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I Don't Care About The Law ! (italian embassy)

freethepeeps (U75) | 24.02.2002 11:46

Report of yesterday at italian embassy, taken from urban75.com

I Don't Care About The Law !
said PC D343 of the Metropolitian Police Diplomatic Protection Squad, as he punched a protestor (in his 50s) in the face, leaving cuts on his eyebrow and nose.

Nor did PC D320 Turner, as he threw a protestor to the ground and kicked him.

PC D342 looked really disappointed when no-one wanted to connect their head with his extendable metal baton as he menacingly threatened us with it, and finally he shoved the baton down his collar, swaggering around with it at the ready.

So people: tell me about peaceful protest, tell me about democracy, tell me about freedom of speech.

I arrived on Grosvenor Square at about 1.30 and was confused to see no cops, no barriers and no protestors. Having walked round to Kings Yard and found no-one there, I returned to the square and found a group of about 30 protestors in the park.

At 1.45, bemused by the absence of cops, we crossed over to the Italian Embassy, to protest against the seizure of Indymedia Italy's archives from Genoa by the police, including raids on the offices of lawyers where police removed material relating to peoples defence cases.

We stuck posters saying "WE ARE ALL INDYMEDIA" to the pillars and door of the Embassy, and wound lots of videotape round the pillars, to symbolise the tapes that were seized by Berlusconis facist bootboys. A few Sambaistas started to play, a banner was unfurled, and several of us stuck tape over our mouths to symbolise the loss of freedom of speech. We stood on the pavement, aware that we were engaged in a symbolic ritual that was having no impact. No one could see us, no one cared, a few cars passed by, one tooted in support.

I saw two people standing on the steps of the American Embassy, across the park. A few minutes later a red car, with police markings screeched up to the pavement, almost connecting with a protestor.

3 bullyboys jumped out of the car, screamed "get across the road" and began pushing people of the pavement. Within minutes our peaceful protest about the loss of freedom, had been turned into a show of state force. Push us they did, and people were forced onto the road, some walking round them to get back onto the pavement. Others staying in the road, and bringing traffic to a halt. We watched in disbelief as these bullies assaulted anyone they could get their hands onto. More red vehicles pulled up and their colleagues jumped out and proceeded to imitate the behaviour of the original 3, including an inspector!!!

For myself, (already facing 3 trials and the prospect of loss of freedom , including the Halloween 7 trial where I stand accused of fitted up charges of Threatening Behaviour after being beaten by the police in a dark alley off Oxford Street on Halloween night last year) the choice was clear. I cannot face another trial now. So I went and stood on the pavement across the road and watched in disbelief as friends, comrades and fellow protestors were subjected to brutality. AND NOT ONE OF THEM STRUCK BACK, many put themselves at considerable risk by standing their ground. And we all kept asking, "why are you doing this"?, "what law are you using"?, "why are you denying us our freedom of expression"?. But these public servants were in no mood to discuss their actions, to explain what was happening, to defuse the situation.

I watched in disbelief as 2 friends were arrested, pushed to the ground, handcuffed and then threatened with batons.

After all this time, and all these demos, I am still left gobsmacked by the awfulfulness of police violence, for no apparent reason, other than the media say WE are violent, and people obviously believe it!!

We walked to West End Central as a group to show support for our arrested comrades. Same cops, less shit now. Some of us took it in turns to stand waiting for our friends, as the police refused to give them a note telling them where they could meet us. The rest wandered off to a pub, shocked at the experience we had just been through. After 3 hours or so, our friends were released and joined us, with their newly acquired charge sheets - Section 5, Public Order Offences.

And I wonder what risk they would be at, if it wasn't for the fact that we had cameras, we caught the whole incident on camera, and the police for once were without their photographers.

I hope it comes to court, I hope we get a chance to show those videos in an open court. But hey, whats really going to happen? The charges will get dropped, and they will try to sweep the whole sorry mess under the carpet.

And I wonder, why were there only 50 of us there. Does no-one else care about the freedom of expression, of speech and assembly that we killed Afghani babies for. Were you scared. Do you believe the hype?

I wonder and I am really, really sad!

RESPECT FOR THOSE WHO STOOD UP TO THE FACIST COPPERS!

RESPECT FOR INDYMEDIA ITALY!

NO RESPECT FOR ANY COPPER WHATSOEVER!!

freethepeeps (U75)
Homepage: http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=11bf8c95cdae66b72761d5e111101e18&threadid=2693

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

The only good pig . . .

24.02.2002 12:40

. . . is contained within a bacon sandwich.

Yesterday's shameful display of state-sanctioned violence was probably the worst incident of unporovoked police brutality that I have ever witnessed. Before I became involved in the protest movement, I had never actually seen a cop kicking seven bells out of an innocent civilian before. A year later, I have been tear gassed six times (in Genoa), baton charged about a dozen times, pepper-sprayed and punched in the face by riot cops (Munich) and shoved on the ground and repeatedly kicked (also Munich). Yet I have never actually committed an offence. My only "crime" was to be present at half a dozen demonstrations, mostly surrounded by non-violent activists and with no intention of breaking the law.

So what is the world coming to when public servants in the so-called "democracies" believe that legitimate protestors are fair targets?

Metropolitan Police Spokesman Glenn Smyth says that the opnions of controversial Borough Commander Brian Paddick "do not correspond with the views of rank-and-file officers". Too right they don't. Most police officers are racist, sexist, homophobic and violent. Above all, they are very, very violent. Some may well be borderline psychopaths. But most are violent simply because the law allows them to get away with it.

