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Mass arrests at "We Can't Breathe" protest

rabble | 11.12.2014 12:42

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 cops applied the intimidation tactics used against antifascists last year, kettling and mass arresting 76 people.



(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.

rabble
- Homepage: rabble.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

Good article

12.12.2014 08:01

It was a good action by the looks of things, watched it on livestream. The cops are definitely getting worried about a ground swell of action since the Million Mask March onwards. Good advice and analysis of the cops tactics as well. A lot of the protesters seemed to be young (and probably/possibly not seasoned protesters) and the tactics used were definitely used to harass, intimidate and deter. So you're quite right, most charges are just trumped up so the cops can clear the area. A common one is the blanket use of "prevention of public disorder". It's common law so it doesn't need any adherence to any particular conditions imposed by statute. Well done to everyone on the protest.
Another good action by the Black Revs, Solidarity.
@

@


But perhaps unclear on the concept?

17.12.2014 14:29

A "civil disobedience" action is by its very nature NOT legal. If it weren't something for which you could be arrested then it would be a "civil obedience" demonstration.

So the only ones who would (or should) have grounds for "wrongful arrest" would be those who were NOT taking part in the "illegal" action. It is not uncommon to at the same time a "civil disobedience' action is taking place to have a legal action demo, if nothing else, to be displaying signs to explain what the "lie in" or whatever was all about.

Results in court for "wrongful " complaints (at least over here) would likely depend not simply on whether the police DID mistake some bystanders or legal demo folks for those who were doing the civil disobedience but that those were UNREASONABLE mistakes. Whether the cops were making an effort to distinguish. It takes practice and discipline to carry out a CD action that maintains the conditions necessary to "protect" the legal demonstrators working with you. For example (at least over here) have a couple people jumping up from the lie in to join the legal demo and/or vice versa to make any "mistakes" by the cops REASONABLE (because there can be an honest mistake of identification).

Over here where CD demos are common, usually just in places where especially common, the jurisdiction may have specialist cops, a CD squad. They tend to be good at not making that sort of mistake, maintaining separation and identifying provocateurs intentionally trying to involve the legal demo folks in the CD action (internal disputes among the people doing the action).

MDN


Shopping centre

18.12.2014 05:18

As someone not involved and not living in that area so don't know anything about it, I don't see the connection with a shopping centre. It would have been good if it had been explained why this space was targetted. I do believe that a shopping centres like this should be public space though. I'm just interested in what the reason was.
It seems crazy that so many people would be arrested.

Brian B


Precisely

18.12.2014 14:32

"It would have been good if it had been explained why this space was targeted"

That's why I was referring to a "legal" demo taking place at the same time/place as a CD action. Sometimes it is possible to make a CD action self explanatory but often it is not. For example, WHAT was this "die in" all about. I don't mean telling us here; I mean explaining to the bystanders when and where the action was taking place.

So the folks doing a CD action generally need a "lawful" protest taking place at the same time so that it is clear what the CD action is all about. That might also include "why here" as well as "what about" (if there IS a reason for the specific "here").

This is not always the case, but then we are discussing specific actions in detail.

MDN


The connection is shopping centres represent capitalism

31.12.2014 15:04

The connection is that shopping centres represent capitalism and it is capitalism which causes police brutality as the police are there to protect capitalism and its rulers. The Westfield shopping centre is own by capitalist scum and will be targeted again and again only next time by more militant activists!

Anti-capitalist


@anti-capitalist

10.01.2015 15:19


Unless you handouts are stopped and then you either have to:
a) Resort to crime and steal off old ladies
b) Starve to death
c) Get a job or start a business (ie. become a capitalist)
d) Protest (ie. whinge and whine like a child)


I assume you don't want to do (a) or (b).... so I guess your only option is (c).
(d) doesn't really count as we will just ignore you and tell you to do (c) anyway.

In nature, if a Zebra had a complaint about the Lions, he doesn't go to the watering hole and form a "protest". "I demand that Lions don't eat me" just want hack it. He needs to get off his lazy behind and find food himself rather than begging for it.

steve


I want you to think about something "anti-capitalist"

07.02.2015 20:03

PLEASE -- I am NOT saying that your version of truth is wrong. But THAT is not the question

Somebody was asking "why at the shopping center?" and I bet most of the bystanders at the shopping center were asking the same question. As a PUBLIC protest presumably trying to make some PUBLIC point. Your private truth isn't relevant, Doesn't matter how true if those witnessing the action don't know that truth.

That is precisely why you would need/want a "legal" demo at the same time explaining this truth (the connection shopping malls, capitalism, police oppression) to the bystanders. It is NOT enough that you know in your heart that the connection is true.

You have given a reason justifying the choice of place to yourself. Is that ALL you you should be trying to do? If those seeing the action think "silly going on" because THEY don't see why the choice of place makes sense are yoiu being effective? What are you trying to do?

MDN