Civil Disobedience Protest By British Tamils Met With Police Brutality
Daniel | 14.05.2009 21:06 | Anti-militarism | Anti-racism | Repression
Police resort to the seizure of young children and physical attacks on women and children to break the blockade of Westminster Bridge, eyewitnesses report.
After the news of thousands of civilian deaths in Sri Lanka at the weekend, which the UN has described as ‘a bloodbath’, British Tamils began a civil disobedience protest on Monday morning on Westminster Bridge, in the hope that the British government might put genuine and decisive pressure on Sri Lanka to stop the atrocities it is currently committing.
Five hundred began the protest at Parliament Square at about six thirty in the morning. At 10.00am thousands more had joined them, at which point they moved themselves onto Westminster Bridge and closed it off to traffic. There were only about forty-five police officers guarding them at that time, and they were taken entirely by surprise.
It wasn’t until three in the afternoon that the police began to seriously challenge the blockade. The protesters had placed women with children in pushchairs at the front of the crowd, in the hope that this would deter the police from attacking them. Eyewitnesses report that the police responded by taking the children out of the pushchairs by force and removing them to nearby police vans, which succeeded in forcing the parents to leave the blockade so as to reclaim their children. Women and youngsters of around ten and eleven were still at the front of the protest, and the police then began attacking them. An eyewitness reported that the police were pushing women’s breasts and striking out at children with their fists. This eyewitness has scabs on his face where he says that he himself was hit by the police. It is said that representatives of the Tamil media outlet GTV were also targeted by the police and attacked physically, although no attempt was made to attack white journalists.
Five hundred began the protest at Parliament Square at about six thirty in the morning. At 10.00am thousands more had joined them, at which point they moved themselves onto Westminster Bridge and closed it off to traffic. There were only about forty-five police officers guarding them at that time, and they were taken entirely by surprise.
It wasn’t until three in the afternoon that the police began to seriously challenge the blockade. The protesters had placed women with children in pushchairs at the front of the crowd, in the hope that this would deter the police from attacking them. Eyewitnesses report that the police responded by taking the children out of the pushchairs by force and removing them to nearby police vans, which succeeded in forcing the parents to leave the blockade so as to reclaim their children. Women and youngsters of around ten and eleven were still at the front of the protest, and the police then began attacking them. An eyewitness reported that the police were pushing women’s breasts and striking out at children with their fists. This eyewitness has scabs on his face where he says that he himself was hit by the police. It is said that representatives of the Tamil media outlet GTV were also targeted by the police and attacked physically, although no attempt was made to attack white journalists.
Daniel
Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
"white journalists"
14.05.2009 22:25
shame, as the rest of this piece was informative and, according to others there, very accurate.
rikki
White journalists
14.05.2009 22:51
Daniel
no doubt no harm meant
14.05.2009 23:17
i first learnt this rule from fellow activists in relation to riot / mass protest situations where passing on of rumours = opportunities for major f@ck ups to occur.
if you didn't see it with your own eyes you do not know it happened.
and that applies even when it is your best mate, husband, sister, whatever. the man is used to call "dad" was a grass being paid by BAE i know now, so i have learnt this from bitter experience.
in relation to writing articles rather than rumours in the midst of a riot, the sad thing is i suspect that every other sentence in your report is probably entirely accurate and yet will no longer carry the weight it might have.
i remain curious to know whether it was a matter of exageration (ie they MOSTLY only went for white journalist with a couple of noted exceptions) or whether this sentence was entirely a red herring?
take care peeps
'White journalists'
15.05.2009 08:37
Good piece apart from that little mistake.
Rosalba
Respect to the protesters but ........
15.05.2009 17:30
But I don't get why people do this. I don't know why people trust the cops with their kids.
Protester
eye witness, as if anyone cares
18.05.2009 07:59
From what friends (sorry but they are very trust worthy ones, but your point is a good one) who have been to shi lanka this is quite acceptable to them.
The cops know the world is watching and it is obvious that they are being told not to get involved.
I was there I did see it and it sickened me, they are hiding behind tiny children who have no idea why thier parents are making them freeze in a square in London.
shame
anon through right