UK Indymedia

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Open Letter from TPTG

06-10-2011 20:43

Open Letter to the British internationalist/anti-authoritarian/activist/protest/street scenes (and to all those concerned with the progress of our enemies)

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Police clamp down on young Cambridge arsonists

06-10-2011 12:32

An outbreak of wheelie bin fires in Cambridge has led to young arsonists facing action from police.

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The Real Reason Why Police Cage Peaceful Protestors

05-10-2011 18:46

On Saturday, the Occupy Wall St. movement marched on the Brooklyn bridge in New York. Police officers cut the demonstrators off from the exits, entrapping them on the bridge, in the rain, before carting off as many as 700 to jail. In the story below, British journalist Dan Hancox writes about how corralling peaceful protestors, or "kettling," was used by Britain's conservative government to steamroll resistance to their drastic austerity agenda. As the Occupy Wall St. movement spreads to cities all over America, we may see much more of this type of policing of public space to quell protests. (AlterNet Editor's note)

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Project champion spy cameras to be used at Olympics

04-10-2011 18:48

The controversial spy cameras that were part of Project Champion and put up in predominantly Muslim Areas of Birmingham have been sold to other police forces for use during next years Olympics.

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700 Arrested on Brooklyn Bridge as Occupy Wall Street Enters Third Week

04-10-2011 08:16

The "Occupy Wall Street" protests in the financial district took a dramatic turn on Saturday when protesters tried to march across the Brooklyn Bridge. When police arrested 700 of the demonstrators, the event quickly turned into one of the largest arrests of non-violent protesters in recent history. Some protesters claim police lured them onto oncoming traffic on the bridge’s roadway; others said they did not hear instructions from police telling them to use the pedestrian walkway. Meanwhile, similar "Occupation" protests have spread to other cities, including Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles, where hundreds of protesters are now camped out in front of City Hall. We host a roundtable discussion with Marisa Holmes, an organizer with the main organizing group of Occupy Wall Street, called the General Assembly, Marina Sitrin, an attorney who is part of Occupy Wall Street’s legal working group, and Laurie Penny, a writer and journalist who reported on protests in London earlier this summer

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Ed Bauer bailed after 10 days in prison

03-10-2011 09:34

Ed was given bail by Birmingham Magistrates and released after 10 days in prison! Thank you to everyone for your support and all those who attended the solidarity demonstration last Monday! We are still very hacked off about the dis-proportionate and politicised use of criminal justice powers against Ed and now his rather harsh bail conditions. Hopefully the courts will see sense and drop the ridiculous case against all three banner droppers.

Speaking in support of his bail application in court John Hemming MP, a local Liberal Democrat member of parliament for Birmingham Yardley, said:
“Whilst I do not believe he should have put the banner there in the first place, the protest was peaceful and placid and I think it is dis-proportionate to keep him in prison any longer.”

Outside the court over 70 people attended a ‘solidarity’ demonstration. They chanted “free ed bauer” pretty loudly, which could be heard within the court room as the hearing started. Claire Lister, a student at Birmingham University attending the demonstration, said:
“I came here to show my support for Ed being granted bail today. I’m very happy that the magistrate has seen that he is not a danger to the public and there would be no reason to continue his imprisonment for what was basically peaceful protest against the government. He is an important member of the University community and has a lot of support amongst students and staff for the stand he has taken defending our education.”

Michael Chessum, a member of the National Executive Committee of the National Union of Students, commenting on the days events said:
“It is a farce that Ed Bauer has spent over a week in prison for a banner drop, and this can be seen as part of a broader attempt, along with kettles and political charges, to muzzle and intimidate student protest. We are determined not to allow this to stop us from fighting for the right to an education and for a better society.”

There is a press release here:
There are some great pictures of the solidarity demo here (thanks Jon!)

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Five Things That #OccupyWallStreet Has Done Right

02-10-2011 06:14

#OccupyWallStreet protests are now well into their second week, and they are increasingly capturing the public spotlight. This is because, whatever limitations their occupation has, the protesters have done many things right.

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The Photos Mark Kennedy Didn’t Want The World To See

29-09-2011 14:28

Fuck Mark Kennedy, his crocodile tears, and his fucking documentary.

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Brutal cop outed by Anonymous as protestors rally against NYPD.

