Leeds BBC Protest 'Operation Press Freedom
Sh | 04.04.2003 11:20 | No War F15 | Anti-militarism | Social Struggles
Leeds activists spring surprise protest on BBC North studios this morning at 0745 hours in "Operation Press Freedom". 8 protesters lie dead in the road covered in fake blood whilst others block the road and hand out leaflets. Between 9-11 arrests, some on superb trumped-up charges.
Operation Press Freedom - Press Release Regarding Protest Outside BBC North Studios Today (Friday 5th April)
This morning at exactly 07.45am, a group of 24 protesters calling themselves the “BBC 24”, held a peaceful “die-in" outside the studios of BBC North on Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, in protest at the BBC’s biased coverage of the "war" on Iraq. Code name ‘Operation Press Freedom’, 8 protesters lay in the road covered in fake blood to symbolise the carnage being wrought by American and British bombs while others blocked two out of three lanes of traffic and the entrance to the BBC carpark with cones and banners reading “Operation Press Freedom” and “BBC News: Weapon of Mass Deception”.
For over an hour and a half, the small number of demonstrators managed to make their point by allowing one lane of traffic to flow whilst handing out 500 alternative news sheets called "Collateral Damage - the First Casualty of War is the Truth!" giving unreported news from inside Iraq, including the civilian death count, the use of weapons of mass destruction by the Americans and British, UK government spending on the war, the occupation of Iraq by the American arms and oil industries and the shocking escalation in human rights violations in Britain.
The aim of the protest was to draw attention to the overt propaganda role being played by the BBC in its coverage of the war, including highly selective, one-sided coverage in which the hundreds and hundreds of Iraqi civilian deaths go virtually unreported whilst we are bombarded with emotive stories about a small number of British troops being killed as well as endless groundless speculation about whether chemical and biological weapons might be used on ‘our boys’ when British and Americans are dropping thousands of bombs a day on built-up civilian areas, wiping out entires families, cutting of food and water supplies.
The BBC refused to come out and talk to us, but Yorkshire Evening Post did, taking several photos and conducting a number of interviews. Only two police officers were in attendance for much of the time before 8 police vans arrived bringing around 50 police officers. Between 9 and 11 arrests were made, including the legal observer for standing on the pavement, another for complaining when a police officer managed to pour paint on her clothes some for standing, another for walking away from the scene too slowly. Two protesters have been charged with criminal damage – there was no criminal damage. Everyone at the scene commented on the aggressive attitude and unreasonable force used by the police. One has been has just been released without charge because they arrested her wrong!!!
Pictures and video to follow - Indymedia please contact us to tell us how to upload video footage...we are total amateurs!!!
This morning at exactly 07.45am, a group of 24 protesters calling themselves the “BBC 24”, held a peaceful “die-in" outside the studios of BBC North on Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, in protest at the BBC’s biased coverage of the "war" on Iraq. Code name ‘Operation Press Freedom’, 8 protesters lay in the road covered in fake blood to symbolise the carnage being wrought by American and British bombs while others blocked two out of three lanes of traffic and the entrance to the BBC carpark with cones and banners reading “Operation Press Freedom” and “BBC News: Weapon of Mass Deception”.
For over an hour and a half, the small number of demonstrators managed to make their point by allowing one lane of traffic to flow whilst handing out 500 alternative news sheets called "Collateral Damage - the First Casualty of War is the Truth!" giving unreported news from inside Iraq, including the civilian death count, the use of weapons of mass destruction by the Americans and British, UK government spending on the war, the occupation of Iraq by the American arms and oil industries and the shocking escalation in human rights violations in Britain.
The aim of the protest was to draw attention to the overt propaganda role being played by the BBC in its coverage of the war, including highly selective, one-sided coverage in which the hundreds and hundreds of Iraqi civilian deaths go virtually unreported whilst we are bombarded with emotive stories about a small number of British troops being killed as well as endless groundless speculation about whether chemical and biological weapons might be used on ‘our boys’ when British and Americans are dropping thousands of bombs a day on built-up civilian areas, wiping out entires families, cutting of food and water supplies.
The BBC refused to come out and talk to us, but Yorkshire Evening Post did, taking several photos and conducting a number of interviews. Only two police officers were in attendance for much of the time before 8 police vans arrived bringing around 50 police officers. Between 9 and 11 arrests were made, including the legal observer for standing on the pavement, another for complaining when a police officer managed to pour paint on her clothes some for standing, another for walking away from the scene too slowly. Two protesters have been charged with criminal damage – there was no criminal damage. Everyone at the scene commented on the aggressive attitude and unreasonable force used by the police. One has been has just been released without charge because they arrested her wrong!!!
Pictures and video to follow - Indymedia please contact us to tell us how to upload video footage...we are total amateurs!!!
Sh
