Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Witnessing arrests outside the DSEI

Richard Scrase, Editor Green World | 14.09.2005 19:03 | DSEi 2005 | London

The Metropolitan police have 15 boats. This afternoon 7 of them, all full, faced around a 100 of us on the dock side. At 4.00pm, one man put his hand in front, perhaps on, a police camera-mans lens. Immediately the cameraman grabbed him, pulling him down. He was led away to one of the many waiting vans.

At 4.10pm, a thirty year old women was arrested, taken to another van. She was just in front of me when the police took her, for no reason that I could see. Afterwards somebody said it was because she had chalked a message on the ground. The police at the scene did not tell me why.

Outside the DSEI Arms Fair: 3.00 - 4.30pm, Wednesday 14th September

The Metropolitan police have 15 boats. This afternoon 7 of them, all full, faced around a 100 of us on the dock side. Across the grey water, people lined the opposite side to watch military motor-boats speed up and down and then spin on the spot. Some of the lucky weapon sellers had a ride. They looked faintly ridiculous as they sat bolt upright as the boat passed back and forth speeding in the restricted space.

Lining the shore were grey war-ships, the nearest was the Commandante Foscari, I could not make out the names of the rest. A large white hotel ship was at the front of the line.

One of us went for a swim for a closer look, immediately three of the police boats closed in. The swimmer treaded water for a while and then returned, refreshed.

Loudspeakers towed by a bicycle carried our cries across the water.

'What would your mother think?'

'Shame on you!'

We could get no nearer, another seventy police around us, many on bicycles, protecting the arms fair from us, the unarmed.

Christmas decorations were wrapped around the railings, people sang, danced, drummed. At 4.00pm, one man put his hand in front, perhaps on, a police camera-mans lens. Immediately the cameraman grabbed him, pulling him down. Other police surged forward to surround the two of them. We came forward, a moment of raised tension, let him go we asked, but he was led away to one of the many waiting vans.

At 4.10pm, a thirty year old women was arrested, taken to another van. She was just in front of me when the police took her, for no reason that I could see. Afterwards somebody said it was because she had chalked a message on the ground. The police at the scene did not tell me why.

By 4.30pm the people in suits were leaving the arms fair in steady stream to the train, hurrying home to their loved ones, their children. Do they think about the carnage, the blood-letting they sell when they embrace their children and smell the shampoo in their hair?

We started to leave, and so did the police. A local lady invited me in for a cup of tea. Her flat looked out on the water, and the boats. The police have been around here for the last couple of weeks, she said. I wish they were around when we need them , she said.

When I got home I phoned the Met. and asked why the lady had been arrested. They sent me the list below, but she was not there (unless she was charged with affray, which would be ridiculous, she was just walking and talking to a friend), I guess she has not been processed yet.

I am Richard Scrase, aged 48. I'm also a Dad.

31 people have been arrested to date in relation to the DSEI policing operation.

Saturday 10.9.05
1) Mr XXX ( - 31ys) from Bloomsbury Place, Bloomsbury, London was charged with Obstructing a Highway (Scn 137) - Section 25 PACE. He has been bailed to appear at Bow Street Magistrates Court on 16.9.05.
2) A 36 year old male was arrested for being on an Enclosed Premises with Unlawful Purpose. He has been bailed to return to a south London police station on 23.9.05.

Sunday 11.9.05
3) One person was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. He was later released with no further action.

Monday 12.9.05
4) A 16 year old from Canning Town E16 was charged with possession of an offensive weapon and appeared in custody at Stratford Magistrate Court 13.9.05.
5) XXX (- 33ys) from Canning Town E16 was charged with possession of cannabis and possession of an offensive weapon. He has been bailed to appear at Stratford Magistrate Court on 16.9.05.

Tuesday 13.9.05
6) One person was arrested for public order offences and has been issued a fixed penalty notice.
7) One person was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and has been released with no further action.
8) One person was arrested for highway obstruction and was released with a caution.
9) XXX, ( - 22ys) from Plymstock, Devon was charged with aggravated trespass and has been bailed to appear at Newham magistrates court on 27th Sept.
10) XXX, ( - 19ys) from Manchester was charged with aggravated trespass and has been bailed to appear at Newham magistrates court on 27th Sept.


Wednesday 14.9.05
9) & 10) Two people arrested for alleged breach of bail conditions were released with no further action in relation to the alleged breach. (NPTD nature of bail conditions).
11) One person has been arrested for public order offences and has been issued a fixed penalty notice.
12) One person has been arrested for going equipped for criminal damage. They remain in custody.
13) One person has been arrested on suspicion of theft they have been released with no further action.
14) One person has been arrested for going equipped for criminal damage and released with no further action.
15) One person has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.
16) One person has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.
17) One person has been arrested for aggravated trespass and resisting arrest.
18) One person has been arrested for aggravated trespass and assault on police.
19) One person has been arrested for aggravated trespass.
20) One person has been arrested for obstructing a train.
21) One person has been arrested for obstructing a train
22) One person has been arrested for obstructing a train
23) One person has been arrested for obstructing a train
24) One person has been arrested for affray.
25) One person has been arrested for affray.
26) One person has been arrested for obstructing a train
27) One person has been arrested for obstructing a highway
28) One person has been arrested for obstructing a highway
29) One person has been arrested for obstructing a highway
30) One person has been arrested for obstructing a train
31) One person has been arrested for obstructing a train


Richard Scrase, Editor Green World
- e-mail: riscrase@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.greenworld.org.uk

Comments

Display the following 2 comments

  1. Police repression/illegal arrests — Sharky
  2. another dodgy incident — - -
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech