Anarchists hijack police protest

undercurrents | 13.03.2002 20:03

Anarchists turn up at Police protest

Undercurrents recorded the most sureal protest of the year today. Police officers from across Britain gathered around parliament to protest at reforms to the police service proposed by the home secretary, David Blunkett.

Banned from actually demonstrating in uniform or with placards, hundreds of men with skintight haircuts loitered around Westminster seeking more money. One figure dressed as John Bull and covered in Union Jacks displayed a sign
"New Labour, the boys in Blues are sick of you."

The police brass band complete with plastic 'bobbie' helmets drafted in for the day were drowned out when an assortment of Globalisation, enviromental and social justice campaigners turned up with a Samba band. As the media descended upon the activists, d signs were displayed with "Remember the Miners" slogans and others highlighing oppressive policing of protests.

Shouts of " You've had your protest, now go home" were shouted at the throngs of officers as a humourous reminder of what is heard from police at each demonstration. One seething officer from East London told undercurrents that he wasn't "allowed to bring a banner but the anarhcists could, and that it wasn't fair."

The Home secretary attempts at creating a new type of civilian police force has angered many in the force. Some activists called for officers to strike on Mayday and others displayed a banner saying 'Anarchism is Attractive'. A reference to a Lambeth Police Commander who stated the anarchist way of life attracted him.

Meanwhile Mr Blair PM,is still insisting that the majority of police officers agreed with his government. Someone has to we guess.

Photos will be put on www.undercurrents.org

undercurrents
Homepage: http://www.undercurrents.org

Comments

Hide the following 20 comments

Do one bizzy!

13.03.2002 21:00

Ha! Nice one! Police Bastards. I saw a headline saying they were demanding the right to strike. I hope so. There's a sound overcoat in one of the local shops I've got my eye on.

Ronnie.

Hopeless Revolt

13.03.2002 21:03

It's just a shame the toughest weapon/course of action the'globalisation'movement can come up with is a samba band.They're hardly going to pave the way to freedom for all of us.Reminds me of the hari krsnas dancing and singing in the streets,where did that get them or anybody else?

The state and it's system are tough structures to destroy...It'll take more than a samba band,you might as well of stayed at home.

Fight Back!

ThunderAndFire

Like, WHATEVER!!!

13.03.2002 23:53

Yes. And you did stay at home, to write this bitter little bullshit about other people's efforts. What happens here sounds fucking hilarious to me, and fair play to the people who organised it. No, it didn't change the world over night; what's the secret to doing that, O Enlightened One?

Spike Militant

wrong thinking

14.03.2002 00:07

It may be justifiable to steal from a major store when the police are active defenders of the state and capitalist values. But would become reprehensible if they were on strike and inactive. Unless you believe that eternal struggle and conflict is the way, with no resolution, no reformation of society relationships is possible.
And what would be a better way of facing a police demo than a bit of a pisstake and a samba band? A baton charge by a control and restraint trained army of paramilitary anarchists?

Dr X

Shoplifters of the world unite!

14.03.2002 08:41

Sounds like a great protest! Such a pity I´m stuck here in dreary old Barcelona with nothing happening but another crap union march.

Actually, if the cops did go on strike, what I´d really like is to take over a police station (say, West End Central), and turn it into an autonomous squat-cum-collective for the day. We could paint the riot vans pink, do Situationist graffiti on the walls and spray "Anarchy is Attractive" in the superintendent´s office. Such a pity they´ll only turn out the army and have me shot at dawn.

Remember that the revolution will only come when *some people* stop taking themselves so seriously!

Anarchist Rioter

Sulking for the revolution

14.03.2002 17:28

Hmmm... so the choices left for me on wednesday were; stay at home in bed writing nasty rubbish to indimedia, or 'Fight back' which probably translates as chucking a stone while hiding behind the skirts of the main protest, (and probably getting myself beaten to a bloody pulp by the hundreds of fuzz present to boot) or I could participate in an excellent counter demo which was assertive and fun. Thats a tough one.

In fact I think sulking for the revolution could catch on, its cheap, dosent require any effort or imagination at all and anyone can do it. Who knows, there could be millions of people out there doing it RIGHT NOW! Doubtless far more effective than actually mobilising in any way.

Actually fireandthunder, you would have been sooo much more credible if you had turned out all on your own to chuck a brick or something, but I never saw you there, you cowardy custard! Put your money where your mouth is!

(incedentally, the band are well known for stopping conferences, closing stuff down, sparking off spontaneous resistance and doing office occupations, pretty hardcore when playing music at the same time. Beats sulking any day.)

gnasher

hopefilled revolution

14.03.2002 23:18

hhhmmmm, hopeless revolution isnt in the black bloc by any chance is he? does he really expect to defeat capitalism by attacking a bunch of off-duty police officers? in my opinion, there are a few ways open to us to actually bring this well-oiled machine down, and fighting the police directly in small numbers aint it. i personally favour exactly wot we are starting to do at the moment; move our counter-culture protests into the mainstream through demos and marches, and eventually mobilize mass popular support. if u want to attack people, go fight for the taliban.

tylermb

Do what you can

15.03.2002 17:30

Naahh, I reckon hopeless protest or whatever his name is might be a plod. He bloody sounds like one, how many times have they said exactly what he/she says. As in 'come on now its pointless, you may as well stay at home next time'.

Well one thing we seem to have acheived is we've made the plods look like a foolish bunch of hypocrites in the press, its rare our lot get the media doing our work for us and mabe people wil think a bit harder about who are these armed thugs in the pay of the government.

Not got too much against the black block meself, 'cept they do often think they are the whole thing. You can fight using sneakiness, humour, self righteous anger, charm, bricks or infiltration. Theres plenty of choices, and room for us all. Do whatever you can!

Sparkle

police

19.03.2002 02:30

if the police strike why not support them. imagine a pro police black bloc, they wouldn't know what to do.

aot

pork pie fight

19.03.2002 03:40

Maybe next time we could send in agent provocoters to sart a fight and get the police rioting with the riot police. They are all mindless thugs so it wouldnt take much to start a brawl. Then bad media coverage would undermine there cause he he.

wildflower

Yeeha!

19.03.2002 18:18

Didn't that just happen in Madrid? A local police vs state police riot? Sounded pretty cool. We have to start capitalizing on spontaneous events like that.

BTW, this is a little off topic, but are there any solidarity protests being planned in the UK, or elsewhere in Eur. in response to the Kananaskis G8 in June (26-27)?

I heard talk that there were going to be solidarity protests in the Capital of each of the G8 countries...somehow I doubt that'll happen, but wouldn't that be splendid? yeah....yeah it would.

Canuck Kid

Bloody coppers again.

19.03.2002 19:55

I'm sick of hearing about supporting the police. Bollocks to them. Support the trash who covered up their part in Hillsborough? No chance. Oops! Forgot for a minute there. They were working class football supporters and as such, a lower form of life that the all knowing crapheads who call for support for the states boot boys.

Ronnie.

Sick of the anti police comments

21.03.2002 10:26

These anti police comments are getting to the point of juvenile. These guys risk their lives on a daily basis to make sure the scum out there don't attack or rob you. Believe it or not, not everyone out there is as nice as you people, and would think nothing of murdering you for a mobile phone or raping your mum. And who's there to prevent that sort of thing going on? The police. You might think they don't do their jobs properly, but they're the only police we have, and they're underfunded and understaffed and treated like shit just like most public sector workers. The anti police prejudice on here is astounding, and you claim to stand against prejudice?

dnm

Oink!

21.03.2002 15:42

What would we do without our truly wonderful police? Well, James Hanratty, Derek Bentley, Timothy Evans and George Kelly would all still be alive.
The Birmingham Six, Guildford Four, Maguire Seven, Judith Ward, Mark Barnsley, Satpal Ram, M25 Three, Johnny Kamara, Eddie Gilfoyle, John Taft, the Bridgewater Four and Stefan Kiscko would not have spent years in prison for crimes they did not commit.
You're a dickhead if you think we should support them in any way. They're not just another section of the public sector workforce. They're not binmen, postal workers, railway workers, NHS workers. They're nasty bastards who are out to do the state's dirty work. How many park keepers do you know who have handcuffed a black woman and killed her? How many hospital porters have gunned down a mentally disturbed man carrying an ornamental sword? How many school caretakers have shot dead a man carrying a chair leg? How many coppers do you know? They're in their own world and only associate with their own kind. They are cut off from us because of their inflated salaries and conditions. Nuts to them and nuts to anyone who has any sympathy for them.

