Skip to content or view screen version

SOCPA Arrest

Andy | 22.02.2008 10:58 | SOCPA | Repression | London | World

Simon from We Are Change UK gets arrested for demonstrating illegally within the
SOCPA Zone.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE4dvlkJCCo

The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCPA) was introduced into the House of Commons on 24 November 2004 and was passed by Parliament and given Royal Assent in April 2005.

The Act is controversial primarily for an additional, entirely unrelated provision, which restricts the right to demonstrate within an exclusion zone of up to one kilometre from any point in Parliament Square. Demonstrators have to apply to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police six days in advance, or if this is not reasonably practicable then no less than 24 hours in advance. No equivalent provision is made for any other Parliament in the United Kingdom.

In October 2007, the Home Office published a public consultation document, Managing Protest Around Parliament [5], which 'takes another look at sections 132-138 (of SOCPA) and explores whether there is another way to address the situation that would both uphold the right to protest while also giving police the powers they need to keep the peace'. Campaigners are worried that this document contains new threats to freedom of assembly and the right to protest in that is suggests that there could be 'harmonisation of powers to manage marches and assemblies' throughout the UK.

 http://www.repeal-socpa.info/

Andy

Comments

Hide the following 20 comments

Another Shame

22.02.2008 12:16

Do we really want to encourage activists to break the law in this way? We all know what happens when you protest within the SOCPA area.

Yes SOCPA is a terrible law but this video is a non story.

The problems I've found with it include;

The music is too loud, we can't hear what the police officers are saying and that's not presenting a fair picture as we only hear selective words.

The chap in the video was given 6 or 7 warnings before being arrested by the police officers. They even asked him if the cuff were too tight, which makes the police look like decent human beings only doing their job.

Of course this was only for the camera no doubt.

However I still get the impression this video is not about activism but is merely a publicity stunt.

The aim here was to get arrested and I would suggest those wishing to create real change do not employ these methods.

See  http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/archives/2008/02/15/we_are_wacos.php

Taper
- Homepage: http://hurryupharry.bloghouse.net/archives/2008/02/15/we_are_wacos.php


Coplovers have no imagination.

22.02.2008 12:48

"They even asked him if the cuff were too tight, which makes the police look like decent human beings only doing their job."

Except for the fact that they had no need to cuff him in the first place - he was heavily outnumbered and there was no reason to believe he was likely to abscond.

ACAB


What do you expect?

22.02.2008 14:11

"Except for the fact that they had no need to cuff him in the first place"

They are on film. Think about it.

And there's no need to call me names, we're all on the same side but maybe we disagree about the motives of certain groups. And that is needed if we want to progress, so there's no need to reduce it to a personal level of insult. Lets keep things on topic. Thanks.

Taper


Well done

22.02.2008 15:18

"An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I don't see how highlighting the unjustness of this law can be seen as a publicity stunt. The chap getting arrested was civil and showed the law to be the joke it is. The cops were undoubtebly on best behaviour due to the camera but they still couldn't hide the fact this law needs to be repealed.

Dave


any means necessary

22.02.2008 16:04

While I agree with Taper,lets not get personal. I debate that what we`re up against is a state that forces thier hand through violence.This is war and should be fought along those lines!

@ngry


Coplovers of the world unite

22.02.2008 16:47

Read the guidelines and explain what justification there was for cuffing the guy.

 http://www.acpo.police.uk/asp/policies/Data/Guide_use_of_limb_restraints_11x10x06.doc

ACAB


First you have to understand...

22.02.2008 19:20

I wasnt going to raise this, but I think I have to as the odd person still hasnt twigged whats going on.

Who is behind WAC? Annie Machon.

Who is Annie Machon? She was kicked out of Stop The War for being an MI5 informant.

This site will explain things  http://www.911cultwatch.org.uk and here  http://paulstott.typepad.com/911cultwatch/2008/02/branded.html#comments many are waking up to the MI5 shenagins. Makes you think about the real aim of these stunts.

the tman cometh
- Homepage: http://www.911cultwatch.org.uk


Lies and distortions

22.02.2008 19:59

"Who is behind WAC? Annie Machon.

Who is Annie Machon? She was kicked out of Stop The War for being an MI5 informant"

This is a gross distortion. Annie Machon was an MI5 officer who resigned from the agency alongside her ex-partner Shayler.

She is not"behind" WeAreChange, who are a small body of independent truth activists, who certainly don't need a mastermind directing their activities, as is implied.

Neither was she "kicked out of STW". She and David Shayler were merely prevented from speaking on STW platforms because they wanted to speak on the evidence that 9/11 was an "inside job". Nothing to do with being an MI5 informant.

These comments are typical of the kind of midirection used by people who want to foment permanent ideological struggle, and maintain the coma for the mass of people.

Stott is a little like this thhough his approach has softened a bit since becoming a regular contributor to the nineeleven.co.uk board (though currently suspended)

Annie is currently chair of the Britain and Ireland 9/11 Truth Campaign

dh
- Homepage: http://www.wytruth.org.uk


Honestly

22.02.2008 23:15

DH, please answer this question honestly and then I might believe a word you say

HAVE REPTOIDS INTERFERED WITH PLANET EARTH?

