21 March 2003 Anti-war students: the new generation of revolutionaries Socialist Labour Party Youth harassed, arrested and beaten up by police yesterday Yesterday there were two types of resistance that the imperialists of Britain were not expecting, firstly, the Iraqi resistance which did not allow the US and British occupation forces even 200 metres into Iraqi land, and secondly, the resistance of the youth in Britain who took to the streets to oppose this war. Youth and students, in their teens and in their twenties, especially working class and oppressed working class communities, up and down the country of Britain have shown the whole radical, progressive, and left wing movement the way forward to resist this war. SLP Youth have been intensely involved in helping them to set up anti-war co-ordination committees in several cities across the country. Wherever they are active they have thrown themselves wholeheartedly into helping the students with banners, leaflets, slogans on the streets, demos, and occupations. Many SLP Youth activists were on demos yesterday as the British and USA Imperialists officially declared war. We took to the streets, and SLP Youth in London stood side by side with the thousands of youth and students in Parliament Square, students who came from all corners of the capital. They chanted slogans, discussed about the war, took and read anti-war leaflets, and faced the provocations of the police very bravely. Special mention must be made of the youth from East London areas of Tower Hamlets and Brick Lane who showed impressive unity, militancy and solidarity with each other when on the demo and in defending themselves against the police provocations. Navroz Chandan, 20 years old SLP Youth member, was snatched from the crowd by police (4:30pm) and forced into a police van and then to Charing Cross police station. He was arrested for violent disorder for allegedly throwing a plastic bottle at the police lines (an accusation he vociferously denies, and the police video footage would prove this), and then later charged with Section 4 (1) (A) of the 1986 Public Order Act for which states “You did use towards another person threatening and abusive words and behaviour with intent to cause that person to believe that immediate unlawful violence would be used against him or another by any person, or to provoke the immediate use of unlawful violence by that person or another, or whereby that person was likely to believe that such violence would be used, or it was likely that such violence would be provoked”. He denies this charge, and will be appearing at Bow Streets Magistrates in London on Tuesday morning 25 March. Navroz says “yesterday was an inspiring day for the anti-war movement; the militancy of the youth is something everyone should learn from. When I was awaiting being taken into the station with about six other youth from East London, it was great to see their political understanding about the realities behind the terrorism act; ‘its [the terrorist act] bullshit man, they try to make us think that everyone else is a terrorist, but they be the ones bombing and killing innocent people’ said one youth. Then police intimidation didn’t effect the youth who face this provocation daily in their communities, as one Bangladeshi youth said to me in the police station ‘Blood! [slang for brother] this is nothing, it happens to us everyday!’. What happened to me was also nothing; rather we have to remember and learn from the great resistance of our brothers and sisters in Palestine and Iraq, the continued anti-imperialist struggle from Colombia to Nepal, and the steadfast defiance to imperialist threats as can be seen by the courageous people of Korea.” After confirming that Navroz was at Charing Cross police station, SLP Youth national Student Organiser Sukant Chandan, SLP Youth member Fahim Ahmed and Brother Asad Raja arrived at the police station whereby they were waiting in the reception area around 6:30pm. Fahim went in to represent Navroz as his legal adviser. At around 11pm police officers in the reception area asked Sukant and Asad to wait outside, they refused and were thrown into the streets and slammed against police vans. After each time thrown against police vehicles outside, Sukant and Asad verbally confronted the police officers (numbering 10 at this time), asking ‘why have you done this?!’, ‘for what reason?!’. Police officers started punching Sukant and Asad in the face, double handcuffed Asad while beating him in the face and upper body; put Sukant on the ground – kneeling on the pavement, head held by one officer on the ground, two policeman taking one arm each in an arm lock. In this position, Sukant was taken to a cell, searched in this position, and locked in. Asad’s cuffs were taken off and he walked into his cell. After around 5 hours Sukant and Asad were released and no further action was taken against them. Asad says “it was inspiring to see the kids out on the streets against the war. This was contrasted by the disgusting manner in which the police were acting; surrounding the kids, caging them in and using physically violent behaviour against them. We got man handled by the police while peacefully sitting inside the station and arrested. It just goes to show that the police are not there to protect the people” We call on all youth against the war, and all the anti-war movement to learn from the militant example set by the youth at the demo; it shows that youth can make themselves heard, that they can make a difference. “The young people are the most active and vital force in society. They are the most eager to learn and the least conservative in their thinking.” Mao Tsetung [contact them on 07776 233370 ot 07985 117147 for interviews, talks etc] Account of arrest of Navroz Chandan at Parliament Square on 20.03.03 Navroz Chandan was part of the anti-war demonstration, and was in a crowd of mainly young people who were confronted by a line of police officers. He was shouting anti-war slogans and gesturing towards the police with both arms. All of a sudden he felt a push in his back. He turned around to see a PC pushing him forward. The PC said ‘Move to the front, don’t resist’. Navroz did what he was told, and was then bundled into a police van. Later he was told that he