Ronnie.

anti police comments

21.03.2002 19:25

They shot the guy with a sword because if they hadn't he'd have used it to kill someone, as he was a raving scitsphrenic. If he'd have killed someone you'd have blamed them for not doing their job. A table leg can look like a gun as well, they have to treat every suspicious bloke with an object he claims to be a gun, as such, to avoid public casualties. If the police didn't exist we'd have mayhem, and the weak people in society would suffer a lot more than the skinhead anarchist types. So next time you're walking alone down one of our welcoming multiracial ghettos, thank your lucky stars if it wasn't for the very thin and imperfect blue line we'd be living in a civil war.

dnm

Now's the time.

26.03.2002 05:22

The police have realised that the Goverment is not doing them such a good turn either. Instead of slamming them you should support them in an effort to get them on your side ,unless of course you enjoy having your nose broken and teeth kicked in.At one of the demonstrations at Sellafield ,I heard the police were sharing their sadwiches with the protesters. Now THAT is undermining the authority of the Goverment. You have to at least try to get them on your side. A police state cannot function without a loyal police force.

Firewoman

Now's the time.

26.03.2002 05:22

Firewoman

Why not

28.03.2002 19:56

why not hand out some lealets especially aimed at the police on mayday. I chatted to one for about half an hour, he admitted he was a drone who does what hes told. It was quite a nice chat he seemed quite decent until he started smashing me with his shield when we met another hour later. I think it takes some doing but we should at least try to save them from there own facist stupidity.

block head

Mindless thugs.

23.04.2002 08:57

Since when have the police been mindless thugs?

I'm a police officer and am dismayed with the attitude of many people here. I police a busy town and regularly deal with fights and public order offences. And in two years of operational policing I have never stuck anyone with a baton, or sprayed them with CS irritant/incapacitant. Thou it is on occasion neccessary for police to use this.

I don't know what your local forces do, but we operate a policy of trying to talk people down who are agressively hostile and only using force as a last resort. Then if we can we tend to swamp them with as many officers as possible and use weight of numbers to contain them. Striking someone with a baton isnt something anyone whose thinking properly wants to do but unfortunately is sometimes neccessary. I could just be lucky that I've always managed to talk people into not attacking me or have been in a situation where other tactics have resorted in a non injury arrest. But if I was threatened with a knife or someother weapon i wouldnt hesitate to strike the person with my baton.

It boils down to common sense. Yes there have been miscarriages of justice and yes sometimes officers do behave in an inappropiate manner and use more force then is reasonable to the level of resistance. But this is rare. The majority of police officers do their job with tact and discretion and aim to make the streets safer for you all.

The police like nothing more than a peacefull protest in the capital. Its the hard core anarchists that go along to smash up private property and commit criminal damage that causes the police to restrict your movement at such events.
Further to that, if we get intelligence saying people are going to be carrying weapons or tools with them aimed at assaulting us or to be used to damage property then a S60 order will be put in place to enable us to stop search anyone in a defined area for a defined time. This is state fascism and control. its common sense aimed at protecting the majority of people... both peacefull protestors and police alike, from a few militant ultra left wing anarchists there to disrupt protest for their own agenda.

Once you make it quite clear to the few hardcore disruptors of peacefull protests that they wont be tolerated, then you'll find your relationship with the police at such events is much more amicable.

Mike

Above post

23.04.2002 09:13

Just to clarify because I didnt notice the error in my submission...

I meant to say 'this isnt state fascism' as opposed to 'this is state fascism'.

:-) before some cheeky person misqoutes me somewhere.

Mike
mail e-mail: mjpanne@hotmail.com