Skip to content or view screen version

FITwatch suggestions for dealing with public order policing on G20 protests

Fighting Fit | 26.03.2009 12:22 | Repression

A few suggestions for not letting the police have it all their own way...

Police Cordons

Cordons are used frequently by police because they are very effective at ‘shutting down’ a protest. They are uncomfortable, unpleasant and deeply frustrating.

The 'controlled area' may take the form of a metal ‘pen’ made of crowd control barriers. Where that isn’t possible, they will circle the crowd and contain it with a human barrier of police officers, if necessary wearing riot gear and using shields. They may hold the demonstration in one place or move it ‘in a controlled fashion’ to where they want it to go. The police may keep people in a cordon for several hours. They will usually only agree to release people one by one, with each person being photographed and forced to provide a name and address.

Cordons are a huge problem to those who want to demonstrate without being under the complete control of the police, but they are difficult for activists to deal with.

Even so, there are tactics which have been used to challenge cordons with some success (see below). Where there is more serious disorder the police may try to disperse a crowd instead, using baton charges, shields, horses etc. Which at least has the benefit of getting you out of the cordon….

Don’t be a sheep stuck in a pen!

Prevent the cordon being formed:

Keep together, keep moving. A crowd that stays in the same place for a long time, or which is moving only very slowly is easy to cordon. A crowd that sticks tightly together and which moves quickly is much harder to control.

Keep a look out – it is usually possible to see when the police are putting a cordon in place. If you see this shout to everyone that this is happening, and encourage your group to move quickly and together.

If you are in a cordon:

Keep moving. A still, quiet, passive crowd is easy for the police to control. Getting people moving, shouting, chanting, and acting together makes it harder for the police to keep the upper hand. People have often broken out of cordons, and even metal pens, by using this tactic.

Stick together. It happens rarely in the UK, but elsewhere in Europe activists have refused to be released one by one, or to provide ID or submit to a search. By sticking together they have often forced the police to release them as a group. This can be a very effective tactic, but it relies on a sense of solidarity rarely seen in the UK! It also takes time, so you'd have to be prepared for a long wait.

If you escape the cordon:

Don’t just give up and go down the pub, especially if the night is still young! It may be possible to regroup and attack the cordon from the outside. Police do not like being outflanked and can occasionally be ‘persuaded’ to pull back and open the cordon. Failing that you can at least make some noise, stretch police resources, or simply get essentials like bottles of water to those being contained.


Snatch Squads

These are teams of TSG (Met boot boys) who go into a crowd to make an arrest. They can operate on demos or within cordons. If you see it happen, don’t just stand and watch! Grab hold of the person they are trying to arrest and hold on! Snatch squads cannot operate if there is good crowd resistance to them, and you could save someone from violence and imprisonment.


Police Surveillance

Police use ‘overt’ surveillance by uniformed officers in Forward Intelligence Teams (FIT) controlled by CO11, the Metropolitan police public order unit.

They have three key roles:

Gathering evidence They take footage from early in the day so that they can later try to use the film to incriminate people or identify them from their shoes or clothes

Data gathering They gather data on people for their protester database, so that they build up a detailed picture of which activists attend protests repeatedly. They record visual images, ID (often obtained in stop and search), ‘known associates’ and any other personal details thought to be useful

Harassment style policing When ‘known’ (see above) individuals can become subjects of what the Home Secretary described as ‘harassment style policing’. People are followed at close quarter by uniformed officers, who will listen to conversations, phone calls, and generally be intimidating and unpleasant.


Don’t be a victim

Protect your ID Hoods, sunglasses etc are useful ways of not ending up on a database. Face coverings are useful too, but can provoke a violent police response. They have the power to remove and seize face coverings.

Don’t give them your name and address There is no valid reason for the police to demand your name and address for being at a demonstration. Tell them where to go. Don’t carry bank cards or anything else with your name on, they will use this to ID you in a stop and search.

Data gather on them Take their pictures, note their numbers, send them to us at FITwatch. It sounds such a little thing, but they hate it so much.

Block that shot Stop the buggers working. Placards and banners work very well, if you ‘just happen’ to be standing in front of the camera...

Don’t let them harass people Would you normally just stand by and do nothing if you saw someone being stalked and harassed? It’s not easy to challenge the FIT when they are tailing an activist, but anything you can do to make their job more difficult is bound to be appreciated.


Covert surveillance

Police also use plain clothes police on demonstrations. Beware the person who is without a group of friends, who may be trying to stop people taking action, trying to control the crowd, or who is loudly criticising confrontational tactics. Also keep an eye on who is standing behind you when you are planning or discussing action of your own…


DIscuss! We need more discussion on dealing effectively with public order policing. Feel free to post your views and ideas on the FITwatch blog.

