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'Security' Eject Campaigners From Selfridges

illegal products | 04.08.2002 10:02

A view from inside selfridges on the day people demonstrated against the store continuing to go against their own Christmas pledge to remove illegal products manufactured in Occupied Palestinian terroritories (3rd August 2002).

'Security' Eject Campaigners From Selfridges
'Security' Eject Campaigners From Selfridges


Security guards looked well hyped up inside the store as they patrolled the store and food hall, following groups of people they seem to have recognised.

Others simply threw out anybody they suspected of looking like they might turn out to be a protestor. I spoke to several people thrown out of the store for simply having the wrong sort of clothes on!

As the demonstration gathered outside small groups or individuals entered the store with flags, banners and flyers.

The first I saw of this was when a group of around 7 security started running at full sprint through the store shouting for people to get out of the way. Anyone would have thought they were responding to some life threatening emergency situation as they sent their normal shoppers diving for cover or knocked into them. Indeed their behaviour simply served to reinforce the disruption and drew the attention of many more shoppers.

The pictures show, top left, someone in white overalls being forcefully carried out of the store, top right and two security go to work putting a lone protestor in a wrist lock, both of them bending the persons wrist back as the person shouted they were being assaulted (a female store supervisor simply looked on without comment or intervention) - bottom left and another person is forcefully ejected, bottom right and making a speech gets yet another person ejected.

The security also had video cameras which they filmed many of the ejections with (maybe those people ejected could apply for the footage if they wanted, especially if they were assaulted like several were). People who were dressed smarter and were female giving out flyers seemed to get lighter treatment, first being asked to leave then more carefully ejected.

Several entrances were fully closed and others blocked by security vetting people going in or out.


Previous protest reports and background at:

 http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=33528&group=webcast

 http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=36194

illegal products

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

It was what you didn't see...

04.08.2002 19:55

>I saw a number of people ejected from Selfridges store by
>their security and can't see where the article gets the
>idea that they were heavy handed.

They looked like they were just carrying people out, but trust me (I've been carried/dragged/shoved out a fair few times) while they're holding or pushing you they bend back your fingers, twist your wrists, pinch your arms/legs etc.
Not all of them do that, but the usual staff (i.e. not the one-day ones they hired specially for Saturday) were the worst.

But it's only to be expected. I'm still gonna be goin back

rednblack
- Homepage: http://www.anarchistyouth.net


Removal Techniques

05.08.2002 08:37

In Response to RedNBlack's comments:

Sorry to cut you down but I think I saw a few people being removed quite effectively, without 'pain compliance' techniques. I still didn't see anyone bending fingers or wrists back and I would like to bet you didn't either.

Go back and demo again -

Love & Peave to all

Thinker !!!


Dear 'Thinker'

05.08.2002 09:47

Dear Thinker, just to be clear, I took the pics and I wrote the posting.

If you read the posting you'll see a number of different things described, from 'careful' removals to what I would term assault where these 'security' did go for it in terms of putting people in wrist locks and really bending hands back, exactly as the top right picture shows. I was in the store for almost two hours, I saw it with my own eyes.

Again to be clear, I didn't claim that this happened to everyone during every removal or ejection, it is quite likely you didn't see these techniques used - as you righly say many people were removed without recourse to such methods - but just because you yourself did not see it, does not mean it did not happen during the many instances when people were removed from the store.

Anyway the point of the post was to give some idea of what it was like on the ground floor during the protest, and I hope I gave a balanced view from what I saw myself and what others told me.

illegal products


CCTV footage

05.08.2002 10:33

If anyone who was at Selfridges would like a copy of a letter requesting CCTV footage of themselves inside the store or some more information, please email  info@palestinian-rights.com and we will send one to you straight away.

Campaign for Palestinian Rights
mail e-mail: info@palestinian-rights.com


........

10.08.2002 12:38

"Sorry to cut you down but I think I saw a few people being removed quite effectively, without 'pain compliance' techniques. I still didn't see anyone bending fingers or wrists back and I would like to bet you didn't either. "


Trust me, im a regular visiter of selfridges and the security tehre is brutal, it consists of visible deterrent cops who were brown (cant remmber name, its a priavet compnay, work in M&S as well) and thug like mercenary security who have tiny ear pieces and are plain clothed, these guys are brutal, out of personal expericne one of them stamped on my foot becuase i took a picture of him, and he chased a friend across the road and down an alleyway where i had to drag him off her to allow her to escape without him pummeling her brains out.. Incidentally she was running away cos teh security all tried to grab her after she reacted to one of the guards got to friendly with his hands on her.....

me


answer to by me

10.08.2002 14:23

I don't believe a word of your posting apart from the ones that you couldn't spell. If the security staff have assaulted your friend as you claim, then why the hell hasn't she made a complaint to the police or the store?

Me thinks someone is telling some porkies here..........

Thinker !!!


"Thinker" or "ignorant"?

10.08.2002 21:28

I have been carried from the store several times. Twice security guards *did* twist my hands and fingers and pinch various bits of my body.

I couldn't care less whether you believe me or not, and I will not be making any complaint to the police because it would be pointless. One woman was hit by a guard right infront of several officers in June and they ignored it despite her protestations.

The police and the security guards have one purpose - to ensure business carries on as usual. Mine (ours) is to disrupt it as much as possible.

rednblack
- Homepage: http://www.daawn.cjb.net