UK Newswire Archive
Summary of arrests for March 26th
29-03-2011 20:18
Official police figures for arrests during the Mrach 26th anti-cuts demo.Never Trust a Copper
29-03-2011 19:24
The Guardian has published a video from Saturday's Fortnum and Masons occupation by UK Uncut. Taken by legal observers from Green and Black Cross, the footage shows a police chief inspector telling protesters that they will soon be allowed to leave. Of course, they were all subsequently arrrested.
No doubt most of us can think of instances when Her Majesty's Finest have lied through their teeth at a demonstration, but they're rarely stupied enough to get recorded doing so. When they are, it can have a seriously detrimental effect on an cases which follow arrests.
In Nottingham, on April 1st 2008, "Fossil Fool's Day," 2 activists locked on in front of the Nottingham offices of energy company E.On.
The police arrived around 30 minutes later and at about 9.15am Inspector Will Chell arrived at the entrance and read a Crimminal Justice Act warning. That he "believed that peoples action were intimidating and disrupt an person engaged in a lawful activity. That if people did not leave this land immediately, in this case 10.00am, you will be arrested for failing to leave the land on which you are trespassing, this being contrary to Section 69 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994".
This was widely interpreted as a statement that provided people left by 10am, there would be no arrests. So, at about 9.56am, the two blockaders were unlocked. They were promptly arrested for aggravated trespass. On arrival at Bridewell police station, the charge was substituted to Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. It would later be substituted again, this time to "disorderly behaviour."
The case fell apart on the first day in court, after the magistrate contracted by the Crown Prosecution Service, went to view the police DVD of video material from their evidence gatherers. This had not previously been entered in evidence, and was news to her. It appeared that this showed the same sequence of events as the photographs and audio recording the defence had submitted. Thus, when she returned to court, she said that in the interests of justice, they would offer no evidence. It was not in the public interest to proceed. The magistrates thus formally dismissed the case. The witnesses were all called together and the court apologised to them for the waste of time. Both defendants were thus free to go.
These are just 2 relatively high profile cases in which the police have been stupid enough to go on record lying to people. For them this is routine. Of course, as camera phones and other recording devices become more common on demonstrations this might start to change. Even so, we should never lose sight of the old truism: Never trust a copper.
Notts Strikes, Protests and Marches Against Cuts
29-03-2011 18:24
Last week saw a huge array of anti-cuts actions beginning on Saturday 19th March with a UK Uncut action which saw Barclays Bank and a number of shops targetted. On Tuesday UCU members went on strike in defence of pensions. On Wednesday a protest was held in the Market Square against the budget. Thursday saw a second day of UCU strike action, this time around pay and conditions with a rally in the city centre. This was followed by a defend ESOL demonstration. The week was rounded off by the huge anti-cuts demonstration in London which drew anything up to half a million people.
On the newswire: After March 26th–a good day out & a lot more to do | English for speakers of other languages ESOL Rally | University and College Union Strike & Rally | Interview with a striking lecturer | The Lecturers Strike Back | Notts SOS Newsletter #4 March/April 2011 | University staff picket line support from students | Cuts Protest @ Vodafone, BHS, NatWest, TopShop etc | Barclays Bank visited by anti-cuts protesters | ESOL Cuts Will Devastate Language Education
Previous features: Notts Joins March Against Cuts | Resistance to Nottingham City Cuts | No Cuts in Nottingham! | Notts Uncut campaigners shut Natwest Bank | Notts County Council workers strike against cuts | Notts students protest EMA cuts | Notts Occupation Ends; Resistance Continues | Uni of Nottingham occupied in anti-fees protest | Nottingham students protest cuts | Action against cuts continues in Notts | Week of action against cuts in Nottingham | Notts County Council announce £72m cuts | Notttingham mobilises to save services
Despite the sheer scale of the TUC organised march, Vince Cable was wheeled out to confirm that the government intended to ignore it: “We’re not going to change the basic economic strategy… No government – coalition, Labour or any other – would change its fundamental economic policy simply in response to a demonstration of that kind.” This should not come as a great surprise, nobody seriously expected the government to crumble after one demonstration, but anger about the cuts is not going away. Nor can it be contained by trade union bureaucrats, as the clashes and widespread property damage which followed the main march demonstrate.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber has described this as the end of the “phoney war” and anti-cuts, locally and nationally, campaigners have no intention of giving up. Strike action is planned by the PCS with Nottingham City Unison planning to ballot its members and further protests are inevitable. This struggle is only just beginning.
