Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Animal Rights stallholder arrested in Gloucestershire

Netcu Watch | 29.08.2007 14:57 | Animal Liberation | Repression

More repression against animal rights activists on the streets of Gloucester..

The 'Offending' Stall
The 'Offending' Stall


Two activists from Gloucestershire Animal Action were holding an information stall in Stroud on 24th August 2007 when they were approached by police.

One officer's attitude towards the two individuals became immediately obvious when he began the ‘anything to shut us down and shut us up’ routine and proceeded with comments such as “You are blocking the public highway” ”. The activists were clearly not blocking anything and were set up outside an empty shop.

The statements continued; “We could do you for littering”, “We have had complaints about the imagery on the front of your stall and we want your details. One of the stallholders replied “I would rather not give my details, Have I been anti social?”, “No, but we believe you have committed the offence of blocking the public highway”. The police then warned the activists of impending arrest and told them to stop taking photographs on a camera phone.

When one stallholder continued to refuse to provide his details (as is his legal right to decline such information) the PC moved in for the arrest whereupon the activist went limp and fell to the floor.

The stallholder was then dragged into a vehicle by four police officers whist angry members of the public shouted at police in protest at the blatant police bullying and intimidation taking place. The Mayor of Stroud who was present in the area during the arrest was also horrified and joined onlookers in contempt for the illegal arrest.

We were later informed that the mayor apparently reprimanded the police for their extreme tactics against freedom of expression.

After arriving at the police station the stallholder was interviewed during which an officer admitted the interview was only “to cover his back” in regards to his use of force. After a seemingly not-so-sincere apology from the police the stallholder was released from custody with “No further action” taken.

Needless to say the so-called ‘apology’ from the police does not mark the end of this situation and legal action against the force and officers in question will (as always) be the next step in this ordeal.

Local press were present during the whole ordeal and said the arrest had a very good chance of making front-page news as the force used by the police was so excessive and many onlookers were distressed by such brutality.


Young campaigner arrested in High Street
 http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/latest/display.var.1648094.0.young_campaigner_arrested_in_high_street.php

Netcu Watch
- e-mail: netcu_watch(at)vivisection.info
- Homepage: http://www.vivisection.info/netcu_watch

Additions

Human Rights Abuse against activists

30.08.2007 08:20

Hi there,

With regard to the police action against the campaigners Chris & Ziggy in Stroud, not only are the police operating beyond their powers in this situation, to me, their actions are a flagrant abuse of their human rights under Article 10 of Human Rights Act 1998 - Freedom of Expression. You could also argue under Article 5 - The right to liberty that your right to be at liberty was curtailed by false imprisonment.
If anybody else has received similar treatment please contact me at
Human Rights ActION

Human Rights ActION
mail e-mail: kittyplant@btinternet.com


Comments

Display the following comment

  1. carry on dont let this put you off — peter ambler
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech