EMERGENCY LAWS FOR JUBILEE
Andy B | 04.06.2002 22:59
We are under arrest, but we have committed no crime. Our most basic rights have been trampled, but we have nothing to hide. Our personal information will be held in a Metropolitan Police computer for the next seven years, but we have not been charged with any offence.
Who are we? The only people in the UK who dared to speak out against ruling class oppression on the so-called "Golden Jubilee" weekend.
The "Execute the Queen Street Party" was supposed to begin at Tower Hill tube @ 10:30 am. Since no-one really takes the Movement Against the Monarchy very seriously, I didn't expect many people to turn up. When I got there at 11 am, there were about fifty of us, versus seven van loads of TSG (riot cops), plus officers from the Forward Intelligence (FIT) Team.
After about half an hour, a rumour started going around that the organisers had called the whole thing off and just wanted to retire to the pub. Frankly many of us had come on very long journeys and were totally gutted that Ma'm hadn't even bothered to address this to the crowd. A breakaway group of around three dozen activists therefore decided to do an impromptu action - we would try to leave Tower Hill and make the cops follow us. We did not intend to disrupt the Jubilee celebrations. Even if we had wanted to, there were eleven thousand cops on duty, and twenty of us . . . go figure!
Ten minutes of fun and games later, we had been brought to a halt by the TSG. We were told that we would be detained for half an hour, and then released. An hour and a half later, a massive white bus with the word "police" painted on the front turned up, and everyone was arrested. I was taken onto the bus first by officer U2240 and searched. Ten others were also taken on board. One activist started shouting slogans, so the TSG broke into the Beatles's song "Yellow Submarine" to drown him out. We responded by singing "We all live in a fascist regime" to the same tune. It turned out that I had met my arresting officer before on a Palestine demo in Kensington. We drove first to Shoreditch police station, where one juvenile was released, and three others taken into the custody suite. The remaining seven of us then continued on to Islington police station, where we arrived at a quarter to three.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in a police cell, where I was to remain for the rest of the day. On the Custody Record, it is simply written that I was "ONE OF A GROUP OF 20 OUTSIDE TOWER HILL BELIEVED PRESENT TO CAUSE BREACH OF THE PEACE AGAINST JUBILEE ARRESTED ON INSTRUCTIONS OF CHIEF SUPERINDENDENT WEBB WITH FITS EVIDENCE."
The two words to look out for here are "believe" and "evidence". Being arrested to prevent a breach of the peace does not mean that you have been accused of a crime. It simply means that the police believe a crime may be committed in the future, and have arrested you to prevent this. Imagine a world where anyone can be arbitrarily detained in any situation because a police officer finds it convenient to believe that a crime will be committed. This brings me onto the second part - evidence. What evidence did the Forward Intelligence Team supply to Supt. Webb that led to 50 peaceful protestors being arrested? That some of us are anarchists? And if so, is anarchism now de facto a criminal offence?
It seems that you no longer need to have committed an offence to be treated like a criminal. In future, the suspicions of a senior officer will be enough to clear politically embarrassing protests off the streets for as long as this is required - in this case, about seven hours. Surely this treatment is in violation of English common law (which guarantees freedom of speech and assembly), not to mention European law . . .
During my incarceration, I was refused access to a solicitor, in spite of repeated requests. None of us were given food, even though we had been detained for the best part of the day. One protestor who rang the bell to fetch the custody sergeant was sworn at and told that the bell would be disconnected if he rang it again. No-one in authority has had the courage to talk to us face-to-face to explain why we have been singled out for this treatment. The National Front are routinely allowed to march through sensitive areas - why not us? The cops tell us that we have to apply for permission to hold a protest - but what's the use when they'll never grant it in the first place?
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever."
George Orwell.
The "Execute the Queen Street Party" was supposed to begin at Tower Hill tube @ 10:30 am. Since no-one really takes the Movement Against the Monarchy very seriously, I didn't expect many people to turn up. When I got there at 11 am, there were about fifty of us, versus seven van loads of TSG (riot cops), plus officers from the Forward Intelligence (FIT) Team.
