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Police attack Cardiff peace protest

Col_Buendia | 21.03.2003 12:40

After three hours of peaceful protest, the Cardiff police attack protestors on an anti-war demo

To update the earlier info, after protestors had brought Cardiff city centre to a halt for three hours last night, enduring 'dirty tricks' from the police who sent spurious ambulances and even tried to get a fire engine to drive through the crowd in order to open a gap in the road blocakde, they cops finally let the mask slip and attacked the protestors around 8:45pm. Despite the fact that at NO POINT had there been any violence on the demo, except for that which the cops themselves instigated trying to clear the road in the wake of the protestors moving to let the ambulance through, they decided to pile in to arrest some of the protestors, and provoke a confrontation with the rest. One person was hospitalised with a split head after being hit with a truncheon on the BACK of his head as he was running away from the police lines - brave old PC Plod, battering people on the run. The cops chased witnesses away, claiming that they would call an ambulance, but one couple returned to find the young man still lying on the ground, 10 mins later, blood gushing from his head and no call having been made by the cops for an ambulance. Fortunately several people witnessed this violent assault, and the number was noted of the police officer involved. Despite the police violence, the whole evening's demonstration was good natured and hugely empowering - lets keep up the pressure!

Col_Buendia
- e-mail: bozavine@yahoo.co.uk

Comments

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They didn't know how to handle it

21.03.2003 14:44

Seemed to me that the police just didn't know how to handle it. They made some attempts to break the blockade with ambulances, trying at one point to physically remove protesters. But when people resisted they backed off, and were overheard saying 'there's too many of them.'

Not sure why they moved in so hard when they did, given that they'd let us have the run of the city for so long. Maybe they'd been waiting for instruction from above, maybe they simply didn't have the man power to take on so many and were waiting for the crowd to thin and for an opportunity to split us up. Maybe they started to think that they were in danger of completely losing control:-)

There's always the possibility that they just didn't have a clue what they were doing.

Given all that they did lash out very hard at people who had been entirely peaceful (even if a little bit disobedient!) Hope the injured fella was okay after.

la la


well who would have thought......?

21.03.2003 14:51

i know it's sounds a bit cliche' but....
i've never seen such a diverse bunch of people at a demo "ever", people of all ages, from a few months old to war veterans, many races and religions, all under the banner of opposition to this illegal war.

whilst sat on my arse, i kept looking around gawping, i always knew cardiff had it in 'em.

really fantastic night, shame those pesky peeps in the funny yellow jackets have to always spoil people's fun though......

....it's been suggested on the other cardiff related thread that we should plan a similair action next week, i have to agree. time for prep etc, will, i think, be greatly appreciated by many of those concerned....

anyhoo.....
"WELL DONE!!!!!!!!" xxxxxxxxx.

snooch