Psyops, terror and policing of the climate camp

Police mounted an outrageous terror attack on the camp in the early hours of Wednesday 6th, sounding sirens, circling their helicopter over the site, cutting the flood lighting, then deploying van loads of tooled-up riot cops at the gates in the darkness and getting them to number off and yell 'get up, get up' into the camp....

2:57 police waking the camp
sirens
lots of confusion
police copter over camp
people gathering at front gate
copter flying around camp
3:04 helicopter now left
no incursion
just annoying us? keeping us jumpy?
3:07 helicopter can still be heard in distance coming back to camp
3:08 back over camp now
3:09 police lighting towers just went off
sirens again
kicking off!
shouting
screams at gate
3:11 not sure whats happening
barricade being formed
helicopter still circling
riot cops numbering off at gate
3:18 all riots cops now got back into their vans at main gate and driven off
just a few cops still at gate
calmed down, although a good chunk of the site is now awake

camper
Homepage: http://climatecamp.org.uk

Additions

And again...

06.08.2008 04:19

Around 5am the police made a push to break into the site at the rear gate. Several hundred people awoke to the alarm and rushed to defend the gate.

scum of the earth

Tried and tested techniques.

06.08.2008 13:04

These techniques were tried out in Ireland first of all. The black psy ops, or psychological warfare, used to disorientate those who opposed the UK government. The methods have been refined since but have been used in Iraq and elsewhere. There is an argument for this all constituting torture under the Human Rights Act (Inhuman and Degrading Treatment).

The decision to use these methods cannot have been taken by the local Plod. My view is that this would have to be approved at a higher body than Plod, MI5, SIS, perhaps?

What it demonstrates is that the UK government and its agencies are now willing to use Gestapo tactics against people going about lawful business but whose views they see as presenting a risk to the state. Fascism in the UK 2008.

Jolly Roger

Use of police helicopters

06.08.2008 13:44

I saw this in the distance when I arrived home from work this morning. I live not far from here (I can see the Kingsnorth chimney from my bedroom window - on tip toes). I got back home at bang on 3 this morning and could see the helicopter buzzing around in the distance.
I wonder where they are operating that chopper from? Does that airfield have a licence to operate during the night? Even if it has special dispensation for police helicopters I would imagine they would expect it to be used to catch criminals etc and not to intimidate peaceful protesters.

ziggyman99

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

been here before - ZZZzzz...

06.08.2008 06:07

Once upon a time, long, long ago, I was once in a big student occupation which lasted 10 days. The police started to mass on our periphery, regularly in the middle of the night, looking like the big raid would start. This was to keep us awake. We decided to ignore them and sleep. ZZZzzz... Night time police raids would risk injury, even death, very bad publicity for the cops, (even though ACAB is true).

But always be vigilant at dawn.

The police were designed to (mainly) use sub-lethal force. This was because killing (or severely injuring) people tended to be counter-productive - historically it always generated increased resistance. They do not want too many martyrs - especially not too many white middle class ones. Night time raids in darkness would be too unpredictable in this respect.

Sleep is sometimes a revolutionary act. But they often come at dawn. Then arise and resist! Cock-a-doodle-doo!

but until then, ZZZzzzzzzz?

Disclaimer - the opposite can of course happen: i.e. the school - diaz - Genoa 2001 - but then the police (assasini) had different rules of engagement. But kinda negatively proves my point as well.

sleeper

Morning Campers!

06.08.2008 08:24

A suggestion:

The Police (numbered about 1500?) will be working in shifts in order to carry out this kind of psyops. It is very effective, they did a similar thing at Gleneagles during the G8, there where many stressed people there and even some arguments and in fighting as a result. I't obvious to me, that with the numbers of campers there the best way to deal with this is to mimmic the police and always have a number of people on shift to deal with the police on shift. Meanwhile someone should go out and buy (actually I best not say it here, it's not illegal but the police will be looking for it when you come back and comfiscate it anyone got a secure email address, I'll email you, or is there a site phone to text it to?) everyone can sleep safe in the knowledge that the lets say 200 people on "call" can deal with police. obiously this means some people will have to sleep throughout the day and miss events, but it seems better than having the whole camp shattered and demotivated. the 200 people (if it's 200) can be rotated to give constant cover. I understand the camp is organised in areas where people come from. This makes it easy to organise e.g: 2am - 8am - London, - 8 am - 2pm - Nottingham. etc, etc.

Sorry I can't be there, and I wish you all the best.

fly Posters

The other side of psyops...

06.08.2008 12:34

Don't forget the helecopters aren't just there to break the campers. The noise and upset at odd hours is to break the local residents as well so as to create dischord and a backlash against the camp....

What I don't get is why you guys always blame the police for psyops tactics. The vast majority of them aren't bright enough to formulate such complex tactics, and it's beyond their remit anyway. The directives clearly come from the (marginally brighter) "security" services, either directly or otherwise.

The other side of psyops...

tactics comment

06.08.2008 14:11

This for fly Posters - what you mentioned about having nightshifts 200 or so strong sleeping throughout the day is a good tactic, and hopefully reading this from camp could take it through to the plenaries. Having one neighbourhoodf taking turns on this wouldn't be so good, but maybe being shared between blocks of three 'hoods at a time, will make sense - if it was one whole neighbourhood at a time, they would be knocked out of the whole camp process, of cleaning, cooking, and camp-wide morning decision-making...

Pink

easy chopper parking

06.08.2008 14:44

when I was there a few days ago the chopper just looked to be parked up (is that the technical term?) on the field (just between the road and the football pitch) opposite the camp main entrance

chopper watch

Policing the camp.

06.08.2008 19:28

I am a serving police officer and am disgusted by the current tactics being deployed against legitimate protestors. This ridiculous use of stop and search powers, police helicopters and PSU officers ( riot police ) is being paid for out of mine and your taxes. I don't pay for people to be persecuted but it seems the govt is quite happy to ignore my opinion ( not for the first time! ). Anyone would think that the camp was full of convicted terrorists not legitimate climate campaigners. The actions that those present are taking are brave and to be supported by the population at large. Don't people understand that there are only 100 months until the " tipping point"?
If I didn't have to take the risk of losing my job ( and therefore being unable to feed my children and probably losing my house ) I would be alongside those involved, a poor excuse I know.
Well done to all of you involved.

JB/pink

06.08.2008 23:00

firstly to pink, good point about hoods thanks, also the thing i was worried about police confiscating actually would be quite easy to smuggle in thinking about it - they are very small. it's ear plugs. :)

JB - I used to work as a support worker for the homeless for a charity, who over time became a business funded by local and national government. As a result they had to say "how high" when the council said "jump". With the introduction of ASBO's often used against homeless people to further criminalise them, and the compliance of the "charity" I worked for, I made my plan of escape. I went part time for a year, went back to college for a year, and am now a self-employed carpenter. I understand it is hard to just quit when you have obligations, but you can find a route out even if it takes time.

good luck

fly posters

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