After about half an hour, a rumour started going around that the organisers had called the whole thing off and just wanted to retire to the pub. Frankly many of us had come on very long journeys and were totally gutted that Ma'm hadn't even bothered to address this to the crowd. A breakaway group of around three dozen activists therefore decided to do an impromptu action - we would try to leave Tower Hill and make the cops follow us. We did not intend to disrupt the Jubilee celebrations. Even if we had wanted to, there were eleven thousand cops on duty, and twenty of us . . . go figure!
Ten minutes of fun and games later, we had been brought to a halt by the TSG. We were told that we would be detained for half an hour, and then released. An hour and a half later, a massive white bus with the word "police" painted on the front turned up, and everyone was arrested. I was taken onto the bus first by officer U2240 and searched. Ten others were also taken on board. One activist started shouting slogans, so the TSG broke into the Beatles's song "Yellow Submarine" to drown him out. We responded by singing "We all live in a fascist regime" to the same tune. It turned out that I had met my arresting officer before on a Palestine demo in Kensington. We drove first to Shoreditch police station, where one juvenile was released, and three others taken into the custody suite. The remaining seven of us then continued on to Islington police station, where we arrived at a quarter to three.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in a police cell, where I was to remain for the rest of the day. On the Custody Record, it is simply written that I was "ONE OF A GROUP OF 20 OUTSIDE TOWER HILL BELIEVED PRESENT TO CAUSE BREACH OF THE PEACE AGAINST JUBILEE ARRESTED ON INSTRUCTIONS OF CHIEF SUPERINDENDENT WEBB WITH FITS EVIDENCE."
The two words to look out for here are "believe" and "evidence". Being arrested to prevent a breach of the peace does not mean that you have been accused of a crime. It simply means that the police believe a crime may be committed in the future, and have arrested you to prevent this. Imagine a world where anyone can be arbitrarily detained in any situation because a police officer finds it convenient to believe that a crime will be committed. This brings me onto the second part - evidence. What evidence did the Forward Intelligence Team supply to Supt. Webb that led to 50 peaceful protestors being arrested? That some of us are anarchists? And if so, is anarchism now de facto a criminal offence?
It seems that you no longer need to have committed an offence to be treated like a criminal. In future, the suspicions of a senior officer will be enough to clear politically embarrassing protests off the streets for as long as this is required - in this case, about seven hours. Surely this treatment is in violation of English common law (which guarantees freedom of speech and assembly), not to mention European law . . .
During my incarceration, I was refused access to a solicitor, in spite of repeated requests. None of us were given food, even though we had been detained for the best part of the day. One protestor who rang the bell to fetch the custody sergeant was sworn at and told that the bell would be disconnected if he rang it again. No-one in authority has had the courage to talk to us face-to-face to explain why we have been singled out for this treatment. The National Front are routinely allowed to march through sensitive areas - why not us? The cops tell us that we have to apply for permission to hold a protest - but what's the use when they'll never grant it in the first place?
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever."
George Orwell.
Andy B
e-mail:
andyblackbird@hotmail.com
Comments
Hide the following 13 comments
traitors all
04.06.2002 23:32
rob dearan
Food for thought.....
05.06.2002 01:40
We were also told they'd be out in two hours. We weren't told that some of them had already been released - luckily we were outside the pub opposite a short while later adn saw a couple of others coming out.
La luche sigue!
W@
W@
e-mail:
womblemedic@bigfoot.com
Homepage:
http://www.wombles.org.uk
Rob Dickhead more like
05.06.2002 02:25
by not wanting to take part in over the top celebrations for a monarchy that isn't even british?
if there is one thing i know my grandad didn't die for during WW2 its wankers like you.
shape up or ship out?
good lord, go back to reading the Sun moron.
daniel gurney
The lowest form of wit . . .