Brighton JVS: The persecution of the Daraghme family continues
29-03-2011 16:36
The Brighton Jordan Valley Solidarity Group currently have people on the ground in the Jordan Valley. With recent increased settler and army repression it is our aim to keep people in the valley on a permanent basis throughout the year.The following reports are from our volunteers on the ground. Please help us spread information. If you are on twitter you can get our updates by following @jvsolidarity or @brightonjvs
Brighton Jordan Valley Solidarity: Settlers and army collude in ethnic cleansing
29-03-2011 16:34
The Brighton Jordan Valley Solidarity Group currently have people on the ground in the Jordan Valley. With recent increased settler and army repression it is our aim to keep people in the valley on a permanent basis throughout the year.The following reports are from our volunteers on the ground. Please help us spread information. If you are on twitter you can get our updates by following @jvsolidarity or @brightonjvs
Brighton Jordan Valley Solidarity: At home in the Jordan Valley
29-03-2011 16:30
The Brighton Jordan Valley Solidarity Group currently have people on the ground in the Jordan Valley. With recent increased settler and army repression it is our aim to keep people in the valley on a permanent basis throughout the year.The following reports are from our volunteers on the ground. Please help us spread information. If you are on twitter you can get our updates by following @jvsolidarity or @brightonjvs
Pictures from March For The Alternative (part 3).
29-03-2011 16:13
Palestine Today 03 29 2011
29-03-2011 16:05
Legal challenge to nuclear power stations launched
29-03-2011 15:57
Oldbury is due to stop generating electricity at the end of 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/6705243.stm Yet it continues!
Syria Today 03 30 11
29-03-2011 15:44
Emergency laws have been used since 1963 to stifle political opposition, justify arbitrary arrest and give free rein to a pervasive security apparatus.Protesters want political prisoners freed, and to know the fate of tens of thousands who disappeared in the 1980s.
Pictures from March For The Alternative (part 2).
29-03-2011 15:41
Extreme Sound Anti-Nuclear Compilation Now Available To Purchase!!
29-03-2011 15:37
The Black Bloc - How to Avoid Negative Press and reveal Agent Provocateurs?
29-03-2011 15:29
Following the widespread slander of Black Bloc tactics across the board in the mainstream media, and throughout liberal protest groups, and in the light of recent evidence of agent provocateurs being among us, it seems like it is the right time for a debate on how to distance the black bloc from negative media attention, or at least to attempt to carve a distinction between those who wish to target specific symbolic targets of global capitalism, and those who are just looking for a ruck with the cops. Debate?Pics: Marching against the Cuts!
29-03-2011 15:22
Loads of people and some nice signs.
The only way to make the day even better would have been for the sun to come out!
Pictures from March For The Alternative (part 1).
29-03-2011 15:22
Planned regime change in Libya
29-03-2011 14:57
Imagine the hypocrisy. US-style "humanitarian intervention" reigns death and destruction "to protect the Libyan people." Recall how "shock and awe" protected Iraqis, how war on Afghanistan helps Afghans and neighboring Pakistanis from predatory drone and ground attacks. Libyans are now tasting imperial viciousness firsthand.
In fact, all US wars are imperial, not humanitarian, a long discredited propaganda ruse major media reports don't explain. Instead they cheerlead for war no matter how lawless, mindless, destructive or counterproductive, spreading malicious misinformation to justify intervention, concealing or downplaying the fallout from all conflicts let alone why they're waged.
French plans to topple Gaddafi on track since last November
29-03-2011 14:43
According to the Italian journalist Franco Bechis, plans to spark the Benghazi rebellion were initiated by French intelligence services in November 2010. As Miguel Martinez from the progressive ComeDonChisciotte website observes, these revelations which have the blessing of the Italian secret services should be interpreted as the sign of existing rivalries within the European capitalist camp..>
http://www.voltairenet.org/article169069.html