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Police hound Wandsworth prison demo

anon@indymedia.org (Activist) | 20.02.2012 12:55 | London

AROUND 50 people demanded justice for unfairly-convicted London rioters assembled at Wandsworth prison on a wet Sunday afternoon.

 

The activists were told stories of people whose liberty was cut short by long and unfair judgements for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The crowd chanted support for those imprisoned by the bankers and the rest of the ruling 1% as they expressed their frustration for being cut out of the welfare state and benefits which they survived on. 

They also berated police repression which they saw as one of the main sparks for the riots as TSG units brutally assasinated Tottenham father Mark Duggan.

In fact, that same repression was felt outside the prison throughout the demo, with police units constantly harassing protestors and even arresting a female on the scene for walking off the pavement. The person was soon de-arrested, prompting claims of abuse of police power to add insult to injury.

Police units crammed assembled members of the concerned public out of the prison carpark an+

d off the road at the same time, creating tension in the crowd while blocking the public highway themselves and therefore causing a threat to public safety themselves.

As the last rays of sun eked through the rainclouds, music was played to decry injustice and victimisation of the poorest sections of society most affected by the crisis. The resulting jobs losses have left many families living on the breadline as they struggle to pay off debts acquired as people try to weather the storm caused by bankers' investment errors.

*It is unfortunate many of the families who have suffered from the tough prison sentences are not represented here," said Chris. "These prison sentences seem to come from the very top and are intended to frighten the poorest part of society into accepting their demise without question. And all this right before the Olympics too."

Some foreign activists who were on the scene were said to be disappointed with the turnout, which reflected popular apathy among Londoners for important issues like the corruption of England's judicial system to suit Cameron's plans to create widening gaps between the rich and the poor in this country.

The protesters, which did not let police intimidation get to them, dispersed peacefully after the demo promising to enhance solidarity with convicted rioters in the future.

 

 


anon@indymedia.org (Activist)
- Original article on IMC London: http://london.indymedia.org/articles/11764