05.06.2002 11:32
To clarify, I don't think many anti-capitalists in the UK think that the monarchy is a very important issue. We are far more interested in what is going on in Palestine than in what happens on some anti-monarchy street party. This is probably the reason why 20,000 people came to the Palestinian demo on Trafalgar Square and about 50 people turned up to the anti-Jubilee protest.
However, by repressing us, the police have turned this into a free speech issue. It doesn't matter if you support the monarchy or not - the whole point about living in a "democracy" is that you are allowed to say whatever you want without fear of unjust persecution. Obviously this can't always apply to murderers and fanatics, but the Movement Against the Monarchy is hardly a major threat to state security. After all, there were 11,000 cops on duty yesterday and fifty of us!
The arrests have unwittingly exposed the whole Jubilee lie - the lie that claims monarchy to be representative of British democracy. The truth is that we live in a police state, and persons guilty of thought crime can now be arbitrarily detained for however long is takes to humiliate and demoralise them. Rob might not believe me, but he might start engaging his brain when the cops come knocking on his door!
Andy B.
Andy B
e-mail:
andyblackbird@hotmail.com
stop whinging
05.06.2002 11:58
rob dearan
Taking Action
05.06.2002 12:06
On 4th June about 40 people were arrested. Most were enjoying a quiet drink in a pub after a small Movement Against the Monarchy demonstration. The arrests were “to prevent a breach of the peace” seemingly to prevent any further demonstrations. Most of the 40 were herded onto two double decker buses and driven around for an hour and a half before being taken to 8 police stations and lacked in the cells.
This seemed to be a new tactic by the cops. As well as publicising this we need to consider taking action against the cops. LDMG is happy to co-ordinate this, but we don’t know everyone who was arrested. Please email us your details. We will organise a meeting for those arrested shortly, so we can decide what to do next. Please forward this e-mail.
Legal Defence & Monitoring Group
e-mail:
ldmgmail@yahoo.co.uk
know yur place poor but loyal
05.06.2002 13:36
bnp sexoffender/fred west
Get Off Our Land!
05.06.2002 15:08
Does class not matter any more..? Or is it just about not wearing Nike trainers or eating in Starbucks..? If we wanna help the struggling workers, the peasants and the poor in other parts of the world who are dying at the bloodied door of globilization, then we've got to start dismantling the capitalist state here at home...starting with the ruling class. The Countryside Alliance plan to invade our city on Sept 2nd 2002, let's be there to fucking do the bastards!
Let's barricade all the main roads into London with huge street parties, and celebrate working-class resistance to rural upper-class rule.
Dawn Fox Class Warrior
quoi?
05.06.2002 16:32
"we wanna help the struggling workers, the peasants and the poor in other parts of the world who are dying at the bloodied door of globilization"
make your mind up!
bit confused
Ah, the tangy whiff of rebellion brewing !!
05.06.2002 23:30
Thanks for that Orwell quote, a sparkling gem that has a very good chance of making it onto the list of future clichees.
Now, I would like to contribute to republican spirit and the upcoming party in Cambridge on June 22 a juubullee-remix of everybody's favourite old jingle - a neo-classical national original - so let us all sing along together, little brothers:
1. Blair save our 'stapo Queen,
Long live our Nazi Queen,
Blair save the Queen!
Batta-Batter-Bim-Bam-Bomb-Glorious,
Nuclear-Wintorious,
Long to herrsch over us;
Blair save the Queen!
2. O Lord our Blair arise,
Laser blind Wombles' eyes
And harshly crucify;
MI5 confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee Bushes hopes are fix'd,
Blair save us all!
3. Thy choicest (tax-free!) dodge
On her be pleased to splodge;
Long may she hoard;
Defend she her dummy sprogs,
And ever give us cause
To sing like whimp'ring dogs,
Blair save the Queen!
4. Now in this jail alone,
Be Thou M'am's torturers known,
From shore to shore!
Beating balls 'til the people see,
They dare not question Thee,
But will form one family,
Of Fear and Slavery!
5. From evil Towel-Head foe
And Charly's dealer's Blow,
Blair save the Queen!
