Violent Arrest in ULU

A young woman was dragged by police from the ULU Cafe this lunchtime as shocked students looked on and tried to remonstrate with policemen. The woman is thought to be an activist for the ULU-based 3Cosas campaign, which works with cleaners in Bloomsbury to fight for pension rights and holiday and sick pay. University staff called police after people were allegedly seen chalking on the pavement outside the union building and on a small patch of Senate House Library, complaining of criminal damage to a Grade II Listed Building. The plaque on Senate House, which commemorates the founding of the building, had been chalked but later displayed no signs of damage after washing.

The arestee outside ULU surrounded by police

Chalking in front of the ULU building in support of the 3Cosas campaign

Photographs by Hubert Libiszewski

In a statement issued shortly after the event, ULU President Michael Chessum said: “The actions of both the police and the University today were a disgrace. The University must issue an apology, and intervene with the authorities to prevent charges being brought. If calling the police is an attempt to intimidate the 3 Cosas Campaign, it will not work.”
The woman was seen to be talking to two uniformed policemen in the foyer of ULU with a group of other activists. Shortly after that, she was seen to be pinned down on the floor by two policemen and arrested, screaming from the pressure exerted on her. She was dragged out of the building by two policemen while her friend was forcibly restrained. In the struggle, several tables were up-ended as police fought to keep a grip on the man, threatening to charge him with breach of the peace as he told them repeatedly to “Fuck off."
A riot van and extra police car pulled up to offer back-up, leaving the woman surrounded by an estimated seventeen officers. She was held outside on the road for around fifteen minutes before being shut in a van by a smirking policeman.

Hannah Sketchley (repost)
Homepage: http://cheesegratermagazine.org/news-blog/2013/7/16/violent-arrest-in-ulu.html

Additions

Statement on police invasion of ULU building and attack on the 3 Cosas Campaign

17.07.2013 04:55

A statement from the ULU sabbatical officers

Police today invaded the University of London Union building on Malet Street, assaulted a number of student activists, and arrested someone – all on the orders of the University of London. University staff asked police to intervene after they allegedly saw someone chalking on University property.

Campaigners were protesting to highlight the fact that the University of London does not pay its outsourced staff holiday pay, sick pay or pensions. If there are “crimes” on campus, it is the fact that many of the people who clean our buildings and cater our events cannot properly take days off when they get sick, have inadequate time to visit their relatives, and work significant periods of their lives with no prospect of a decent pension.

Chalk can be washed off – that is the whole point of chalk. Universities are supposed to be academic communities. They are supposed to be places in which the freedom to dissent is enshrined, and in which the community can collectively and critically exist. In this case, University managers and the police worked together to attack this. If calling the police is an attempt to intimidate the 3 Cosas Campaign, it will not work.

The actions of both the police and the University today were a disgrace. The University must issue an apology, and intervene with the authorities to prevent charges being brought.

If you want to support the 3 Cosas Campaign, assemble at 1pm at Senate House tomorrow to keep up the pressure on the University. (facebook event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/471828312901861/?fref=ts)

If you have opinions or witness statements, please email them to one of us:

Michael Chessum, ULU President –

Michael.chessum@ulu.lon.ac.uk
Daniel Cooper, ULU Vice President –

Daniel.cooper@ulu.lon.ac.uk
Susuana Antubum, ULU Women’s Officer –

Susuana.antubum@ulu.lon.ac.uk

A photograph was taken at 14:13 today of the alleged site of the chalking. The chalk had already been washed off. Video footage of incidents will be posted in due course.

ULU sabbatical officers
Homepage: http://www.ulu.co.uk/news/index.php?page=article&news_id=376653

3 Cosas Summer Of Action Protest

17.07.2013 05:07

Support the cleaners and other outsourced workers at the University of London in this protest, which constitutes Week 6 of the SUMMER OF ACTION. Your support is crucial in helping the outsourced workers communicate to the University of London management that this campaign will continue and the pressure will increase until we have established humane working conditions for all workers at the University.

13:00 until 14:30
Senate House
Malet St WC1E 7HU

Even more important given that the University called the police on an activist today for allegedly chalking slogans in support of the 3 Cosas campaign.

3 Cosas Campaign
Homepage: https://www.facebook.com/events/471828312901861/

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

Sue their arses

17.07.2013 00:07

What bullshit. That cops taking the piss. Good you got it on camera.

And what wimpy tossers the students who sat back and watched were. Pathetic.

Civilised society!

18.07.2013 06:38

It hardly needs to be said after seeing that video.
Is this how people should be treated for chalking on walls to educate people about inequality and social injustice?
Teachers all over the world chalk on walls for these same reasons.
Each and every one of those constables attending should have been challenged on their understanding of keeping the peace, and upholding the law.
Where is their evidence of criminal damage?

Well done for documenting and publicising the gratuitous and abusive assault of these students. This is abuse of police power.

Standing there

Chalking is criminal damage

19.07.2013 02:07

Both permanent and temporary damage including stickering and chalking are criminal damage. See Green and Black Cross legal notes or just google many other recent examples.

Onlyme
Homepage: http://greenandblackcross.org/node/13

brutalise and criminalise those hopscotch playing kids

19.07.2013 10:06

After all Britain has quite simply been ruined by decades of hopscotch - so why not taser the little kids next time they chalk a pavement?

After all, it is illegal...........

The law is an ass

Hopscotch

19.07.2013 21:16

Indeed a 10-year old girl in Kent was warned by police over precisely that earlier this year, just google it. I'm not celebrating the fact, just know what the law is.

Onlyme

@onlyme

19.07.2013 21:55

Obviously not a warning.....

You are correct about the Kent incident.

However, the BBC report includes this:

"A police spokesman said: "From the circumstances described, it would not appear to have been necessary to advise the young girl that chalking a hopscotch grid may be criminal damage and illegal."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-22475517

Which suggests that police are supposed to exercise some discretion in the matter. The video makes it clear that their conduct inflamed the situation at ULU. Perhaps they don't know that before Universities became fee charging pushers of neoliberal ideology, they actually advocated values like free expression and tolerance. And students got better treatment for free!!

I've watched the video again and it is disgusting on so many levels.

The law is an ass

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