Fairford - surveillance and general dodginess
laura | 24.02.2003 18:19
Does anyone else find it fishy that none of the mainstream news reports mention that people were able to pull the gates open with just a few ropes? They all talk about 'storming' and similar general, disorganised expressions, but don't mention how and how easily the gates came open. Cock-up?
Meanwhile, thought it worth mentioning, for those who weren't there, how jumpy the cops were. Wandering around outside the base by bike yesterday afternoon, my companion and I were intermittently followed by cops in vans, in cars and on motorbikes, including being approached and questioned about our intentions as we stood by a crash gate - the motorbike cop in question accused us of wasting police time by acting suspiciously....
A little later, while still cycling on public roads around the base, we had a police helicopter hovering around us for at least 10 minutes - we were careful not to look up, and suspect they were trying for 'intelligence' photos.
Later still, after boarding our coach home, the coach was pulled over by a carload of cops wanting to know where we were going - the driver was doing nothing wrong and taking a perfectly reasonable route - we just happened to be on the road leading past RAF Brize Norton...
Haven't they got better things to do?
Meanwhile, thought it worth mentioning, for those who weren't there, how jumpy the cops were. Wandering around outside the base by bike yesterday afternoon, my companion and I were intermittently followed by cops in vans, in cars and on motorbikes, including being approached and questioned about our intentions as we stood by a crash gate - the motorbike cop in question accused us of wasting police time by acting suspiciously....
A little later, while still cycling on public roads around the base, we had a police helicopter hovering around us for at least 10 minutes - we were careful not to look up, and suspect they were trying for 'intelligence' photos.
Later still, after boarding our coach home, the coach was pulled over by a carload of cops wanting to know where we were going - the driver was doing nothing wrong and taking a perfectly reasonable route - we just happened to be on the road leading past RAF Brize Norton...
Haven't they got better things to do?
laura
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
lazy press
24.02.2003 19:24
The majority of mainstream coverage contains NO comments from protestors + seem to show the typical police confrontations which are often desseminated in order to justify oppressive police practices.
apart from the local rag ( the gloucester citizen ) and a report in the Times - all of the mainstream used an Associated Press wire story - even the fricking Guardian !
pete
and..
24.02.2003 19:31
I don't think theres anything in the fact that the gates were pulled open easily. Whats more disturbing is the aggressive policing that took place compared to previuos demos...
pete