28-09-2011 11:58

As we watched your officers kettle innocent women, we observed you barberically pepper spray wildly into the group of kettled women. We were shocked and disgusted by your behavior. You know who the innocent women were, now they will have the chance to know who you are. Before you commit atrocities against innocent people, think twice. WE ARE WATCHING!!! Expect Us!

Anonymous

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Bomb Scare brings Cambridge to a standstill.

27-09-2011 19:59

Yesterday afternoon, like a scene from some surreal movie, Cambridge city centre was the scene of a full scale bomb disposal mobilisation, and the city centre was partially closed down and evacuated.

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Protesters scale Council building to call on Tony Ball to resign

27-09-2011 13:48

Today, supporters and residents from Dale Farm staged a protest at Basildon Council buildings calling on Tony Ball to resign. Two protesters, who had scaled the front of the building in order to display a banner reading “Tony Ball RESIGN” were detained by police. They are currently being questioned inside the Council building, but they have not been arrested. The two supporters who had unfurled the banner remained out of reach of police for nearly an hour. More than 50 people gathered around the banner. Ali Saunders, a spokesperson for Dale Farm Solidarity who was at the protest, said “It’s becoming clear that this eviction is a lost cause- Dale Farm has got to stay, Tony Ball has got to go”

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Solidarity Demonstration for Banner Drop Anti-Cuts Activist

26-09-2011 20:49

Our view of today's demonstration in Birmingham...

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This Border Kills: two years of police violence in Calais

24-09-2011 12:10

Over the past two years, activists in Calais have been intervening in and documenting police raids, arrests, beatings, evictions and destruction of property, as part of campaign of resistance against the war on migrants Calais.

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Cops to stop recording ethnicity of stop-and-account subjects

23-09-2011 17:50

Half of police forces nationwide, including 5 of the 10 forces with the worst record for targeting minorities, are to scrap the recording of the ethnicity of people they pull over under stop-and-account powers. The recording is being scrapped as part of the agenda to cut down police red tape. Of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, 21 are to scrap the recording of ethnicity, including West Midlands, Avon and Somerset, Thames Valley, Sussex and Hertfordshire, all of which already rank among the top 10 forces for targeting minorities. A West Midlands police officer is 7 times more likely to enact a stop-and-account on an Afro-Carribean than a white. [1] [2]

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Brighton9: 4 acquitted, 5 Conditional Discharges

23-09-2011 15:09

Four of the uk uncut activists on trial for criminal damage were acquitted at Brighton Magistrates Court this afternoon. The 5 found guilty were sentenced to 6 months conditional discharge and costs of £2000 each.

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Brighton 9: Verdict this Friday

23-09-2011 09:49

On Friday afternoon, after a 9 day trial, the verdict for the 9 activists accused of criminal damage as a result of the Brighton Uncut action at Top Shop on the 4th December last year, will be announced. That day 8 activists super-glued themselves inside the windows of the shop (where they remained for around 4 hours) while a demonstration took place outside. In total 21 people (out of a total of around 50 people who took part) were arrested that day, with many people kettled and arrested outside the shop.

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Undercover Cop film about Mark Stone - first showing

22-09-2011 09:51

A contact of mine managed to attend a private showing of a rough cut of the film about undercover cop Mark Stone. Planned for broadcast by Channel 4 next month, the film maker Brian Hill showed his rough cut at a filmmakers event last week.

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Solidarity Protest for banner drop activist remanded in custody

22-09-2011 09:08

On Friday 16th September, 3 student activists dropped a banner reading "Traitors Not Welcome, Hate Clegg Love NCAFC" for the opening of the Liberal Democrat 2011 conference in Birmingham. All 3 activists were arrested and held in police cells over the weekend, charged with road traffic offenses. At their bail hearing on Monday 19th, 2 were released on bail, whilst the third individual was remanded in custody.

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Of Freedom and Molotovs

22-09-2011 08:26

Of Freedom and Molotovs

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Experiences of a legal observer at Dale Farm

21-09-2011 11:05

Just back from a few nights at Dale Farm. I was on legal observer duty Monday morning 7am - 1pm. Most of it was spent on the gate scaffold observing the bailiffs rearranging their offices, then - when they realised we could see everything - they ordered in a new container to block our view. Not many police around apart from the helicopter. A few tense times when the bailiffs twice put their coffee cups down and organised themselves into groups: once they actually approached the gate but retreated after reading the notice about the lock-in.