Heavy handed policing at Bush protests
Jesse S44 | 23.11.2003 21:15 | Bush 2003 | Anti-militarism | Repression
During the week of Bush protests, I witnessed police arrests where people were treated pretty roughly, but I also saw police being pretty restrained. There were an unprecedented number of police monitoring the anti-Bush protests, and consequently Bush was able to travel without ever really encountering the protesters (occasionally this involved Bush slightly rearranging his schedule, so he certainly felt our presence).
REPORT ARRESTS OR POLICE ROUGHNESS OR S44 SEARCHES
The Resist Bush website (
http://www.resistbush.org) is making an appeal for witnesses of arrests. Anyone who was anti-terror searched, should consider contacting Liberty with information. Liberty has started a campaign for people's right to protest http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/issues/right-to-protest.shtml and there is more information about how to report anti-terror searches and police roughness here.
COMMENTS INVITED
Clearly there were a lot of different police tactics used during the three days, and activists were treated very differently at different places/times. Please describe or comment on the police behaviour you experienced. There are currently 12 comments at the end of my previous post (by Jesse S., 21.11.2003 03:46)-
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/11/281452.html
PS- Did anyone get followed by police a lot? I didn't witness any personal FIT (Forward Intelligence Teams) following people as they were at DSEi, but someone I talked to said they were followed for a while one evening. How intrusive or persistant was the photographing this time? I didn't see too much photographing this time, but I heard there was a lot in some places.
The Resist Bush website (
http://www.resistbush.org) is making an appeal for witnesses of arrests. Anyone who was anti-terror searched, should consider contacting Liberty with information. Liberty has started a campaign for people's right to protest http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/issues/right-to-protest.shtml and there is more information about how to report anti-terror searches and police roughness here. COMMENTS INVITED
Clearly there were a lot of different police tactics used during the three days, and activists were treated very differently at different places/times. Please describe or comment on the police behaviour you experienced. There are currently 12 comments at the end of my previous post (by Jesse S., 21.11.2003 03:46)-
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/11/281452.html PS- Did anyone get followed by police a lot? I didn't witness any personal FIT (Forward Intelligence Teams) following people as they were at DSEi, but someone I talked to said they were followed for a while one evening. How intrusive or persistant was the photographing this time? I didn't see too much photographing this time, but I heard there was a lot in some places.
Jesse S44
e-mail:
44@fairfordcoachaction.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.fairfordcoachaction.org.uk/44
Comments
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cops
24.11.2003 00:27
Someone in the Samba band got followed for 3 hours by FIT. See:
Photographing seemed much less than DSEi - generally low key. One cop photographer started taking pics of the Samba band around Parliment Sq and Whitehall on the Thurs demo.
arrested