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Fitwatchers Remanded at Climate Camp

Fitwatch | 13.08.2008 23:49 | Climate Camp 2008 | Climate Chaos | Repression

Two fitwatchers were kept in custody for five days after taking photographs of the police at the front gate of the camp.

Three fitwatchers arrived at Climate Camp late morning on Friday. After going through the inital stop and searches with gritted teeth, they pitched their tents, had a cup of tea, and decided to take some photographs of the repressive policing operation at the front gate.

Within five minutes, they were wrestled to the ground and arrested on charges of obstruct police and assault police. At court the following morning, one activist was released on the condition he went straight home without picking up his tent. Two women were remanded in custody until Tuesday, "as the police were very anxious they would go back to camp", believing they would "breach any bail conditions", and "create a situation" whereby people would be "placed in fear of physical and mental injury". This was despite one woman having only been accused of the very minor charge of obstruct police.

Later that morning, in a non protesting related incident, a man who had breached his bail conditions from the previous week by getting nicked for fighting, was granted bail. Even the SERCO guards couldn't work out what was happening, and were very sympathetic.

Eventually, the women were released from HMP Brozefield late Tuesday afternoon, after having been granted unconditonal bail.

However, Fitwatch is not about a few people. It is about an attitude, a tactic - a tactic which has been very much in evidence throughout Climate Camp week. People photographed and documeted the FIT, tried to block their cameras, and gave a robust response when they tried to enter the camp. The two Fitwatchers they remanded were at home, hundreds of miles away, when these things happened.

Imprisoning two people will not alter this shift in attitude towards the FIT. It is becoming part of activist culture to challenge rather than ignore. And there is no doubting their job is getting harder (and out of interest did anyone spot PC Pritchard MD862 at Climate Camp? Or is it bye bye Wes!?)

It is amazing and inspiring to see the number of people who were still able and willing to take direct action following a week of unprecedented repression. Even people used to repressive policing found it intimidating, and it is great that people stood their ground and went out to stop the power plant.

However, we have to tackle this repression. We have to build effective strategies so we do not allow ourselves to queue up to be searched, where we don't allow the police the opportunity to build databases of every person who attends a protest.

Locking up a couple of fitwatchers for a few days only strengthens their ability and resolve to fight back. Systematically and violenting repressing hundreds of people will have a similar result. There will be a backlash. We will all fight back.

Fitwatch
- e-mail: defycops(at)yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com

Additions

Steve Discombe on CC

14.08.2008 09:48

Before the cops left Steve Discombe from the FAT, sorry, FIT was about. I seen him being followed by a group of people calling out his name (or variations on DaScum or DieScum) and making remarks about his large shinny truncheon. He looked pretty troubled and left quickly. He tried to say that Steve wasn't his name, but thats just not true is it?

All power to the FitWatchers!

fitwatcher


try again

14.08.2008 11:48



2nd attempt to upload fit pix

another watcher

another watcher


Thames Valley Police EGT 5544 P.S.Ward

14.08.2008 16:14

Here's one of him in daylight.
Here's one of him in daylight.

.

fitwatcher


Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

This shows that World War II was not about stopping nazism

14.08.2008 09:15

This sort of behaviour by the state shows that World War II was nothing at all to do with stopping nazism because Britain itself is a nazi state which terrorises and even murders its own people. In fact the policing at the climate camp was very mild compared to what the people of Northern Ireland suffered during their years of resisting British rule. Nationalists in Northern Ireland suffered summery execution such as on Bloody Sunday, torture and mass internment without trial.

Then there was the miners strike of 1984 in which the full force of the state was used to crush a popular workers uprising. The poll tax riot in which a peaceful 200,000 strong demonstration was brutally attacked with many seriously injured.

Then there is British states' behaviour abroad begining in the 18th and 19th century with the brutal invasion of Africa and enslavement of millions of African natives. Then the invasion and occupation of India for over a century. And more recently the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq and threats to invade Iran.

Anarchist


thanks

14.08.2008 09:41

thanks to the fitwatchers, especially to those who spent 5 days in the nick. i hadn't even heard about that before today. it was heartneing to see the response of the camp when fit came and started photographing on (I think) friday the 1st.

solidarity


Fit pics

14.08.2008 11:03

this little turd was standing right outside front gate on Saturday night sticking his huge flash right in the faces of people entering and leaving - when I started overtly photographing and shouting to him over the gate he was swiftly withdrawn - Fitwatch works!

another watcher


Watching them watching us

14.08.2008 22:33

Like everyone else at the climate camp last week, I was photographed again and again by the FIT, who were on standby to intimidate and irritate anyone going in and out of the gate. How much do we know about the amount of information that is kept by the FIT? Do we have any information about whether literally every single photo that was taken at the camp (eg about 1200 or more people) was logged, in an attempt to create a database of 'known activists', or is taking pictures of people primarily a scare tactic? How careful to we have to be amount how we commuicate, move about etc or is there a danger of becoming too paranoid about the extent of police surveillance of protests/activists....?

Any thoughts anyone?

moonshine sipper


police photo database

16.08.2008 15:18

The climate camp was probably the clearest example yet of the police systematically recording the pictures and personal details of participants, although it is far from the first time that they have done this.

In court - and this includes both Fitwatch trials and the civil case taken against the FIT in the High Court by Andrew Wood - the police have solidly maintained that they do not keep images and personal details on a database. Instead the data is stored only in case it is needed to investigate specific offences or complaints against the police.

Of course, this is nonsense. Spotter cards obtained from police at DSEI 2003 showed photographs of activists that have clearly been obtained and retained by the police from numerous events.

There is no doubt in my mind that the police have an extensive database containing all the information collected by the FIT. That includes photo, name, address, dob, known associates, political affiliations, activist history, lifestyle info etc. There is no way that they would go to such lengths to acquire data that they dont intend to keep and use.

This data is used in a variety of ways, and is shared with different police authorities.

Some people don't seem to think there is a problem with the police compiling a database of every individual actively involved in political dissent or protest. I think it is absolutely terrifying, not least because it is such a deterrent to people becoming involved. Particularly when we have a situation when known individuals involved in Fitwatch are being arrested and remanded into custody for doing nothing more than taking photographs.

I'd be really interested in the experiences of those who were photo'd and questioned on the way into the camp, particularly those who have no prior history with the police. Please send in any data you have to the defycops address.

fighting fit
mail e-mail: defycops@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com


Data Protection Act

22.08.2008 15:26

If you are well known to the police i.e they know who you are, where you live, your phone number, what time you eat dinner etc you can apply under the data protection act for photos and files to the force concerned. You have to supply dates of when you want the information from and pay £10. Then some poor sod has to go through all the footage and obscure the faces of other individuals to give you your photos plus written information. I did this with Huntingdon Life Sciences once and I got about 50 sheets of paper including security logs etc, Covance only gave me one crappy photo though I was well miffed! but it buggered up the claim that I was there on a certain day so their pals in HLS could not use this in the High Court. The great thing is if they don't give you the info then it does make it more difficult to use as evidence (especially conspiracy type trials) later. Defineately DO NOT do this if you are not absolutely sure that the police/corporation know about you allready because you are giving them information, corporations as we have seen take activists to the civil courts. If say a few hundred climate campers did this it could be interesting especially as 27 police forces are involved! Ohh expensive!
They can withold quite a bit of info though.
Lynn

lynn Sawyer
mail e-mail: lynn@sawyer8749.freeserve.co.uk