Really? Where's the evidence?

Sounds like you know Tony Gosling, or the stuff he puts out because for sure he takes a view point thst can very easily be called "conspiratorial"

Do you have any actual connection with any of the squats in Bristol? Or know what is actually being pressured on them?

We had very similar shit go down 2 years ago after the riots in April and August, lots of squats closed down.

I find the question that recent events could very well be managed by higher agencies very plausible.

You need to live hete to understand somewhat what is going down.

@ Bristol squatter: "Do you have any actual connection with any of the squats in Bristol?"

I do, I squatted in Bristol for a couple of years from before the riots to a year after.

Lots of squats closed down after the riots? I don't remember this. I remember immunity after April, with the cops for the first time (possibly ever?) advising owners NOT to try and break in because it could have caused large scale public disorder, not just because it was against the law (that they don't regularly don't respect anyway). This lasted right through the summer, made being on the solidarity network much easier! Go rioters! I accept that you may have difference knowledge/experience, however I'd appreciate if you could provide evidence (if security culture permits it).

Yes park row was raided shortly after the riots, 3 times over, but was NOT closed by police notably. It also wasn't due to the riots, it was due to the attack on the evening post, as you probably well know. Additionally this was the first time (in a long time) that squats had been raided and NOT closed, as squats are usually raided as an excuse to evict them, no doubt because police were on the back foot against squats. Yes telepathic was raided, but this was the cause of the riot (!), and then raided within minutes of the second riot dying down, to arrest someone up for arson against Tesco with fabricated charges. Other squats were evicted soon after, but due to possession orders not cops raiding! Get your facts right!

Admittedly things changed by the following year, but only back to how they were - cops trying to kick in doors whenever they had the chance, or raid with 60-80 riots police because they can afford and get away with it. What's new now then, and are you able to directly attribute them to the FAI action? FYI: One liners are great, but they always lack evidence...

It's typical that (any/all) effective action that actually threatens the state (because anarchists rarely do) and leaves the cops "heartbroken" (see article) is considered a false flag operation, with absolutely no evidence no doubt. I can't be bothered to read the radio station, because the idea that police/state would pay to set fire to their new state-of-the-art firing training centre (which they desperately need to train their officers) is completely ridiculous and insulting to hear.

From article: "Yes the mainstream media is corrupt but is this a wise way to deal with it?"

Personally, I don't feel criticising effective sabotage against corporations will get you very far.

PS - Train line sabotage has never resulted in a train accident. Unless you can prove otherwise? People strip the copper electricals weekly from train lines, because they are aware it's safe, it's not even newsworthy any more. Trains have integral electronic safety measures, which when tampered with means they go to manual coordination. Drivers don't just go on a hunch that it's safe to pass crossings!! Accidents happens with the software fails them. Look it up.

Solidarity with squats facing repression from police!

Tony thinks the FAI attacks - including burning down the £10 million firearms training centre - were done by the state. Well, he's a conspiracy theorist and it's why we love him.

While there are all sorts of murky connections between states and terror groups through history and present, from Al Queda to Ulster loyalists, there are others where there clearly was no connection. The Angry Brigade, as the closest historic example to the current FAI I can think of, had no state connection or infiltration.

Also there's the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front. While both of these were penetrated by the state to one degree or another I've never even heard it suggested they were working to advance state interests.

And it just seems highly unlikely the police (or spooks) would burn down their own firearms centre as an excuse to crack down on the few remaining squatters in Bristol.

This being like a BHAM meeting readers should know the above has been typed while I'm being constantly interrupted by loud, confused people and yes, you can blag a rollie but make it a thin one. Oh, and watch your head on that wire - it's three phase.

Meanwhile item 2 on the agenda (YES, I'M SPEAKING - KINDLY SHUT THE FUCK UP) is has the whole FAI thing had an impact on squats recently? Yes. Over the last year we've been followed around overtly and covertly, been arrested time and again, interviewed by CID and SOCA, had our computers and mobile phones routinely taken and been stopped and searched by police quoting terrorist legislation and calling us domestic extremists.

Since the Portishead fire the police have visited at least one squat and told them they're going to be closed down soon. Another squat's had papers unexpectedly. Gosling went and spoke to the police officer responsible for managing squats in Bristol (his name's Keith and he's based in Newfoundland Road) and was told they believe the FAI is trying to recruit from the squats.

Life's kind of going on as normal but there's definitely more pressure out there.

One element that seems to have dropped off the radar is that when concerns were raised on Indymedia about whether the allegedly "anarchist" crazy-brigade are actually anarchists or not, citing evidence of use of far-right imagery by supporters of the FAI and Conspiracy Cells of Fire etc, and citing some pretty obvious mental health issues some of their supporters seemed to be displaying, some supporters dismissed those questions on grounds that such criticisms had to do with psychiatry and psychology and were therefore "Jewish"

Indymedia spiked the comments, presumably for being anti-semitic, also thereby removing evidence that linked supporters of the "burn everything" school of "anarchism" are in fact Fascist trolls

Ditto supporters of the FAI / Fire Cells criticised anti-Fascists for campaiging against Fascist neo-folk groups

At 1st glance it does seem strange the State would go as far as an attack on their own firearms centre, but whose word are we taking that this incident was anything like as serious as it's been described? The State's word, that's who! The cops wouldn't let anyone near the site because they claimed (surprise surprise) the fire was still burning for 3 days. Do we believe them? Or were they just burning a bunch of old sheds filled up with tyres?

After this article appeared on here -  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/10/500844.html?c=on

A response appeared saying "this post seems to be part of an anti black bloc agenda that someone has been running for a few weeks now using indymedia", which, to be fair, was true (up to a point)

The latest episode in this saga is a black-bloc organised by Anti-Fascist network that successfully got 300 activists nicked

I can never quite made my mind up if those "black bloc are all cops, police burned their own firearms centre so they can crack down on squats" posts are fucking morons obsessed with ridiculous conspiracy theories or part of some group seriously concerned about people taking direct action. Not quite sure what this kind of bullshit is doing on indymedia either, being a clear smear campaign against part of anarchist movement.