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

police brutality

anon | 04.01.2009 00:17 | Palestine | Repression

police brutality once more in london

during the anti gaza massacre todau afternoon the police attack the protesters sending one person with bad head injurys to hospital.. the protesters in any moment try to do any violent attack to the plice but once more the finest of the metropolitan police attack the demo ..once in the embassy more police attacks happen sending another person to hospital ..at least 10 persons got beaten up badly by cops ..2 of them 14 years old girls .....for the cops reaction they enjoy it once after the attack they start laughing ..at same point muslin people start praying and again police start laughing ....at the end of the demo they pened around 70 people and one by one with there picture take it and search they release the crowd .....more that 150 police was in the action ...IMAGINE HOW MUCH THEY SPEND in this kind of action ...???????? once more they prove why people have the universal word for police PIGS .......... murderers in uniform ..carlos guiliani jean charles de menezes alexandros and many many more ..........AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY RESISTANCE NOW AND ALWAYS

anon

Additions

2 injured that I saw

04.01.2009 00:43

baton whacked near Piccadilly underpass

spinal injury suspected in Ken High St

Bystanders stated that both of these were caused by police batons.

Many more pics (471) to sort through yet. Will upload asap.

kriptick

an other injury inflicted by the police

04.01.2009 02:13

pic

fil
Homepage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/filkaler/

Comments

Hide the following 28 comments

pigs are intellligent animals,

04.01.2009 00:28

the police should be refered to as pig as pigs are intelligent animals not facist filth.

ACAB

Protesters throwing crash barriers at police, behind barriers

04.01.2009 00:31

Some protesters were violent as seen in this video;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iQyXXsBBQ0

hello

missing both sides of argument

04.01.2009 00:41

If you expecting the police to be handing out cucumber sandwiches and cups of tea then you are seriously deluded as to what the police's role is. I thought they were remarkably restrained. Having crash barriers thrown at them and curses by violent yobs.

twa

hello & twa

04.01.2009 00:56

Do you have footage showing what was going on before the barrier was hurled?

12 Angry Men

Were you at the same protest?

04.01.2009 01:13

The police were there in heavy numbers but to their credit were pretty restrained given the circumstances.

If people want to see a strong Palestinian solidarity movement, throwing stuff at the police in front of the eyes of the media is only going to discourage others from getting involved in future - and the smaller the movement, the easier it is for the media to write it off as a bunch of extremists.

The troublemakers need to think about the damage that they are doing to their cause.

anon

response

04.01.2009 01:33

shoes one day then next time - not bottles barriers - such is protest behaviour and the high levels of hostility.sad sad indeed maybe people such dont care about Palestine, not really.

sad

why worry about the media ...

04.01.2009 01:57

"the easier it is for the media to write it off as a bunch of extremists.

The troublemakers need to think about the damage that they are doing to their cause.

anon"

Fuck the media. Hundreds of people are dying in Gaza, millions of animals are dying in torture houses and productions lines in this country alone, the world is being killed off by mankind and yet all some supposed activists worry about is "the media" well fuck the media. Lets get on with th real work. I'm sure the media in fascist europe in WW2 described the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto as "trouble makers".

Working

harping on the old Trot subject: "build a strong movement"

04.01.2009 02:18

Ah, now I got you! "If people want to see a strong Palestinian solidarity movement," no violence "the media will" blablabla.

Didn´t we HAVE a strong anti-war movement only a few years ago?

Look, I´ve been in the SWP and I know your tactics. Ure not interested in the Palestinians at all, U just want to rebuild stopthewar, and then syphon of members for the party and overcome the SWPs current crisis.

The media give a shit about how strong or how peacefull the protests are. Besides, all the mass demos of StoptheWar didn´t change anything in the past.

Also: It´s obscene to accuse people of violent protests when a massacer takes place in Gaza.

What the ruling class all over the world is afraid of is strikes, true. But the workers won´t strike over Gaza and Israel wont care about strikes in Britain.

The same way U argue about rioting I might as well argue that stopthewar´s holding hands with muslim reactionaries and antisemites might prevent the movement from growing.