Yes or No will do.

You truthers, and I include the WACos when I say this, need a history lesson. I look forward to them confronting the Queen only to demand she "shape shift".

Tbone Steak


Smear

23.02.2008 00:05

What a ridiculous and stupid smear, one which Nick Cohen replied to WAC's recorded questions. A pathetic attempt to avoid serious questions
You'll start on about moon landings and Elvis Presley next
Your scripts are pre-loaded and and predictable and far away from the central issues
Which you singularly fail to even begin to investigate in an objective fashion.
Poor you

dh


911cultwatch.org.uk support Nico Haupt a Redwatch style stalker

23.02.2008 00:10

The *top* external link from the 911cultwatch blog is to Nico Haupt's blog, a believer in "No-Planes at the WTC", and "TV-Fakery", they did have a totally uncritical link to him:

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/385261.html?c=on#c184026

But after the nature of this sicko was pointed out they amended it slightly:

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/385261.html?c=on#c184128

You can watch him disrupting a meeting at St Marks NYC here:

 http://www.livevideo.com/video/embedLink/1A0C07FAAA9244C080901CAB162DB332/81187/nico-haupt-at-st-marks.aspx

Bear in mind that "the last 2 minutes--possibly the worst two minutes--are missing"... doesn't his behaviour seem like a apt illustration of the "concerted attempts to drown out critics and a nasty intimidatory atmosphere overall" that 911cultwatch, speak out against on their site...?

Nico Haupt is a stalker, for example there is a video of him  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xrwL4yOx9A in which, (35mins in) he rings George Washington's work place (he is a fairly prominent US 9/11 truth activist, see his blog for more info  http://georgewashington.blogspot.com/ ) to leave the message that he is "interfering with undercover FBI activities". On the same day that this video is posted, 16th October, Nico reported  http://www.bloglines.com/blog/ewing2001?id=4101 that George Washington was taking a back seat at 911Blogger and posts his real name and photo -- this is the same kind of harassment that Redwatch are responsible for. This video ends with Nico saying that "plane huggers are pedophiles" -- "plane huggers" being his term for people who think that planes hit the WTC towers in 9/11.

911cultwatch are a very bad joke, they don't even start to do what they claim to caim to do...

chrisc


More diversionary

23.02.2008 00:46

Ouch chrisc . What on earth started you on that little torrade. What on earth has that got to do with WAC's little London protest?. This is too much information with nothing to do with the central idea of the thread, which is about an element of the Socpa iniquity.
Perhaps your reply was to the wrong topic

dh


Hmm

23.02.2008 01:03

Sorry dh but I get wound up by people citing 911cultwatch as if they do what they claim to do -- they clearly don't, my comment above was addressed at "the tman cometh" comment, which as you have correctly pointed out is full of inaccuracies:

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/02/392027.html?c=on#c189786

The only link between Annie Machon and We Are Change UK (which are thankfully not formally linked to Alex Jones' US We Are Change...) that I'm aware of is that she appeared on the last show on their site:

 http://wearechange.org.uk/radio.html

But yeah, I take you point that it's off topic, it would be better to continue this on another thread, like this one perhaps:  http://truthaction.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2389

chrisc


But more to the point

23.02.2008 01:33

Look at the scripted response of supposed leftist supposed journalist to a challenge by WAC
This is all so moronic and predictable
Stott's stuff is essentially shite, of course
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnyGYkij-W4

dh


Machon is NOT an informant. wink wink

23.02.2008 03:27

Yet another topic dragged down by the 911 hit mob.

But machon can clearly be seen and heard in at least 1 WACO video.

I'm sure you know of the "Highgate Hub" (where machon lives and shayler spent years living) is a suspected MI5 "safe house" for activist.

Mckenzie, who runs the hub is part of www.starchildproject.com, she funded both shayler and machon for years, and has also worked on government documents (sorry dh, it's true),.

The WACO connection to the hub is enormous.

Dh you seem to know very little about the people you defend. Are they here defending you? No, because you are a useful idiot to them.

why bother


Designed to do this

23.02.2008 03:51

This is exactly what WAC is designed to do, devide us.

What about unity? They have repeatedly caused division on Indymedia and turned us against each other with each new stunt they pull.

They are tapping in to deep seated agruments and causing friction among us. I believe this is what they have been PAID to do while making the activist community look like fools.

"Yes officer, I will stand here while you arrest me, and thank you for giving me 7 warnings but no, I would like to get something on tape for my youtube friends".

Is this what we've come to? Has activism in this country really become so low? So pointless?

What about Brian Haw being beaten for a peaceful protest? Doesn't that send the message loud and clear? Why on Earth do these guys want to show the police to be anything but the brutal henchmen they are?

Brian Haw was ARRESTED and BEATEN for protesting. THAT is what we need people to see if we want to change the law. THAT is courage.

The more I think about it, the more anger I feel. And when a fool as seen in this video is asking to be arrested so he can "see what it's like", it makes the sacrafices that you, I and the many others who face this risk (without the protection of a camera) seem like a walk in the park. Those of you who have ever been slammed to your face, kicked in the head and spat on by police know exactly what I'm talking about.

