obviously free protest still exists as long as it is to the police beat - ie no protest at all.
did anyone see that photo insertion of riot police conflict in washington -a large and peaceful demonstration - in the observer, the liberal's friend, inserted in the middle of an article about bits of wtc occupants' body parts?
what kind of mind assault is this?
and where are the bodies?
the buildings were supposed to have collapsed for chrissakes. which should have left at least a couple of thousand crushed and mangled bodies intact for the finding? or is common sense out the window for the interim? anybody got a scientific explanation? lots of bits and pieces which might take years to identify.
they found a passport from the centre of the inferno after all?

Just a quick question - given that the police use this tactic (nicking on conspiracy charges etc) to get people out of the way and piss them off with a few hours in the cells, with no intention to press charges, is there any scope for suing them for wrongful arrest?

Were any of those people who were arrested charged?

I wish to condemn the police actions but would like to make some suggestions for protestors to combat such illegalities.

Firstly any protestors on probation because of previous actions should inform legal stewards manning a march, so that such actions can be documented especially if police are alleging violence where there clearly has been none and it would also act as a deterrent for maverick pigs.

The Wombles must recognise that their sheer success has caused severe embarrassment to the police and therefore they will use any situation to allege conspiracy suggestions and make trouble. Therefore, from now on, perhaps Wombles could not lead marches but just hang out in a crowd in twosomes or just singularly and only act as buffer zones in times of trouble if you know what I mean. This would diminish the possibility of police being able to abuse the current laws and prevent civil disobedience of this nature.

I saw police move in and arrest people dressed in white overalls. These unfortunate people happened to be at the back of the march. The police appeared to move in without provocation and when I and others asked the reason for the arrests the police responded with stony silence. However we continued to ask and one policeman in riot gear said "I say this only once - they're being arrested on suspicion of causing.... (didn't hear the rest because of the jostling.

A protestor then pointed out that they're clothing (riot gear) was much more likely to give suspicion of trouble.

I followed a few officers (about five) who formed a column and then ran through other cops and into the crowd where they carried out a bloke. It was sickening but kind of surreal. For the next twenty minutes as the back of the march proceeded I was one anxious chap.

I asked a friend if he thought the police stalled the demo at the front so that it was difficult for people to move off whilst they made these arrests. I say this because as soon as the arrests were made the march proceeded smoothly. We had had to wait to move off because we were at the back.

I think the stewards did a good job and the idea to put the London Fire Brigade Union at the back of the procession was a good tactic, police less likely to attack firefighters. However given the fact that the Level was almost empty save for the end of the march it is hard to see what the stewards could have done to stop the police from arresting those dressed in white overalls.

Dare I say but perhaps those wanting to dress in white overalls should think about adjusting their outfits (even getting rid of them altogether) depending on the vibe of the particular demo. Thinking back to Sunday I don't think the police would have arrested anyone in 'normal' clothes. There were a lot of trade union banners on the demo and the more trade unionists and organised workers we can get out to events the better represented our cause will be.
Don't get me wrong I don't wanna diss wombles - it's just an observation.

Then last night on the peace vigil at Whitehall a policeman attempted to start a conversation with me. I just had no time him and told him so. I told him I don't appreciate this nice cop bad cop way of operating. We bickered and then stopped talking.

Ciao for now, Gary Jarvis

Gary's right: it works well as a big media event, it looks dramatic on the telly - but the whole white costume thing doesn't look much like it's working as a practical tactic on the ground. With more numbers, maybe it would... but if it means instant exposure to this sort of response, where the hell are numbers going to come from?

White Overall tactics are about semi-theatrical confrontation. This confrontation can take place on different levels, depending upon context. Now that the police seem intent on criminalising the white overalls, in a way, it makes wombling easier. Simply by turning up somewhere and wearing a white overall, you are being confrontational and pissing off the dibble.
still, though, i think all protest/anti-capitalist groups should diversify tactics during these times of massive police over reaction. For example, Brighton town centre was apparently empty of police on the day of the action, and it would have been good for a number of affinity groups to organise small actions dotted around the city, rather than all turning up at a pre-publicised event, getting herded about, wet and in some cases arrested.

Surely the Wombles should be allowed to dress up in any way they like. If, because of these events, the Wombles lose heart, the police will have won. Or will they? Don't get us wrong, the police have a hard job, and we shouldn't deliberately give them grief. It's their commanders who make the tactical decisions to arrest on this charge/that charge. And of course, the commanders take their cue ultimately from the government.

Tony Blair himself said after Genoa that people have a legitimate right to protest peacefully. He needs to pass that message on to his police officers. Surely, in one of the apparently “civilised democracies” the police should demonstrate a little more constraint.

If their attempt was to ensure the subservience of the crowd on this occasion, maybe they succeeded. However, in the long term, they have to realise that all they have achieved is the creation of more civil unrest—next time, the demonstration will be bigger. In general, people who are innocently arrested become more—not less determined—to make their case. Even those who witnessed the events will be more inspired (as we ourselves are now inspired by simply having read the story).

The government knows that media coverage will invariably focus on violence if there is any. The point of any demonstration is almost completely overshadowed by the details of any violence. Those who protest against the state of the world must not lose. If they lose, the whole world loses. That includes the members of the government, the families of the police officers (who, we must never forget, are only doing their job), the people who believe the protestors are all loonies, and the billions of people around the globe who don’t care either way.

The only chance of that happening is if the real message is allowed to gradually filter through. That involves peaceful protest, not violent confrontation. If a protest gets to the stage where the Wombles’ padding comes in useful, the point of the protest is already lost. We need to think and act positively, so maybe it’s time for the Wombles to show themselves. The Wombles are, as far as we’re aware, non-violent, and we support their protest whatever they choose to wear. All we ask is that they consider the above.