VIDEO HERE:  http://defencecampaign.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/video-of-hsbc-3-solidarity-protest-on-30-december/

PHOTOS HERE:  http://laurenlucretiaelliott.blogspot.com/2010/12/301210-hsbc-3-protest.html

We began at Market Street Police Station at 12noon, picketing the station to demand the bogus charges against the HSBC 3 are dropped. Many of us spoke on the megaphone and to passers-by about the political role of the police: defending the government, the banks and the ruling-class by repressing protesters, such as the HSBC 3.

After picketing the police station, we marched up to that same branch of HSBC where our comrades were arrested to show them that we will continue to fight the cuts. In arresting the HSBC 3 the police were trying to scare us off from using our democratic right to protest. However, by defending the HSBC 3 we are showing we are not scared. It is the ruling-class that is scared and they showed that today as our protest forced HSBC to shut down the entire branch and turn away their customers while police stood defending the building!

We showed the public what we wanted with banners, placards and leaflets. Many people expressed their solidarity and some joined us to protest and chant:

Labour, Tory, all the same: they all play the bankers’ game!

They say cut back, we say fight back!

Whose streets? Our streets! Whose police? Their police!

The police repression of the HSBC 3 and other anti-cuts activists has only angered the masses and we will not stand for it. We will continue to fight the cuts and show they can not push us around. We demand the right to protest and together we will win. Get involved!

For details of future protests see our page:  http://facebook.com/StudentsAgainstCuts

For information on the HSBC 3 see our blog:  http://defencecampaign.wordpress.com/

Written by George, Luke and Michael from Students Against Cuts.

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