Police confrontation after Anarchist Bookfair - more photos

John | 23.10.2005 23:02 | Repression | London

Following the London Anarchist Bookfair, scores of police (many in riot gear) assaulted and intimidated pedestrians outside the bookfair venue, and arrested several people. Though the police had originally been called over to a pub down the road because someone was playing loud music, they offered no excuse or justification as to their violent, disorderly conduct.

Inside the bookfair

Outside the venue

Police have arrived

Cops running around in riot gear

At this point they're all just down the road; we're not sure why they're here

Making an arrest

Acting extra cocky

Who were they protecting?

Started forming a line

Getting ready to march and chase us halfway round the block

On the other end of the road, police have also formed lines

Leaving Holloway Road

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the police actually marching at everybody, as I was too preocuppied trying to film it on my cameraphone.. of course, at the height of the action when I was surrounded by angry cops pushing us about yelling at us to get out of the way (despite our rather obvious pleas that we couldn't because they had surrounded us and there was nowhere to go, and that we would have very well liked to get out of their way had they not ran at us and assaulted us).. anyway, I tried filming this but one of the thugs who was wearing gloves (I think you can see him in the pictures) tried to break my phone out of my hands, and in the fumble I couldn't save that video.. Anyway...

John

Comments

Hide the following 12 comments

Crime rate is so high

24.10.2005 00:12

Crime rate's high because the police waste their time and our tax money harassing people for no crime. New Labour have made anyone who wants to protest a criminal as well.

Civil liberties

Bringing shame on the Left

24.10.2005 09:15

You go into a pub, with a sound system, get told by the staff to f-off. You dont obey them. So they call the police and you get arrested.

Good riddance to rubbish.

And as for those at the bookfair who were criminalised as a result of the morons in the pub..welcome to anarchist politics, where nobody is democratically accountable for their actions. You won't read that in any of the books on sale but you can see it in action outside.

The irony

more trolls

24.10.2005 10:56

what bollocks Mr Irony/observer/troll poster whoever you are ( reactionary arsehole / or neo-fascist skinhead / just plain stupid ? ). The soundsystem is irrelevant to what was happening outside the pub. The landlord was pressured by police. Police attacked people who were trying to load stuff from the bookfair/passers-by/ anybody they thought may be an anarchist etc etc. Fuck your pathetic excuses lame dick.

more trolls

your facts are wrong "the irony"

24.10.2005 11:18

the people with the sound system had left the pub already under pressure from the staff and from other people who had attended the anarchist bookfair. it was after this that the police instructed the pub to close down, thus piling 200 or so people into the street unnecessarily and provoking the events that ensued.

you may be also interested to know that all those arrested were released from police custody this morning without charge. they will be filing complaints of unlawful arrest and detention against the police.

rikki

clarification

24.10.2005 13:27

hey...
I could rant on about my observations and the total heavy handedness of the police on saturday and the effectiveness of our responce/s but instead just thought I'd say that seven people were released last night after 24 hours at the station and were charged, with offensive and violent behaviour under section 5 to affray.. one also got an extra beating by the cops whilst inside the van - guess it was for our own protection and the police were just doing their job right??

What clarification???

24.10.2005 16:27

So were they released without charge or were they charged with violent affray??? Please can somebody clarify??

Anne Archie

arrests

24.10.2005 17:10

Hi,

Dont know about the others but I know at least one person who was nicked has been released without charge but has to go back later to be told if they will charge him with anything. They said if they do, a likely charge was violent disorder (which, if they do charge him, is a load of bollocks by the way). They also kept his clothes for forensics.

Personally I thought the folks with the sound system (playing god awful music!) were stupid, but the police were total bastards. And yeh, they did force the pub to close in order to provoke a fight, before they arrived the manager just wanted the sound system to leave and then he said he'd keep serving. The staff and local patrons were brilliant throughout - understandably a bit pissed off about the music and the pub closing, but totally outraged with police behaviour.

I hope all who were nicked or injured are ok.

FTP

FTP

That's John Lydon that is!!

24.10.2005 18:03

nvndfn dfanmmvsdflmvvsdfv

violent ann

Still LMAO

24.10.2005 22:58

"The soundsystem is irrelevant to what was happening outside the pub. The landlord was pressured by police".

Yes you must be right... obviously the police just happened to be passing and said "lets close down a pub, that'll be fun"
Do you ever stop and wonder at how paranoid and pathetically immature you sound?

Could it just possibly be that the cops turned up at the request of staff/management because of the behaviour of a bunch of morons?

Sir Cumspect

facts/clarification

25.10.2005 15:53

ok - i was correct stating all had been released without charge, but 'me' was also correct in stating the charges that police are hoping to bring when the defendants return to the police station under their bail conditions. i did not have that information when i posted earlier.

some of the arrests resulted from an incident where a copper was punched in the face, possibly breaking his jaw, but the culprit dissappeared into the crowd and police seemed to be randomly arresting anyone they thought might look a little bit like him. one arrest i witnessed was very arbitrary, and excessively violent, after the guy had passively resisted being pushed without warning down the road by a really hyped-up copper - several cops jumped on him, and he was apparently further assaulted in the police van on the way to the station.

rikki

get a life scum

13.11.2005 04:47

YES, OF COURSE THE POLICE ARE GOING TO WASTE TIME AND RECOURCES ON SOME WELL BEHAVED DECENT ANARCHISTS?!!!!!!!!!!!
YOU PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW HOW EASY YOU HAVE IT IN THIS COUNTRY!!!
TRY LIVING IN GERMANY, YOU WOULD HAVE A FEW MORE BRUISES.
WHY NOT GET A JOB OR IF YOU HAVE TRY AND GET ONE THAT ISNT ADVERTISED IN THE GUARDIAN.

we're not/are political we're only doing our jobs

26.06.2007 18:28

If the police do not have a go at us, in an unreasonable fashion, how do we know we are doing our job and vice versa.

glasgow julian