It’s official – looking like Jack Straw is now a criminal offence.
Jack Straw | 02.09.2005 19:50 | Globalisation | Repression
Police yesterday got a bit fed up as South Wales anarchists stubbornly refused to stop looking like Jack Straw.
Those pesky anarchists called a demonstration yesterday against the EU foreign ministers summit – the Gymnich - taking place at the Celtic Manor Hotel in Newport Gwent. ‘Mainstream’ organisations like Oxfam and MPH had already pulled out of any demonstration because of the ‘high levels of security’ put in place at the summit. But Gwent and Cardiff Anarchists were not so easily intimidated by a few coppers pushing their weight around.
Admittedly there were a little more than a few of them (coppers that is). There were bloody loads of the buggers, drafted in from all around the country and headed up by the inimitable Metropolitan mob. It has been widely reported that security costs for the two day summit are in the region of £3m.
The protest had been very peaceful and easy-going with drummers, banners and lots of vegan chocolate cake. But the Met decided that while freedom of assembly and expression was all very well, they were not going to tolerate people going around looking like Jack Straw.
A very large number of police appeared demanding rather forcefully that the Jack Straw masks had to go, because they were upsetting the police cameramen. The protesters responded equally forcefully that they did not wish to be filmed, although they would happily conform to the section 60 order if the police cameras were taken away.
A sort altercation later, two activists were very forcefully arrested for refusal to remove a mask. Both were released a couple of hours later as the police declined to bring charges.
All in all it’s probably a shame that it didn’t get to court. Not only could the headlines have been mildly amusing (‘arrested in possession of an offensive face’ perhaps), but it would be nice at some point to have the opportunity to challenge the extent of the police’s right to constantly shove a camera in your face, and to assault people who have the nerve to stand in the way of the police cameraman.
Police intimidation of activists has surely got to the point now that they are taking the piss. Maybe it’s time we started to fight back a bit.
Admittedly there were a little more than a few of them (coppers that is). There were bloody loads of the buggers, drafted in from all around the country and headed up by the inimitable Metropolitan mob. It has been widely reported that security costs for the two day summit are in the region of £3m.
The protest had been very peaceful and easy-going with drummers, banners and lots of vegan chocolate cake. But the Met decided that while freedom of assembly and expression was all very well, they were not going to tolerate people going around looking like Jack Straw.
A very large number of police appeared demanding rather forcefully that the Jack Straw masks had to go, because they were upsetting the police cameramen. The protesters responded equally forcefully that they did not wish to be filmed, although they would happily conform to the section 60 order if the police cameras were taken away.
A sort altercation later, two activists were very forcefully arrested for refusal to remove a mask. Both were released a couple of hours later as the police declined to bring charges.
All in all it’s probably a shame that it didn’t get to court. Not only could the headlines have been mildly amusing (‘arrested in possession of an offensive face’ perhaps), but it would be nice at some point to have the opportunity to challenge the extent of the police’s right to constantly shove a camera in your face, and to assault people who have the nerve to stand in the way of the police cameraman.
Police intimidation of activists has surely got to the point now that they are taking the piss. Maybe it’s time we started to fight back a bit.
Jack Straw
Homepage:
http://www.riseup.net/cardiffanarchists
Comments
Display the following 3 comments