O'er her Thine grin extend,
Ill-gotten gains defend,
Our granny, drain, and 'friend';
Blair save the Queen!
6. Blair grant that Cruise-Miss-Isle,
May by Thy cunning guile,
True neo-Justice bring.
Napalm sedition shush,
Mini-Nuke torrent rush
Rebellious Scots to crush;
I-i-in-to Ha-ggis Dust!
7. Bishops commandeth Thee,
Wars to justify sneakily,
In the Name of Christ!
How long must folks endure,
Drugged by black-frock'ed Whore
Who serves no True God but Power;
Vengeance is Mine!
8. Shirker-Bee pray Thy Pigs-in-Blue,
To Thee rest e'er so true,
In Democracy Prevention!
Whang an' Chocking heads openus,
Brains to wash-out-for-us
With 'Monarchy Beer', of course;
Swine save the Queen !!
Copyleft 2002 by BlackPope P.T.C.
'Monarchy Beer' and 'Napalm Precision Skincare' are registered trademarks of the BlackPope Persuasion-Technology Corporation, an unbounded entity registered on some moon of Saturn but also claiming jurisdiction over Earth, and by just reading our words you have already signalled your agreement to being sued shitless for infringement of, eh, like, our shit, or something - or, at our discretion, being used in product-testing until the 'War against Expensive Oil' is either offically started or ended, the chronologically latter applying.
For best effect, sing above ditty in stern-faced bunches of >=50, all identically attired in the height of SS-Leatherwear-Fashion, to full orchestral accompaniment, rowed cheek by jowl and heels slammed tightly together, with right arm stretched palm-down toward the rising Saturn moon - on national TV !!
The BlackPope Jubilee Challenge; Rules, Prizes and Special Offer Details !!
In fact, the first group thus dressed and posing to render any 4 verses of this to the Nation (we're not fussy which one) via TV-appearance (quiz show / live news / talent-spotting / MTV, etc.) will be sponsored by BlackPope P.T.C. to the tune of 50 Jubilee crates of Monarchy Beer, or, optionally, the metric weight equivalent from our range of Napalm Suppositories, Anti-Personnel-MiNIFuD's (=MicroNuclearImplodingFusionDevice) or Supersonic Palace-Penetrating Scud-Missiles. These latest models have been excessively tested and found to also be pretty damn useful against the hardened hovels of Mud-People. We also offer a fully automated Space-based-Laser platform suitable for training democratic obedience in Third-World-Devils with just a lazy flick of the remote - call now for catalogue and rates!! Bulk Discount of 20% if you order >1000 units, and we'll even throw in the 'SBL Networking Protocol' for a more efficient application of mass, uhm, democracy, free, to you, our valued customer. (N.B.: Only NeoFascistNations where the majority of the population has a fairly light complexion need apply for our patented 'SBL Democracy-Enhancement-Technology' - the rest of you can call about day-jobs as cleaners in our union-free roboticized off-world fabrication-hives)
Just send 1 video (DivX preferred) proof-of-concept to *>
And don't forget, Kids, always bring a crate of Monarchy Beer to the demo, it is best for rinsing and soothing your bedevilled brain of any dirty, resentful thoughts after having had your skull steamed open by a Thick Pig sporting M'am's Badge of Shame in an exercise of 'Offensive Democracy'(TM).
All Kneel before the Mighty BlackPope Challenge !!
BlackPope
Oh, yeah, to W@
05.06.2002 23:55
la _lucha_ sigue!
and:
viva la revoloucion!
See link for further inspiration,
Regards, PL
PondLife
Homepage:
http://www.granma.cu/ingles
"God Save the Queen"
11.06.2002 00:02
As far as third world workers go, Anarchism should be aboute all workers including ones in the west. All poltics is local potlics!
Johny Roker
"God Save the Queen"
11.06.2002 00:11
As far as third world workers go, Anarchism should be aboute all workers including ones in the west. All poltics is local potlics!
Johny Roker