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.

N C, 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. N 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 N 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 N 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 N.C at Parliament Square on 20.03.03

N C 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’. N
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
N, was told that the arresting officer did not witness the alleged
incident, but was simply told to remove N 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 N, 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. N 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.

N 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.