[Glasgow] G8 Anarchists keep the peace as police thugs attempt to incite pub riot
18hz
Stuart Hodkinson. As the central London terrorists were going through
their final preparations to detonate deadly explosive devices and kill
innocent working class people in revenge for the Iraq war, at least
1500 London Met officers were working with more than 10,000 fellow
officers from around the UK to shut down the streets of Scotland and
stop protesters exercising their right to dissent. And it is tonight
becoming disturbingly clear that the police's public threat, as
reported here on Sunday. to target the anti-capitalist group, the
Wombles, has been delivered. Using information from a reliable poster
on Indymedia, what follows is a deeply disturbing account of how a
small network of well-known activists have been subjected to a week of
intimidation and harrassment in which rights and liberties we are
supposed to be defending against the terrorists have been ripped up by
the police themselves. It is no secret that the Wombles have come to
Scotland to join thousands of others in the counter-G8 protests, but
police have been giving them the VIP (Very Important Protester)
treatment. During last Saturday's afternoon Make Poverty History
demonstration in Edinburgh when members of London Met's so called
Forward Intelligence Team (FIT) were filming and photographing
activists, one was overheard warning a known Womble activist that "we
[the police] are going to get you lot this time". According to
Indymedia UK, that promise was kept at precisely 6.30pm on Wednesday
(6 July) evening.
Wednesday, 6 July
Having spent much of the day lamenting the lack of early morning
protests, sleeping and then chopping onions for a large meal at the
Glasgow Convergence Centre in the rented warehouse in Dora Street, a
minibus set off at 6.30 pm taking 8 Wombles and 4 others, including a
one year old child, to camp at the eco-village in Stirling. The bus
had travelled just two blocks when they were suddenly blocked in and
surrounded by five vans of riot police, some 12 police motorbikes and
three vans of police dogs. A police helicopter circled overhead. The
11 people were arrested on suspicion of "conspiracy to cause a breach
of the peace" and then bundled into a police prison transporter van
with tiny blacked out windows and individual cells. This is highly
unusual - such vans are normally used only for prisoners being
transported from police stations to prisons or court and not for
arrests. Over 100 officers are said to have been involved in the
operation, most were reported to have not been wearing their identity
numbers.
The transporter was then escorted as part of a giant police motorcade
with police bikes blocking of street entrances and junctions ahead,
and vans providing cover and front and back of the 11 arrested
suspects. Inside the prison transporter, many of the activists
reported via mobile phones that they seemed to be the target of a kind
of "special forces operation" normally reserved for actual dangerous
criminals or highly wanted suspects - like terrorists - not a group of
friendly anarchists and autonomists whose direct action activities are
mainly focused around squatting social centres and fighting labour
precarity in neoliberal Europe. One of the Wombles said that "it felt
like they thought Bin Laden was in the minibus".
Five of the arrested were dropped off at London Road police station,
which is just five minutes from Dora Street. The six others were
driven around for what seemed a long time, visiting a number of police
stations before arriving at Baird Street station in central Glasgow.
Where they were interviewed and then formally charged. Concerned
friends spent seven hours ringing up every police station in Glasgow
to track the prisoners down before Baird Street finally confirmed
their presence at around 1am. Fortunately, a friend picked up one of
the arrestees child after police had given the arrested mother just an
hour and a half to find someone to pick the child up or it would have
been into the care of social services.
Once in the cells for the night, the prisoners were given no blankets
to keep them warm. One was put in a cell with a glass wall and UV
lights so that officers could watch him - such a set up is usually for
drug addicts or those on suicide watch.
Thursday 7 July
The charges against the group of activists were due to be heard at
Glasgow's Sheriff's court at 2pm. When they arrived, they were taken
to the cells of the court. When some forty supporters arrived at the
court house at 2pm to enter the public gallery, there was a massive
police presence inside and outside - some 30 officers (all in black)
alone were standing in the lobby. In a contravention of normal
practice, the police inside the court informed the supporters when
they would be allowed to go in - normally, you are allowed to enter
the public gallery when you want. The supporters went through the
airport-style security check; they were then individually thoroughly
searched by police and had their pens confiscated on grounds that they
could be used as "offensive weapons". Police also lined the stairs and
escorted people in two's into the public gallery where another 16
police officers were standing, 8 on each side, of the gallery.
The judge entered the court room at 2.30pm (14.30) and proceeded to
make a speech about "the dignity of his court", that he would not
accept any misbehaviour or disruption whatsoever and would use "the
severest powers of contempt of court on anyone" who stepped out of
line. He empowered the police to remove anyone misbehaving. The
proceedings started and first up were hearings for around 12 local
twenty-something males, charged with a variety of petty crimes. Then
at about 4pm, the judge adjourned the session for a 10 minute break.