had been arrested for violent disorder (s.2 of the Public Order Act, an offence carrying maximum sentence of 5 years), because he was seen throwing a plastic bottle at the police. He was arrested at 16.45, and transported to the police station with various other youths who had been arrested. Once at the police station, he was put in a cell. Fahim Ahmed, representing Navroz, was told that the arresting officer did not witness the alleged incident, but was simply told to remove Navroz from the crowd and put him in a van. Further, the officer who made the allegation was not found until after 22.00. Once the officer’s notes were available, no one was allocated to deal with the case. Eventually the police decided to charge Navroz, without the opportunity to put forward his account in interview, with one charge of threatening words and behaviour (s.4 Public Order Act) although no particulars of the offence are available at this stage. Navroz was released on unconditional bail at 02.40, having spent nearly 10 hours in custody. He will appear at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court on Monday 24th March. Navroz is completely innocent. He offered his fingerprints to the police to verify that they would not be on the bottle that was produced as evidence, but this was refused by the police. He was filmed copiously by the police evidence gatherers, but no footage was available to confirm or disprove his involvement in any alleged offence. Account of police brutality at Charing Cross police station on 20.03.03 Asad Raja and Sukant Chandan were sitting on the floor of the Station Desk Office. There were various people inside the SDO, mostly waiting for the release of protestors who had been arrested at the anti-war demonstration earlier on. There was also at least one solicitor waiting there. One PC came out of the locked door leading to custody and asked some people in a corner to leave the police station. As he did this, two other PCs came into the SDO from the door leading through to the front desk. The people asked why they were being asked to leave, and 3 or 4 more PCs arrived. Sukant, who had not been addressed by the police, said ‘Why don’t you leave them alone? They’re just waiting for their friends.’ A PC turned to Sukant and said defiantly ‘You can go as well’. Sukant replied, ‘You’ll have to drag me’. This incensed the police, who are used to being obeyed, and both Sukant and Asad were grabbed by their wrists and arms and literally dragged out of the police station. Asad was dragged headfirst, close to the floor, and his left shoulder was slammed into the door frame. He was then thrown onto the road in front of the police station steps, and landed in between two vehicles. Sukant grabbed the door handle and resisted being thrown out temporarily, however, he was pushed out and then thrown against a vehicle, causing him pain and distress. Asad got up from the floor and saw Sukant being pushed against a police vehicle by three officers. Asad said repeatedly ‘Why are you doing this? We’ve done nothing.’ Sukant was saying to the others who had been cleared from the station ‘Get his number, get his number’, in relation to the PC who initially pushed him against the vehicle. The situation was approximately 10 PCs attacking Sukant and Asad outside the police station, with the latter simply protesting at the violent behaviour of the police then, and earlier in the day against school children protesting in Parliament Square. Asad saw a PC go to choke Sukant, and so put his arm in the way to protect Sukant. Another PC looked Asad in the eyes and shouted ‘Get out of the fucking way’, came through 2 PCs in between himself and Asad, grabbed Asad by the throat and pushed him onto the road again. One PC (who turned out to be a sergeant [PS 23 McLelland]) was so agitated that one of his colleagues told him to take it easy. He got angrier and stepped forward and punched Sukant on the left side of his jaw. Other PCs followed to bundle Sukant, as Asad jumped up to protect Sukant from the attacking PCs with his arms wide. Asad was then bundled from his right side onto a parked car. He felt blows to his head, his arm twisted, and heard someone say ‘cuff him’. Asad, now in cuffs, saw Sukant still being attacked and said ‘Leave him alone’. Sukant was pushed a few paces to the left of the steps and towards the ground. As he semi-crouched, trying to block the attack, an asian PC pulled out his extendable whip-style baton and made ready to use it. Sukant put his hands up and said ‘I’m not moving, I’m not moving’. The PCs pushed Sukant onto the ground, kneeling with his arms behind his back, with his head on the ground. They then took him through the station to the custody area with his arms behind his back, head close to the ground and doubled over. Once inside the corridors of the station, the sergeant who punched Sukant said to his colleague ‘never contradict me in public’, and followed with ‘I’m your superior, you don’t tell me how to do my job’. Sukant was saying ‘I haven’t done anything, this officer punched me’. He was afraid that the sergeant would continue to take his anger out on him, so as Sukant was brought into the custody area he shouted ‘this officer punched me’. He was taken straight to a cell, still doubled-over with hands behind back, where he was pinned down by knees on his arms. One of the knees belonged to sergeant McLelland, who pushed his thumb into Sukant’s neck behind his ear. Sukant was not resisting, and could not have been. The officers withdrew from the cell in a dramatic flash, ending with the cell door slamming shut. Neither were interviewed, but the police were aiming to charge Sukant with threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour (s.4 of the Public Order Act 1986) and Asad with obstruction of a police officer. Fahim Ahmed, was representing both and persuaded the police that it was inappropriate to prosecute, especially considering the circumstances: an illegal war being declared by the UK and US on a sovereign nation, young demonstrators being beaten by the police, people waiting for their friends and family being physically thrown out of the station and then unnecessarily attacked by police officers. Both were released without charge, having spent over 5 hours in custody.