The only thing the rulers of Europe are currently scared of is widespread unrest all over Europe. Europe was set a fire on one corner already: Greece! Now ISRAEL is pouring more oil into the flames. And within a few months the financial crisis will take full grip of the economy world wide... Millions will get the sack. The rulers are shit scared what might happen then.

If there was massive unrest the rulers might say to Israel: Look, just what we don´t need in the current crisis situation is massive unrest over Gaza...

That way we might stop the carnage in Gaza.

IKe

wrongs don't make rights,,,

04.01.2009 02:26

Three wrongs or four if you include the police don't make a right.... And it goes on... It wasn't so long ago it was just two wrongs...

loppy

who is it

04.01.2009 02:50

Its interesting that all the pics of injuries are not palestines. Is that because they are the ones provoking the police?

A flipside to your argument is that the unrest turns the majority of the quiet population against your causes. They vote and put in the government who promises to crack down hardest on troublemakers.

cable

Usual police provocation

04.01.2009 06:28

People just don't like being penned in by the cops and being searched or otherwise intimidated. They are bound to react against it and why not? What about the serious police violence previously during mthe day which was mentioned on TV?

Wotsit

The TSG started this

04.01.2009 06:58

The TSG were spoiling for a fight. They are thugs. Im too angry now to coment fully. I was arrested and beaten by the police who made up bullshit about me assulting and officer... thankfully some video evidence will clear my name.

They came looking for a fight. And they got it! And they deserved a whole lot more.

Vindicated

The role of the police

04.01.2009 09:04

For all those who have commended the "remarkable restraint" shown by the police it's suffice to say that once more the only casualties were protesters and the remarkably restrained and provoked police force was once again the only body to inflict physical damage. It's a bit like the restraint shown by Israel in the face of Palestinian aggression (throwing Roman candles into Israel would probably cause more damage than the crap thrown by Hamas), Then again the police are no different to an imperialist occupying force. They serve the same interests and follow the same orders. The UK is by far the worst country in Europe with regards to the treatment received by protesters as the police has too many powers and will always make use of them in any circumstance.

The Revolution will not be supervised

Don't be fooled

04.01.2009 10:56

People - don't be fooled by posts defending the police and attacking direct action! This isn't the Daily Mail website, it's Indymedia. Think about who might be behind these comments and for what reasons...

Not a cop

yea second that, pigs can use computers too

04.01.2009 11:23

they are just trying to get it into people heads that only nonviolent peaceful vigils and marches can be effective protesting, despite centuries of evidence to the contrary. A note though, it was actually the police that really escalated the violence there. Until they stopped the march on the israeli embasy and hearded us into the underpass there really hadnt been much tension or animosty towards the police from the demonstrators, there was after. Id say attacking the march with 25 riot cops in the underpass hyped up the tension and lead to the clashes outside the emabsssy, especially after the police tried to pen demonstrators in then. In the underpass there wasnt any violence from demonstrators really a bit of pushing against police lines but no way enough to justify sending in 25 riot thugs to smash anybodies head who couldnt get out of the way. saying the guy whose head is pouring with blood in the above photo brought it on himself is just straight up victim blaming. Also, yea ther are no photos from gaza, there are a lot of pieces about that elsewhere, we are all very angry about gaza that why we were on the march, but police brutality should also be discussed.

jimbob

Only massive PROTESTS will boost morale in other countries

04.01.2009 12:18

Who are you protesting for? Gaza has been cut in three caudrons. It must be a carnage. And some jargonauts here talk about the media...
or: "unrest turns the majority of the quiet population against your causes. They vote and put in the government who promises to crack down hardest on troublemakers."
1) We would have to wait 4 new elections in Greece 4 a proof of your or my agument.
2) "The quiet population" will be turned anything they are told to. It doesn´t need "violent" protests to get the people vote in a right wing government. In the coming economic crisis they might resort to racism, as recent surveys in the UK indicate. For the rulers the easiest option.

