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

winjer said:
No, they were making a snatch arrest or arrests. (I was there at the time)
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then i am lost. at the start of the video, the camera moves around and there is at least one officer on top of someone, but then they all move away and he appears to be left alone.

wrong man?
 
From where I was standing, some of the City TSG pointed out a 'suspect' in a group of 20(?), he got jumped on, others tried to dearrest, everyone got batonned, some taken to the floor, a different guy was taken away, the original target was let go but left bruised, the City dog units and plainclothesmen cleared the street to the West, the group of people were chased East to Liverpool Street, surrounded by BTP dog units and stop'n'searched, filmed and ID'd, then warned to "go home or be arrested" or "leave the area or be arrested". The searches took over an hour.
 
Police 'kettle' tactic feels the heat

new article on bbc

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8000641.stm

Accused by protesters of restricting the right of protest and free movement, police kettles have already faced a challenge in the courts.

At a May Day protest in 2001, Lois Austin and 3,000 fellow demonstrators were held within a police cordon in Oxford Street for seven hours.

Although Ms Austin claimed damages for false imprisonment and unlawful detention, her case was dismissed by High Court, the court of appeal and, earlier this year, by the House of Lords.

It found her treatment did not violate her right to liberty if the measures were used in good faith, were proportionate and were enforced for no longer than was reasonably necessary.

With legal backing from Britain's highest court, combined with the belief among law and order professionals in containment as the "least worst" option, it could be that the police kettle tactic has a continuing future.
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still seem to still think people are free to leave when they 'calm down' or 'behave'
 
The BBC are so shite tho.

Only ever obey their political masters.

It makes me wonder why I pay £100+ a year for a governmenr mouthpiece.

BBC 4 is the only real option left.
 
from that article also:

BBC Article said:
Writer and director Zia Trench thought she might visit the G20 demonstration in the City of London earlier this month.

"I wasn't sure if I wanted to protest, but I thought I'd check out the demonstration, and show my face for half an hour," she said.
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Then later in the SAME article

Anyone determined to stay - like Ms Trench - may be held for hours, without access to food and water.
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It just shit reporting really isn't it?
 
winjer said:
From where I was standing, some of the City TSG pointed out a 'suspect' in a group of 20(?), he got jumped on, others tried to dearrest, everyone got batonned, some taken to the floor, a different guy was taken away, the original target was let go but left bruised, the City dog units and plainclothesmen cleared the street to the West, the group of people were chased East to Liverpool Street, surrounded by BTP dog units and stop'n'searched, filmed and ID'd, then warned to "go home or be arrested" or "leave the area or be arrested". The searches took over an hour.
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cheers

this was on the 2nd April then?
 
From the BBC piece:

The tactics are "to herd the crowd into a pen, known as 'the kettle'... the police will not want groups splintering away from the main crowd."

Policing experts say the procedure dictates that officers move protesters to a pre-designated spot. As other protesters join the crowd, the police noose draws gradually tighter.
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The tactical lesson 'we' should take from this is:

Don't have a single (or even 2 or 3) designated meet up points; keep in small groups; keep moving; be aware of the area and routes out of potential kettles; don't fix any final tactics before hand and have lots of contingencies.

Yes, I know its all been said before, but this focus on kettling and, lets be honest, the relative success of it from a police point of view [even with the flak they are taking now] (re)raises the need for a response to it.
 
danny la rouge said:
Is it logged here, Ed? (Not asking for details btw).
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If it is, that's one to list under Police Stupidity. Using a police address publicly, when its the same one they've used for a clandestine presence on urban. :D

Does this mean the Permaban figures have just gone up by 1?

Also, if it is the one logged here, other organisations might want to have a check on their database.
 
shaman75 said:
Councillor 'pushed to the floor' trying to id an officer.

http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/c...=newsislg&itemid=WeED15 Apr 2009 13:49:26:987
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Excellent. :D

Councillor Foxsmith, who went to the demonstrations in his capacity as a civil liberties lawyer, has now written to Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson to complain.

Councillor Foxsmith, one of the ruling Liberal Democrats on Islington Council, said: "I was going to offer my services as an observer and legal adviser. I got to the cordon at Cheapside at about 2.20pm. There were about 50 demonstrators.

"There was a man in conversation with the police. Then I saw an officer strike him with a baton. This man was in his late 60s.

"I took a photo of the officer but he had a balaclava over his face and a helmet on. I went to speak to the officer. I asked him for his shoulder number. He struck me in the chest and I fell."
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:D

There was a Lib Dem MP somewhere in the kettle too. And they treated the press like dirt. They do know how to dig a hole.

:cool:
 
shaman75 said:
Councillor 'pushed to the floor' trying to id an officer.

http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/c...=newsislg&itemid=WeED15 Apr 2009 13:49:26:987
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Interesting that they keep using this response (unless its the same one recycled in different media):

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "Every officer is accountable under law, and fully aware of the scrutiny that their actions can be held open to. The decision to use force is made by the individual police officer, and they must account for that
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Do wonder whether their immediate policy is to expose the odd hitter (the Tomlinson one, the 'small woman' cop and now this one) in the hope that it deflects attention from the overall strategy. Trouble is, if the number of 'bad apples' grows out of control, the strategy fails. Also, they can have no real way of knowing how many of these cases are going to come up over the next few weeks.
 
GoneCoastal said:
From the timings, directly contradicting the other newspapers timings of 6pm as well
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Yeah. The Sun and Mail had a series of photos from the same incident timed at just after 6pm, but the IPCC have CCTV leading up to it timed at 7pm also. The Sun/Mail camera must have been on GMT instead of BST.
 
ymu said:
Yeah. The Sun and Mail had a series of photos from the same incident timed at just after 6pm, but the IPCC have CCTV leading up to it timed at 7pm also. The Sun/Mail camera must have been on GMT instead of BST.
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Got to be. If that's the case it makes them look even more stupid (or of course they forgot in the rush to publish something scandalous and contradictory)

Looks like they didn't verify their source was accurate
 
On removal of ID numbers

From what others have written, it seems this is illegal in Scotland, but just 'against regs' in England.

Except... a comment on the Guardian sugests that they could be prosecuted for attempting to pervert the course of justice. In theory, I don't see why this shouldn't swing. Anyone with better knowledge than me care to comment?
 
DaveCinzano said:
I see that the article is illustrated with FITwatch's picture of 'Sergeant Backhander' AB42.
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Though his name has not been circulating (AFAIK), I did hear he has been known on the streets as 'ABnormal', on account of his former number (must have changed when he went to TSG) and his er... strange behaviour.
 
If you want proof of how pivotal the G20 protests might prove to be, check out the front page of the Evening Standard which has a big picture of a cop with no number on his shoulder, under the caption: "What has he got to hide?".

The Evening Standard!!
 
shaman75 said:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...police-officer-spotted-ID-street-protest.html
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I don't want to be alarmist, but:

Real copper without tags.
article-0-048064D1000005DC-344_468x286.jpg


Fictional vampire copper.
herrick3.JPG


:eek:
 
Corax said:
Except... a comment on the Guardian sugests that they could be prosecuted for attempting to pervert the course of justice. In theory, I don't see why this shouldn't swing. Anyone with better knowledge than me care to comment?
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Not likely on its own, in connection with other abuses perhaps.

"the offence of attempting to defeat the course of justice ... it is understandable that no offence can be committed until circumstances have arisen in which it can be said that justice has embarked upon a course."

Green v Moore [1982] QB 1044
 
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