Cops get heavy handed at Manchester Peace Rally
Protester | 27.09.2006 15:38 | Repression | Social Struggles
An unusually wide range of views were shown, ranging from outright pacifism, to defence of armed resistance movements to protect their soil. Protesters were also invited to fill in tags on balloons to be let off, another way to voice their collective anger on the many issues united in opposition to Blair.
When the time came to release the balloons, things took a very sudden change for the worse. People made moves towards the security fence, a distance of 50m or less away, and police appeared from everywhere. At first they formed a line and grabbed any protester who almost got through.
Then they decided, for whatever reason, to shove people as hard as they could into a smaller cordon area, and add a second ring of police. Several protesters were badly shaken, and the police narrowly missed shoving young children and elderly campaigners. A group of students who were trying to stick together were shoved against a tree, and were forcibly separated. The police then began trying to clear onlookers to prevent people seeing what was going on.
When the situation nearly stabilised, senior police were seen and heard discussing how to get into the cordon to arrest "ring leaders", and cameras were shoved in the face of anyone trying to reason with the officers. It appears all the front-line officers had been ordered to say nothing, as only one managed "I'm not talking to you". Interestingly, those who did talk were wearing the yellow bibs with words like "Bronze 1" on the back, presumably a way of marking the boss-cops from the silent underlings.
Protesters were allowed to disperse for a short while, from the end of the cordon farthest from the fence. Then this was stopped for sometime, as the protesters who managed to leave were deemed too dangerous. Later, protesters were allowed out in pairs to disperse. Some took refuge in the Friend's Meeting House, while some officers stood on the doorstep. Others were followed for some time.
What started as a genuinely open microphone rally, ended on the brink of a riot, and all because the police felt the need to shove people around and create a hostile atmosphere. Other protests are planned throughout the week, including student protests and a critical mass bike ride.
Protester
Additions
a few photos of today
27.09.2006 22:42
the start of a peaceful protest
making sure everything that is said is on film
the police stop the march with shoving
pushing
more pushing
and some grabbing and pulling of women
the view from the outside
making sure everyone is on film
and still making sure we have everyone on film
the view of the inside, from the inside
shocked on lookers
and some more
and more
and more, with TV crews
ready to give section 14, after cordening everyone in
can't take photos of protests mate!
what today became, a rally of resistance
NO TO LABOURS POLICE STATE!
Anti Police State
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
the balloons go up !!!!
27.09.2006 17:21
news from the peace camp? even the bits i have heard mean i@m a bit prouder of my humanity again. . . . it seems the old "triangulation" is moving under the pressure - the talkshows have run out of "pro-war" stooges, the other "infowar" people seem diminished too, + down to dumb, straightforward but clumsy censorship.
Anybody else that wants to follow up these threads could do worse than checking out the "remember" info campaign in newswire - use the box at the top of this column - try ". . . . to remember : does that help?" - or check out the eisenhower speech, or "smedley" (!!!!) even.
cheers again!
yes, cheers. . . . VERY
Photos Needed
27.09.2006 18:01
Please email them to
cnduk
e-mail:
information@cnduk.org
Please send photos here
27.09.2006 19:57
cnduk
e-mail:
cnd_press@hotmail.co.uk
bbc news artical (2 arrested)
27.09.2006 22:44
looks like the police are getting bored with so many protests!
Anti Police State
does anybody have ph ho ho ho chemist photos of clumsy censors?
29.09.2006 10:05
cover-ups arse ho ho in your face