Let the public see that, let them see the truth - not some Marry Poppins version which the government would be proud of. Sorry WAC kids, this is not a game to us. I suggest you hang up your youtube account.

Pj Ronald


This is an insult

23.02.2008 14:52

I agree. This is video is an insult to those who have been mistreated by the police.

The person complaining "there was no need for him to be handcuffed" has never been involved in demos, if they had they would realise what a stupid statement that was.

Im ok with the WACos being a laughing stock, but Im not ok when they try to take the rest of us down with them.

And chrisc, they are closer to right wingnut Alex Jones than you might think, but that is of course a compliment to them. To the rest of us, we just have to roll our eyes and groan. Again.

trex


Deconstructing some of the absurd disinfo...

23.02.2008 18:00

"machon can clearly be seen and heard in at least 1 WACO video"

So what? I pointed out that they interviewed her for their radio show.

Did you know that Anna, a Indymedia activist from Berlin mentioned Annie Machon in an email with the number 1984 in it? OMG!!??

 http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0801/msg00000.html

This was in reference to her speaking at the Chaos Communication Congress  http://events.ccc.de/congress/2007/Main_Page -- I guess that is also then a conference run by the spooks?

"This is exactly what WAC is designed to do, devide us."

"They are tapping in to deep seated agruments and causing friction among us. I believe this is what they have been PAID to do while making the activist community look like fools."

What utter nonsense, who is "us"? Pro-war activists from Harry's Place don't exactly overlap with users of Indymedia politically do they?

If more activists were prepared to take direct action, like the article above is about, or the recent action in Sheffield,  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/sheffield/2008/02/391731.html it would clearly be a good thing, though not for the pro-war trolls...

What evidence do you have that they are "PAID" for this? None of course.

"Im ok with the WACos being a laughing stock, but Im not ok when they try to take the rest of us down with them."

No, it's the absurd trolling the likes of you are doing on this thread that is laughable -- your paranoia makes the 911 truth movement looks like a bastion of sanity.

chrisc


Evenin' All!

23.02.2008 18:28

I would just like to add as I happened upon this article since people matching your description were reported in this vicinity committing a crime, that whenever I have been conducting my business in a disorderly manner and failing to heed the good advice of the Metropolitan constabulary that if I didn't not desist in my actions that arrest would occur, that they have been a really a splendid bunch of "doods" man!

They are always so helpful in giving me hand into their nice warm vans, with my hands cuffed behind me just in case I get an itchy arse.. And they even let me spend the night at their tastefully minimalist bed and breakfast where they tuck me into my well ventilated blanket.

Even though I'm just like yo hep cats, I am under the impression that the allegations that the Met are heavy handed are totally a "bummer" and only "squares" think they are not well worth the tax payers' (not you... I mean us) money.

Anyway daddios, I'm going back to my love-in.

Smash the people! Power to the state!

Det. Undercover


Cultwatch ditch Nico Haupt and adopt Truthwatch...

23.04.2008 10:07

911 Cultwatch - no longer linking to Nico Haupt
911 Cultwatch - no longer linking to Nico Haupt

The latest report of Nico Haupt's activities:

"Within the last couple of weeks during our weekly Saturday vigil's at ground zero there has been a dangerous individual causing us many problems. His name is Nico Haupt mostly known for his no plane research, and his actions need to be made public for our safety."

"After the Time Square Bombing that took place at the very place that WeAreCHANGE does their street actions each Saturday night, Nico came out to our Ground Zero Vigil with a huge sign saying “We Did The Time Square Bombing.” Nico tried to associate us with the terrorists who committed a horrendous and cowardly act on this city of New York. He continued for weeks with the police department ignoring him, and decided to raise his efforts in trying to destroy our message of peace and truth."

"Nico verbally sexually harassed our female members, bit one of our members nose, choked and punched one our members and committed other horrendous acts all while the police always let him walk away without checking his I.D. There is video of all his actions, and it will be published in the coming days. It will show what we have to go through, and if there is another altercation, the public will know the truth behind this matter."

"This past Saturday Nico came down wearing a fake Hitler mustache on his face, verbally harassing our members. He then walked up to Sabrina Rivera and myself, charging at our faces trying to put the Hitler mustache on us. There was a scuffle, and when the police where called, Nico was seen trying to walk away. The police came and because it was not witnessed by them, Sabrina and Nico were issued summons and will have a day in court." [1]

Appears to have triggered the removal the 911 Cultwatch blog link to Nico Haupt:

"As Haupt's behaviour now appears to be too bad even for 9/11 Truthers, we have taken it off." [1]

However it's been replaced by a site that carries disinformation about Indymedia and appears to have been behind a spate of disinformation posts on Indymedia [3], so one step forwards and two steps back for 9/11 Cultwatch...


[1]  http://www.wearechange.org/2008/04/wearechange-attacked-again-at-ground.html
[2]  http://www.nineeleven.co.uk/board/viewtopic.php?p=115937#115937
[3]  http://truthaction.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3252

chrisc