Don´t be so insular in ure thinking: Think about the effects massive protest could have on protests in other countries. They will encourage people to take to the streets in Germany 4 instance. (By the way, those guys who got beaten up by coppers would so in Germany by leftists 4 wearing a keffiya. But these might pictures might move them to show solidarity)

And again: who are u protesting 4? People in Gaza are massacred and u talk about "violent protests"!

7sisters

cops in indymedia

04.01.2009 12:19

dont be fooled.....cops and ignorants attacking indymedia.... too many cop lovers and ignorants around the indymedia............... ignore the comments

anon

watch video: Julia Boutros, the voice of Palestine

04.01.2009 12:22

song "Ween Elmalayine"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wnz2o2Z9UQ&feature=related

nerve calmer

@twa

04.01.2009 13:05

Did you actualy read the story?

Two 14 years old girls injured by gentlemen in full riot gear???

Does this look to you like protecting the public?

Because that is what police suppose to do, right?

George B
mail e-mail: george40@ntlworld.com

Response

04.01.2009 13:33

OK, first, I'm not a cop.

Secondly, there is definitely no way that I support the police when they're beating people up or trying to prevent people from protesting.

However, if protesters really were getting violent, how is that going to help anyone?

(I'm not saying that anyone was, I'm just stating that if people were...)

Yes, there are thousands of people and animals dying all over the World, but by fighting against the police in this country, getting ourselves beaten up and arrested and turning people away from the cause (you have to remember that 'ordinary' members of the public a lot of the time do believe the media and the police and will see activists as extremists and then a lot of work has to go into trying to change that) what have we achieved?

Sometimes (again I'm not saying that it happened on this particular demo) people lose sight of who their real 'target' is for their anger - when a demo turns against the police, and it's happened when the police haven't been provoking people, because there are times when they don't - people lose sight of what they're trying to achieve with the demo in the first place.

To be honest, I would love to see an uprising of people against the Government, especially with the country becoming so much of a police state, but we are going to remain as small movements if we put people off listening to what we have to say now.

Sometimes we do have to take things slow and although I also hate the media, by saying "Fuck the media" and not caring about what people do really think about activists, we are going to lose people and we're not going to make many new friends.

I hope those protesters who were injured make full recoveries quickly and that we see an end to this situation in Israel/Palestine/Gaza. I also hope people start to think more about what effect their actions are having and what effect they'd like them to have.

Not a cop

To those trying to appeal to the media

04.01.2009 13:51

'Getting lots of coverage' isn't going to stop the massacre in Gaza.
We all know that the occupation will continue so long as the states faciliating it remain supportive. The mainstream press reported widely on the 2003 anti Iraq war march of 2 million, and yet the war went ahead regardless.

The only way we can realistically immediately change any govt. policy is by causing major disruption. Bringing the city centre to a standstill, economic sabotage etc.
Provided we show a united front, showing that it isn't only youths/muslims/anarchists/any other minority who are angry enough to forcibly effect change.

However, I was really annoyed yesterday to see (yet again), that those protestors who dared think for themselves and try and be disruptive, were swiftly and quite aggresively moved on by Stop the War stewards. When we've already got the cops to deal with, in attempting to crush independent action the stewards make it much harder for any genuine disruption to occur.

angry

looks like a set up to me

04.01.2009 13:51

Although I was not present on this protest, from what I have gleaned so far it looks like a slick police operation. As far as I can tell, police penned in protesters in a tunnel where the media couldn't see and provoked violence through excessive brutality. But then the protesters were allowed to reach their chosen destination. Why? It seems like a perfect way to make protesters angry and then just show one side of the story. Amazing that so many genuine activists can fall for this crap. We don't believe what we hear about operations in Iraq and Afghanistan or the biased reporting of the occupation of Palestine. Why would reports about protests in Britain be any different? It's the same racist, imperialist state involved in the brutality, the same bourgeois media owned by a handful of companies.