When the Wombles supporters stood up to leave the public gallery for
that break, a senior police officer notified them that their 11
friends had all been "liberated" and would be waiting outside. The
supporters were "furious" at having been tricked into spending all
that time in the public gallery for nothing.
The 8 Wombles and 3 others were actually charged with "conspiracy to
breach the peace". Despite being released, they remain charged and the
police had up to a year to decide whether to pursue the prosecutions.
When the 40-50 people left the Sheriff's Court at around 4.40pm
(16:40), the group then headed for a pub across a bridge but soon
turned back when some 60 police, this time in yellow bibs, and a
police camera van could be seen lined up across the other side of the
bridge ready to stop and search the group. They eventually found
another pub, The Sharkey's, all the time being discreetly followed by
police vans. After about an hour - during which time the group drank,
watched the TV footage of London (where most were from), and some of
those who had been released attempted to call friends at home to make
sure they were OK after the bomb blasts - (approx. 18.00), 2 police
officers came into the pub and began looking around. A number of
people asked them what they were looking for and why they were in the
pub. According to an eye-witness, the police response was very
aggressive and they began shouting at people and then pushed one man.
Heated words were exchanged and 1 officer began threatening the group
with arrest. The group of activists stood up and asked the police to
calm down.
3 people followed the police outside of the pub and began writing down
their numbers. As the male police officer continued behaving
aggressively, one the of activists said: "get a proper job". The
police response was to push him up against the pub door and try to
arrest him. The activist fell through the pub door, at which point the
2 police officers grabbed, assaulted and arrested another activist who
was simply standing outside the pub. As people started to spill out of
the pub, out of nowhere, 4 minibuses and a few cars containing some 40
to 50 police in all black uniforms (wearing 'e' numbers). Two more
people were arrested for either assault or obstruction. One of the
arrested was a Womble. Some of the group asked the police why they
were provoking a situation "when our minds are in London where our
friends and loved ones could be seriously injured or dead?".
Apparently, a number of female police officers looked upset and did
not look happy with the operation they were on. As this was going on,
some of the police went into the pub to talk to the bar owners.
Some 20 minutes after the incident began and with their friends now
driven away, the group of activists finally went back inside the pub
to finish their drinks. Moments later, a new group of 20 to 25 police
officers entered the pub, including Chief Inspector Brian Murphy of
Pitt Street Central police station in Glasgow, surrounded their tables
and announced: "The bar owner has asked you to leave, finish your
drinks as soon as possible and leave the pub". The bar owner had
apparently said nothing of the sort and was more scared by the
behaviour of the police. When the police were challenged, they
responded by saying "this is not a debate, you've got ten minutes to
drink up and leave". The group stayed for a further 10 minutes and in
that time were constantly harrassed, even followed to the toilets.
When the Wombles and others finally left the pub, they found that a
large number of police had lined entrance across the pub. The police
made a further announcement, demanding that the activists "disperse"
from the area and not in one big group but in small groups of 3 to 4
people. The police were asked under what law was this action being
taken. The response from the officer in charge was "there are many
laws I can use" but failed to state one. The activists then finally
left as requested. It is being claimed that there were five undercover
cops in the pub carpark from Special Branch.
Friday 8 July
Today, the three people arrested outside The Sharkey's pub were
apparently charged with committing a breach of the peace and bailed to
appear before a court in September or October. But tonight there is
still confusion as to whether any charges have been brought or not and
clarification is being sought. At 4pm this afternoon, the police still
had hold of their possessions.
Tonight the harrassment and intimidation goes on. Since around 6pm,
police, including a FIT team, have been moving in and out of a pub
where some of the Wombles are having a quiet drink. On leaving, a
member of the London Met was heard to say "have a good night, hope to
see you in London". 30 minutes later, a stop and search operation was
taking place near to the University - police said they were "looking
for the Wombles". Unknown to them, they had actually just searched
one.
This is threatening behaviour against people who have done a great
service to London-based activists over the last five year in helping
to protect people against police violence on demonstration, in opening
up social centres where we can meet, talk about politics, plan
campaigns and actions, in promoting the ideas of self-organisation and
anti-authoritarianism, and in showing solidarity to oppressed people
across the world. They have also made a huge contribution to help get
people up to Scotland and find accommodation. Given the extent of the
repression against political protest this week in Scotland and the
massive misuse and blatent violation of police powers in that
clampdown, if police harrassment of the Wombles continues, its
intended objective will backfire. Tonight in Edinburgh, after another
small demonstration - this time against war, terrorism and the war on
terror - was met with a huge police presence and declared illegal,
after another day of constant stop and searches, of being filmed and
lied to about what laws are being used and what we must do to comply
with them, more and more people are saying "We are all Wombles".
http://redpepper.blogs.com/g8/2005/07/police_made_goo.html
--
Iain x http://18hz.com
Is there no help for the widow's son?