Fighting Fit
- e-mail: defycops@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.fitwatch.org.uk

Comments

Hide 1 hidden comment or hide all comments

my own lessons learned

26.03.2009 13:42

During the recent gaza demos myself and friends managed to avoid pens by closely watching the police and where they were moving.
When it looked like a cordon was being formed we would move quickly and make sure we weren't penned.
We also made a point of letting as many people as possible know what was happening.
When the cordon begins to be formed the police are weak. Their lines are week and it is wasy to break through. Run with you affinty group at one point - preferably the weakest - and get out.
Remeber where police can't get people on the demos they will use FIT surveilance to get you afterwards. Try to avoid camera. Cover your faces. Wear clothes that are induistinguishable from others. That means black and without logos - including shoes. Caps and sunglasses are good - but don't be caught out like a friend at smash edo who was identified beacause of the gaffer tape used to hold his glasses together.
Learn from previous actions. Hit and run! Do what you got to do and move away. Do not give time for the pigs to respond. They rarely take initiative against big crowds and wait for orders to be given before they act. Don't stick around for this. The police are effective because they work together. We can be more effective.
Remember,
they are few, but We are many!

ACAB


pros

26.03.2009 18:14

sounds like you are professional protestors - im amazed people have all this time on their hands

stef


Yeah but

26.03.2009 18:17

I don't agree with he following statement......


"Beware the person who is without a group of friends, who may be trying to stop people taking action, trying to control the crowd, or who is loudly criticising confrontational tactics"

...particularly if by confrontation you also include violence, smashing windows, yelling abuse at the police (why give them the ammunition, be polite but firm).

Barney


read the Guide to Public Order Situations

26.03.2009 19:07

Read it at  http://www.earthfirst.org.uk/manchester/porder.htm or download it to print here:  http://www.earthfirst.org.uk/manchester/porder.pdf

It's useful for dealing with crowd situations where the police want to stop you doing what you want to do, and gives you an idea for what tactics you might want to prepare.

And any updates from stuff you observe during the G20, send them in to the email address listed in the guide (the manchester AT earthfirst.org.uk one - incorrect address listed in the PDF), or by post.
It's due for an update. Thanks.

to prepare for the G20


On Snatch Squads

27.03.2009 00:17

A police snatch squad is normally made up of 4-6 officers who can often been seen forming up behind the cordon line. When they strike the role of the first two officers is to make the arrest and the role of the next two officers is to form a physical link or "lifeline" with the officers in the cordon.

Sovereign


Watch their backs.

27.03.2009 07:57

A lesson I learned is that cops who are surrounding demonstrators don't like having people close behind their backs, which makes the feel uneasy. So, having avoided the kettle work your way around and stand behind them but watch out for a second line of cops forming to protect the first line.

Wotsit


peaceful people

27.03.2009 08:58

please keep it peaceful people. violence only lowers the vibration and plays into their hands. the state loves violence, it justifies their position, the media hype and police action. try to view the police as misguided humans in uniform. they all have a soul, however deep it may be buried. try to identify any trouble makers or agent provocateurs, confront them in a friendly way and point them out to others.

peace, love & compassion to all beings

peace


Civil Disobedience

27.03.2009 09:56

For maximum impact I suggest if possible break up into small groups of 20 people and block main roads into city. It will take the police about an hour to get the roads cleared.

I saw this on Oxford Street when they would keep the protestors well away from the US embassy!

It took the police over an hour to get the protestors who were sitting in the middle of the road. They slowly moved the police van inch by inch before dispersing the crowd. I thought what if they just went to another road and repeated the same thing.

The traffic had built up for miles that Saturday afternoon causing major disruptions!

Imagine if there was co-ordination amongst protestors and such a move was carried out in 5 main roads in London there would be gridlock and I think the zionist cock sucking media would have to report it!

John Smith


there are also other actions that can be done remotely

27.03.2009 14:12

Demos are great, but also, think outside the box.

There are many ways you can participate from afar, using the phone or internet creatively.

Or take covert actions in small groups or alone away from where all the police are.

It doesn't have to be illegal, there are many possibilities.

anon


fuck the peace, social war now!

28.03.2009 05:07

oh my fucking god, who let the hippies out again? I want to puke when I read all those comments about coppers being just misguided humans.. open your fucking eyes stupid hippies, they are our class enemies and always were. if there was any humianity in them, they left it behind when they joined ranks of stormtroopers of the state.

peace????


Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

the real world

28.03.2009 11:39

> ....stormtroopers of the state.
This is what happens when you smoke cannabis and watch Equilibrium or some other dystopia film.
They are FICTION. Made up stories that are turned into films to sell and make a profit.
Basically, you need to get out more. Go outside of the protest/riot zone to where the real world is.

ted


@peace

28.03.2009 11:49

"violence only lowers the vibration"

What the heck does that even mean?

"try to view the police as misguided humans in uniform."

I tend to view them as the people on demonstrations who are restricting my movement, harassing me, and occasionally attacking me. Whether or not they are misguided human beings is really rather irrelevant.

"try to identify any trouble makers or agent provocateurs, confront them in a friendly way and point them out to others."

Good luck with that.

anonymous


divide and rule

28.03.2009 15:43

spikeys fight the fluffies whist the cops sit back and laugh - ver y good

dogfish


Totally agree with anon comment

28.03.2009 15:54

there are many ways using telephone and internet and away from the police.

Even action in places where Police were not expecting through out this week will really be effective I believe.

John Smith


Hide 1 hidden comment or hide all comments