So anyone who is new to all this, please take this into account when you're watching the news and even when reading reports on indymedia. As a real class struggle (hopefully) develops and intensifies in this country then so will state propaganda against those siding with the working class at home and abroad and so will the struggle of opportunists in trying to de-radicalise any movement. How many more times can the Labour Left (and wanna be left like Galloway) be rolled out as the spokespeople of the movement? We need to be ready to confront the state and to confront those preventing us from doing so.

Victory to the third Intifada!

FRFI activist
mail e-mail: redstaratnight@hotmail.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org

Attempt to make us angry?

04.01.2009 14:49

The idea that the police violence in the underpass was an attempt to incite us to anger and violence at the embassy is crap. We don't need excuses to be angry, a little agro and cracked heads at the hands of the British police is nothing to what is going on in Gaza and with the Israeli storm troopers and tanks surging over the border to complete their final solution I'm certain that those amassing to protest at the Israeli embassy already had plenty to be angry about.

Like we need an excuse

to 2nd 'not a cop'

04.01.2009 21:32

you're swp aren't you? do what you like, but i heard the same arguments about 'taking it slowly' and 'building a movement' and 'now is not yet the time for...' for the last 20 years of my life from mildly-radicalised middle class youth sucked into the SWP or one of their front organisations. when police attack people, or even when people attack police, you need to decide whose side you are on. when heavily armoured and funded states attack occupied territories and refugee camps, you need to decide whose side you are on. is this not simple enough??

@TP

@ Not a Cop

05.01.2009 07:02

OK, how many people demonstrated against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan? Did anyone listen? No! Result - over a MILLION dead Iraqis!!!
Even though they had nothing to do with 9/11 or Weapons of Mass Destruction as you probably know by now!

There are many people that support peaceful protest (you don't want to pick a fight with someone in full riot gear) but if you have to defend yourself or your friends against those in the riot gear, it becomes a different story (police was basicaly blocking and pushing the protestors from both sides).

While people around the world are protesting against Israeli terrorist state, there are people being killed. Now they are using the same ILLEGAL weapons as the US and coalition armies in Iraq (cluster bombs, white phsphorus, depleted uranium) and of course against civilian population!!! Should the protestors wait for another MILLION dead civilians???

So please don't be surprised that some of us sometimes loose it!

People demonstrate to achieve something (peace in this case).

But it doesn't work as nobody listens to them!

George B

Thanks

05.01.2009 20:20

The guy with the cracked swede spilling the sauce is quite obviously the same guy wearing the disguise slinging the barrier at the cops.
I bet he's right proper chuffed you have put his mug on a web server and can not wait to have his collar felt.
Who need the cops when we have twits like you to do the job for the fit officers !

Dave the rave

stop bitching

05.01.2009 21:28

you know what .....FUKING STOP BITCHING ABOUT EVERYBODY AND SHOW SAME RESPECT AND SOLIDARITY .. ya we all know that cops make reports here so ignore them ..they are loosers ..........fuk them ..cops and cops lovers ...FUK YOU...lets show solidarity with the people from gaza and to everybody who protects is friends , families and peole in the demos against police brutality ...ignore the coMments from the bastards ,,,,they are nothing SCUM SCUM SCUM A.C.A.B

anon

no

06.01.2009 00:07

as in lock my brain in a cupboard and mindlessly follow orders?

reggie

UK Indymedia

police brutality

Additions

2 injured that I saw

an other injury inflicted by the police

Comments

pigs are intellligent animals,

Protesters throwing crash barriers at police, behind barriers

missing both sides of argument

hello & twa

Were you at the same protest?

response

why worry about the media ...

harping on the old Trot subject: "build a strong movement"

wrongs don't make rights,,,

who is it

Usual police provocation

The TSG started this

The role of the police

Don't be fooled

yea second that, pigs can use computers too

Only massive PROTESTS will boost morale in other countries

cops in indymedia

watch video: Julia Boutros, the voice of Palestine

@twa

Response

To those trying to appeal to the media

looks like a set up to me

Attempt to make us angry?

to 2nd 'not a cop'

@ Not a Cop

Thanks

stop bitching

no

Global IMC Network