(See rabble.org.uk for version with photos and hyperlinks.)

Last night (10 December) hundreds of people joined in the London “We can’t breathe” protest called by London Black Revs and others to remember Eric Garner and all those killed by racist police violence.

The protest was called in Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherds Bush. It had been widely advertised on social media, and police and security were on high alert. Security tried to stop some people entering the temple of mass consumption, but obviously in the peak Christmas shopping period they weren’t going to lock all the doors, and hundreds did get inside from 6pm. On cue, there was a mass “die in”, lying down in the central courtyard.

Later, the crowd regrouped outside the mall, listened to speeches and poems. People took the road, with moves to block the Westway, London’s main arterial road out to the west which runs past Shepherd’s Bush.

Later still, groups tried to get back into the shopping centre. But by now the police had made a decision to end the party. Using classic Met tactics of recent years, they first surrounded and “kettled” some groups of protesters, then brought the kettles together into one large cordon, where people were held in the cold until they brought in buses and arrested all those captured en masse. The arrests were supposedly in relation to “violent disorder” involving scuffles with security guards.

76 people were arrested altogether. They were taken to a number of police stations across London including Sutton, Wandsworth, and Leyton. Legal support and solidarity gatherings were organised throughout the night. As of 10 am this morning, it seems about 20 people have been released on bail, including young teenagers, but many are still being held.

There will be a defendants meeting on Saturday (13 September), 2pm, at LARC, 62 Fieldgate St, E1, near Whitechapel tube. Free advice and support, everyone together.

If you need legal support, or witnessed any arrests, or have video footage or notes or other information on what happened, contact the Green and Black Cross legal team ( gbclegal@riseup.net, 07946 541511).

westfield kettle

A few comments on the cop tactics:

The police tactic of kettles is a Met standard, as seen often in the 2010 student protests and many more. It’s a clever tactic against relatively non-rowdy crowds, because it can intimidate, but without provoking the rage we feel when the filth steam in to our friends with more obvious violence. It works if makes us start to get jittery, shout “kettle” and run from any cop line, rather than keeping calm and knowing when to move and when it’s important to stand our ground.

This police tactic of mass arrests was used last year during big anti-fascist demos at Westminster (June 2013), where 59 got nicked, and Tower Hamlets (September 2013), where 286 people were arrested. Again, it’s a clear intimidation tactic, which particularly targets young people and those unfamiliar with street demos, who are the most likely to get kettled and picked up in mass sweeps. The cops use it to send a message: come out on the streets, even if it’s just a “peaceful protest”, and you are liable to get surrounded, humiliated, kidnapped, and threatened with criminal charges.

An important message to spread: these supposed “charges” are almost always BULLSHIT. In the big anti-fascist mass arrests last year the police dropped the charges against the vast majority of the more than 300 people arrested. Almost all of the Tower Hamlets 286 had their cases dropped without getting anywhere near a court, and only one person was convicted of anything. Five people in the Westminster case were taken to court accused only of the very minor offence of disobeying a police “Section 14″ order to disperse. The judge threw out the charges and they walked away free.

Over a hundred of the arrested people from those demos are now suing the police for “wrongful arrest” and false imprisonment. They should have a good chance of winning their case, in which case they will all get pay-outs of several hundred quid, maybe a grand or more each. In short: getting kettled and mass-arrested is annoying, but the most likely outcome in the long run is you get some money off the state.

In sum: these filth tactics are simple intimidation, designed to scare us off coming out on the streets. We need to spread this message, and show everyone arrested and hassled by the cops that they are not alone.

Important moments

It’s clear that the pick-up in street activity in London — and also in Brighton, Warwick University and more — in the last few weeks, with the student protests and demos against police violence, has got them concerned. So far, it’s only small. But their aim is always “kill it before it grows”. This is why they come in now, in intimidation mode, against what really was a restrained, though passionate, demo.

But state intimidation can go two ways. It can work, and scare us off the streets. Or it can backfire, provoke our anger and our strength. As in Warwick last week, where the attack on a quiet sit-in of 25 students was followed next day by a 1000-strong demo that occupied the university for real.

This isn’t in their control, it’s up to us how we respond. This is the moment to come back stronger.