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Kettles after Block the Bridge NHS demo

anon@indymedia.org (mike) | 10.10.2011 10:55 | London

After the Block the Bridge Block the Bill demo, the police kettled around 70-80 people on Lambeth bridge, while groups of police hassled people in Westminster and later prevented some walking to Lambeth bridge.

At 4.30pm most of the bridge blockade dissolved after an announcement was made that people should leave en masse in the opposite direction to parliament. People dispersed in several directions. One stream of people walked along the river and were confronted by police as they crossed Lambeth bridge. They were surrounded and 70-80 people were kettled onto the pavement apparently under Section 60 A A which gives the police powers to make people remove any items that are being used to conceal identity or to seize them (pretty spurious since only a couple of people had face coverings).

With up to 10 police vans present and a helicopter hovering overhead they were held for several hours, being released one at a time, held whilst they were questioned and filmed from head to toe. The whole incident was streamed live by one of the people kettled. Interestingly the CO11MetPolice twitter account claimed that the people were a "group of protestors not affiliated to UKuncut". 

Later a group of around 10 people were confronted by 20 odd cops who prevented them from walking towards Lambeth bridge where the kettle had almost finished. 

For background to the NHS bill see http://ukuncut.org.uk/blog/block-the-bridge-block-the-bill


anon@indymedia.org (mike)
- Original article on IMC London: http://london.indymedia.org/articles/10366