So, this is how the Polis have decided to deal with us? Harrasment, intimidation and arbitary arrest... A friend and fellow clown was recently stopped and searched by the police here in Aberystwyth (which, for those of you who don't know is in the County of Ceredigion in WEST WALES.) The reason given by our friendly neighbourhood upholder and defender of the Status Quo (never liked that band...) for stopping her? That her car had been seen outside an MOD base. And where was this? Faslane (which, if memory serves is in Scotland and, as I recall about two hundred miles from little ole Aber!) Kinda gives the lie to the old shiboleth about the surveillance state with its CCTV and ID cards that "if you aren't breaking the law then you have nothing to fear" doesn't it? My friend wasn't even arrested at Faslane (nor has she ever been arrested anywhere else.) In fact, she's only had a coupla parking tickets in her whole life... Yet her car registration and details are now on the police national vehicle data base. Take care people, Big Brother IS watching, and he will take whatever action he can to let you know what will happen if you put even a toe over his line... I have no doubt that the Clowns who were arrested in the incident described above will almost certainly not be prosecuted and, in the unlikely event that they are, that this prosecution will probably not succeed. This seems to be the pattern that has emerged in the five years or so that we have been around. It is almost certainly a similar experience to those of other direct action groups. Perhaps someone should look into the numbers, but I think that they will find that, although the number of Clowns arrested seems to be rising inexorably there have yet to be ANY convictions or even, for that matter, prosecutions that actually went so far as a trial. The lesson we must learn is that this police tactic is an attempt to scare us and that, apparently, they are content to use the threat of arrest etc, rather than risk looking very foolish when the defence barrister asks the question of a police witness in court "so P.C. Plod... Why did you arrest this Clown?" Don't let them scare us. Let them know that we refuse to be intimidated and that we are not going anywhere! Go Clowns! Who are we? Clown Army! CIRCA forever! Sgt Sideshow salutes you!

Call me an old cynic but may be Plod needs some entertainment.

On a serious note, from my experience, anyone who expresses anti establishment views is now considered a threat and has the status of terrorist. This expression of views extends to groups who are part of the establishment, eg masons. I am a Police/Polis target purely due to an anti mason campaign. Say anything about masonic corruption and hey presto the cops are out to get you.

One of the worse things is for the Plod to get a car number to put on the APNR system. They can track you where ever you go then. Phone numbers are another hazard, at least a mobile enables you to change number at will.

This is indeed the surveillance society and anyone who questions authority gets harassed. Time for a strategy to deal with this.

The clowns have been charged and will appear in court in August. Whether or not the charges will be dropped is debatable. It looks like the Police just took this as an opportunity to ask them lots of nasty questions about various other (anti-)political activity going on in Edinburgh recently, as if there is only one small group of people who are anti establishment in the city. The clowns were not treated kindly whilst being held.
Anyone appearing slightly alternative and wishing to go into the clowns' hearing had to give their name and address or they wouldn't be admitted (to this "open court"). They were told different stories as to why, and as to who will now see and use their details ("they will be kept in the police fraternity").
once Big Brother is watching you, he wants to pin as many of his big file of problems on you as he can.

The chief constable of Lothian and Borders will be happy to chat about clowning concerns.

On 12:30 to 13:30 Thursday 17th of April

Keep questions polite, but I doubt if they will be answered.

 http://www.lbp.police.uk/chat/index.asp

Sorry the above comment is out of date.