Happily enough, this kind of indiscriminate state violence is usually the precursor to a mass explosion of public anger. Remember that we are not the agent provocateurs - THEY ARE. The policeman is always and everywhere the enemy of the worker.

Anarchist Rioter

Police violence

24.02.2002 13:12

Is society and social relations becoming more violent?
If so it becomes a good recruiting ground for the state.
A society based on violence produces violent and reactionary people, people who can become ticket
inspectors, policemen and women, security guards,
soldiers....etc. The state survives on violence and needs violence within society to recruit it's foot soldiers.
As an anarchist I am against violence but if I or my friends or my community or my class are threatened then I will defend it. I hate the word non-violent. To me
it is a concept developed by the liberal state to justify it's violence. Like human rights or humanity it has been devoloped to legitimise the use of violence. The concept of humanity was to produce the concept of inhumanity or barbarism. The state decides what inhumanity or barbarism is, like they did and do in
Africa and the middle-east to give themselves alibis
for true barbarism. Lets try and re-define these concepts and lets not get lazy by using word like
non-violence or human rights as it's gives more legitimisation to the state and the further use of violence.

For anarchy
Solidarity with my two friends arrested yesterday
A

@
mail e-mail: .
Homepage: .

The only good anarchist...

24.02.2002 13:31

...is one that holds all life dear within the struggle for freedom and liberation...not one that passes cheap comments on how pigs end up as sandwich fillings.

Anarchist?...my arse.

a.c.a.b

Selfdefense against corporate onslaught

24.02.2002 18:40

Repression everywhere.
Corporate policestate reveals its
face once again.

Support your freedomfighters now!

Solidarity all over Europe.

Selfdefense now

SO WHATS NEW?

24.02.2002 22:04

Far too little far too late. We have only ourselves and our past generation to blame. We stood alone during the 84/85 miner’s strike, we took on the might of the Thatchers police force, including the met and special patrol groups. There was no support from anyone south of Yorkshire, there was no unity no fuck all. The police attacked our communities rumour has it the SAS were in amongst the police lines, it is well known the army were. Fact of the matter is if your really serious about changing this world expect it to be hard. The postings here sound surprised that the public servants use violence. Wake up! Yes respect for Indy media and those standing up to be counted, but do not kid yourselves. Pull the blind fold from your eyes. We were smashed and destroyed our communities (real live communities) were torn apart. We lost everything, jobs, families, communities but do you know what really, really hurts no one stood along side us. Anyone who thought this battle was merely about the saving of the mines, followed the media’s shit and missed the point completely. And that is a bitter pill to swallow.
My main fear now is that although there is a lot of genuine people out there, we are piss in the ocean and are infact powerless. Please tell me I’m wrong but I’m long in the tooth now so will take some convincing.
RESPECT TO ALL THAT CARE AND STILL TRY AGAISNT ALL THE ODDS.

OLD AGE ANARCHIST

go back to the roots

24.02.2002 22:58

Yes, I object to the bacon sandwich reference - simultaneously exploitive of our porcine cousins whose burning flesh smells dangerously close to ours - sniff out your local crematorium - while supportive of dangerous and essentially life-negating eating habits - surely filth or snotgobbler is far more appropriate terminology - not that I've anything against consumption of nasal discharges.
This was a small unobserved demonstration against state censorship, therefore obviously open to abuse. We have to oppose the agenda currently being carried out with an appallingly low level of opposition. I get critisised for posting 'conspiracist' stuff, but it's happening out there increasingly. We need an agenda for action which doesn't rely on the official version of events.
I attach a link where the new world order types condemn themselves in their own words. Sorry it's a Christian type thing - it's the most comprehensive I could find. See - old Joe Public will be willing to believe he's being fucked over by a self-aggrandising elite - while never being willing to apply himself to the straight political niceties.

Re bacon sandwiches

27.02.2002 16:41

And I first got beaten up by a policeman at Windsor Free and I am sure there are people with longer memories of being beaten up by these retards. And as capitalism increases its attack on democracy its going to get worse. So if someone wants to have a go at these wankers, even if it is as pathetic as remarks about sandwiches I am all for it.

Tim

Hardly unusual

05.03.2002 13:52

This is an interesting story, but it's hardly unusual, the 'diplomatic police' (sic) are reknowned for this kind of behaviour. It's good that you have it recorded, and you should act on that, we have a test case currently going through the civil courts against the Met for their imprisonment of protestors without charge on Mayday last year.

We shouldn't have any illusions that such methods will not be used against us, they have been consistantly by the British State, and they will continue. It doesn't mean that every copper is bad, they are workers, just like anyone else, who are utilised as tools of the State. Creating more violence and agression against them helps the State to do its job, helps the commanding officers in the Police to depict us all as violent animals, to be treated accordingly.

As to no-one much being on the demosntration, where did you advertise it? What publicity did you put out? I read nothing in 'The Socialist' saw nothing on the UK Left Network on Yahoo, had no prior knowledge, so how was I supposed to be there? If you want a big demonstration, you have to publicise it. I'd say your protest was effective anyway, and use the footage and pictures you have as much as possible. Write a piece for 'The Socialist' about the demo and send it in to the editors.

http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/

Steve Bush,
Lambeth Socialist Party.

Steve Bush
mail e-mail: beacon@ndirect.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/

UK Indymedia