the right situations (i.e. where it might actually succeed) but this stupidity overshadowed everything else and allows a determined police attack that results in the death of a demonstrator to be portrayed as an appropriate response to dangerous hooligans.

We should not judge our actions by the media's response to it, but I think this failed on anyone's terms. Double whammy.

I did see the Police enter the building during the protest via a side entrance but I found it a bit odd that it wasn't boarded up. Maybe they didn't want to use tax payers money on this.

 

[tangentlama]

I did see the Police enter the building during the protest and side entrance but I found it a bit odd that it wasn't boarded up. Maybe they didn't want to use tax payers money on this.

Maybe they had been using it as an observation point?

 

[danny la rouge]

It strikes me as surprising that none of the folk standing near the guy who collapsed managed to do anything useful like basic mouth to mouth. Maybe they were all to busy bottling the police?

And you have evidence of this, do you? How do you know who tried to help? How do you know what precipitated this tragedy?

 

[Divisive Cotton]

Yesterday must have been one of the most over filmed / photographed events in recent times... but I haven't seen any footage or photographs of the two events talked about in this thread.

1. When people were being battered while staging a sit-down protest

2. When the police were being bottled when trying to resuscitate the dying man

Is there any out there?