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Police opression and intimidation in Manchester

Thomas J | 22.03.2003 21:22 | Anti-militarism | Repression

After the Manchester rally, the police penned in about 30 protesters in Bridgewater Street. They also intimidated and used heavy handed tactics against thoses trying to support them.

The anti-war march in Manchester was realtively peaceful, and so was the rally in Castlefield, until the police, unprovoked, tried to seal us in. About 30 protesters, many of them (but not all) Muslims, were held at a corner in Bridgewater Street at 4pm, much to the dismay of many protesters. The police said they would be released if they the remainder of the crowd were to disperse, but we stood our ground as we realised they could easlily arrest them if we were to leave. The police tried to pesuade us to move to the pavement, and tried to surround even more of us when reinforcements came. They then resorted to heavy-handed tactics, and shoved us. At least one officer was not wearing his number, and I witnessed him, and another officer, deliberatly shove us. Later, I felt a officers hand grab me roughly, and I was told 'Aren't you intellegent? There's the pavement.' They threatend even more of us with arrest if we didn't leave the area, even those who were on the pavement. The confrontation finally stopped 10 minutes later, with the protestors relesed, but however, I obseved people in police vans, and later heard that they had definately been arrests made. Our group made our way to the police station in Gower Street, and I attempted to make a complaint about our treatment by the police. We were told that there we had to see an Inspector, and the nearest station with an Inspector was 3 miles away! We also learnt they the people arrested were being held until the protested had completely died down in the area, and we exchanged contact details with a member of a group which had members arrested.

The police oppression was caught on camera, if anyone has any evidence that can help the people who were arrested or otherwise ill-treated by the police, make it available to them, if you were on the Manchester protest and were arrested, or had any of your group arrested, post your contact details so people can contact you with any useful information. Sadly I cannot help anymore, as I am based over 40 miles away in the Stoke-on-Trent area, but if anyone can help these people, do so.

Thomas J

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

police etc

23.03.2003 23:34

was a sweet demo. the police were definitely trying to provoke trouble as usual. the bbc was lying when it said no arrests were made, i saw arrests made.

love Jay

Jason Juliet

It was a peaceful demonstration

24.03.2003 00:35

I was at that demonstration and rally and videoed most of it. So I can prove this assertion. I am amazed (well actually I am not) that this incident took place after such a non-eventful, peaceful day of protest. There were no civil disobedience actions that day. Whole families were on that demonstration--men, women and children.

This was obviously a bit of pathetic macho-posturing by the police.

Meanwhile the real criminals, who are dropping bombs on a largely defenceless city the size of London--Baghdad--with 8 million citizens are being cheered on by the very people who control the Manchester police--the British Establishment.

For videos on the anti-war protests in Manchester, go to:

 http://tv.oneworld.net/tapestry?story=647

Chris Edwards
mail e-mail: drcce2002@yahoo.com

I was there as well

24.03.2003 15:10

Arrests were made on Liverpool Rd where there was a confrontation between some protesters and people in the pub on the corner. There were a group of hooligans drinking in that pub who taunted the demonstrators and shouted racial abuse at some of the muslims as they walked by. One of the muslim women threw I think a brick at the men.
Where were the police when they were needed? They were driving off in their vans when the trouble started. This sort of behaviour sends a message that the police don't care for protecting the demonstrators from drunken hooligans. In fact they had blocked off the road so that the demonstrators had to walk right past the pub! They only cared about stopping the demonstrators reaching the city centre. In other words, rather than doing their job protecting people they are being used as a political tool to repress any type of dissent.

richarit

Manchester demo 22/03/03

26.03.2003 20:14

I was in Deansgate at the end of the demo. I wittnessed the police heming in a group of mainly muslim women protestors. When I asked a senior officer why this was happening and she said that it was because 'we' had been giving her officers the 'runaround' for three days!! I can only assume that she was reffering to the the demos and blockades after the war had started.

I was in Liverpool road at the end. I wittnessed a brick being thrown by someone who was drinking at the White Lion pub as well as a lot of racist abuse directed at the black and asian people around me. A protestor was hit by the brick and recived a nasty head injury. I belive that something might of been thrown back at the pub by a young girl protestor. I phoned an ambalance but during the call a man suddenly started to attack the people I was standing with. At the time I thought that he was trying to attack the injured man. I helped to wrestle this man to the ground. The police then arrived and I left the area.

During this whole incident the Police sat back and watched. I had been in the pub ealier and I noticed that the drinkers were very anti the march and were muttering threats. I know that this is a pub where a lot of 'football fans' drink and I cannot belive that the Police did not know that there might be trouble between the drinkers and protestors. I belive that the Police allowed the sitution to happen.

I would be intested in any one elses views on this matter.
Andy

Andy
mail e-mail: a.fairlie@btopenworld.com

Police hassle

26.03.2003 23:18

The march on Saturday was indeed peaceful, and one has to say broadly supported by the majority of passers by, shoppers, etc. The exception though was on Liverpool road. Two heavily built men joined the march on the pavement from John Dalton St. to abuse the marchers, telling us to support our boys, get a job, the usual stuff. They actually stopped outside outside the White Hart pub to hurl racist abuse, etc at the marchers, and up until the point that two policewomen told them to shut it and move on, I had thought that they were police agent provocateurs trying to wind us up and cause a fracas!

Whatever, don't let the fascists grind us down. Our cause is just.

EricB

Assistance

31.03.2003 13:03


Did'nt know this had happened on this demo. Can peaople send written reports of what happened (with as much detail as possible) to the CASWI/CND office in Manchester.

An official complaint by the organisors of this march is going in but if anybody has video or photograph footage can you please get this to the office aswell.

Also does anyone know whats happened to the arrested people.

please let us know at the address.

cheers,
Jake

Jake