UK Newswire Archive
Bradley Manning, Wikileaks, and Judicial Farce
18-12-2011 20:38
Three more jailed for Facebook comments on UK summer riots
18-12-2011 18:55
Original post: http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/12/490315.html
Two teenagers from Dundee, Scotland, and a 22-year-old man from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, in England, were imprisoned for years for statements posted on the social media site Facebook at the time of riots in English cities last summer.
EDL's Darren Poland shows himself up + anti-fascist news update
18-12-2011 17:54
...Criminalisation of protest in Notts
18-12-2011 16:55
On Saturday 17th December, two protesters were arrested during a demonstration held by Notts Uncut. A supporter was arrested at Bridewell Police Station later that evening.
Almost as soon as demonstrators arrived at the meeting point outside Boots, police were confrontational, asking people for their names, addresses and dates of birth (which they are not obliged to give).
The police then sought to impose conditions on the protest under Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986. Protesters were told that they could not go within 20 yards of specified stores. When one demonstrator, unfamiliar with imperial measurements asked what this was in metric she was arrested for refusing to comply with the s.14 directions.
Her husband then tried to remonstrate with the police and was arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. He was then manhandled into the back of a police van.
A call-out was made for supporters to go to Bridewell Police Station where they were taken. A local vicar and the 11 year old son of the arrestees were denied entry to enquire about their wellbeing.
Some supporters stayed at the police station to wait for the arrestees, while others went back to continue protesting. Additional supporters turned up throughout the afternoon and early-evening response to the call-out.
The first arrestee was released shortly after 4pm, but there was an extended delay before the second was let out. The group went into the reception (which they were no longer prevented from doing) to warm up while they waited.
After some time Inspector D. Sharp appeared with a number of other officers and demanded that people leave. He alleged that they were "intimidating" people going about their lawful business (presumably implying that waiting in a reception does not constitute "lawful business").
Sharp was asked by a number of people present what the legal basis of his demands was, however he refused to give one and arrested one of the supporters.
All of the protesters had been released by about 9pm. The two arrested at the protest have been bailed to return in the new year, but not charged. Their bail conditions include legally dubious restrictions on their right to protest.
This is a major escalation of Nottinghamshire Police's handling of protesters. Notts Uncut demonstrations have become a semi-regular occurence in Nottingham. Traditionally police locally have had a very hands-off approach to the protest.
The attempt to criminalise solidarity, arresting those waiting for their friends, is a particularly worrying development.
The protest was coordinated nationally with others, as part of the UK Uncut "Christmas Special" timed to coincide with the busiest shopping day of the year. There were also six arrests in London, where Topshop was protected by riot police.
Regular Uncut participants noted that the police officers assigned to the protest did not include any of the familiar faces from previous demonstrations.
It is possible, that this ridiculously heavy-handed response was a one-off, driven centrally. However, yesterday's policing should viewed in the context of the arrest of the 'Atos Two', which catalysed the formation of the Nottingham Defence Campaign. In that case, one of the arresting officers admitted, "There's been too much of this sort of thing going on and we've been told to crackdown."
We should not be surprised by any of this. We live in a class society in which the police's primary function is, and always has been, to protect the interests of the bosses. As the imposition of "austerity" heightens class conflict, we can only expect this bias to become more explicit.
In short, we should assume yesterday's policing is typical of what we can expect from Nottinghamshire Police in the future and plan accordingly. To this end Nottingham Defence Campaign, along with others, will be organising a meeting early in the new year to plan a coordinated response.
German MP: Investigation needed re: Int. Undercover operations
18-12-2011 14:43
Today,Samstag, den 17. Dezember 2011, German MP Andrej Hunkoissued a press release after the Guardian release a story about UK women suing police regarding undercover operations. Hunko states that the German parliament must look into the relevant operations that took place in Germany.
Basic daily rights under threat for 20,000+ UK citizens!
18-12-2011 14:28
How would you feel if it was the case that you, or your loved ones, had the most fundamental aspects of your lives constrained and controlled? Do you take for granted the minutiae of freedom in your life? Over 21, 000 people are confronting the terrifying reality of losing such freedoms. Including myself. We have to call on our allies to support the campaign to make the coalition government rethink their attack on us. If this funding is stopped we risk living in worse conditions and with less freedoms than convicted criminals.Why are the police protecting Phillip Green? - A thought from jail....
18-12-2011 14:02
For chanting “pay your tax”, two snarling beefcake thugs hired by Topshop bent my arms behind my back, shoved me in front of two coppers, who then frog marched me out to the back of the store, and onto the police station, where I remained for seven hours.
Police station cells are barren concrete holes where the only signs of life come from the immortal carvings etched into the wooden bench by some previous guests of the State.
Yesterday’s police cell promoted two things things: 1)Walking in a circle 2)Thinking………
Why on earth are the police protecting the likes of Topshop, Vodafone, Boots, and Barclays bank!! The bosses of these companies take an active interest in reducing their contributions to public funds.
The Nasty Party versus the people - latest Porkbolter from Worthing now out!
18-12-2011 13:13
THE LATEST issue of Worthing's anarchic newsletter The Porkbolter has hit the streets of the West Sussex seaside town - and is also online. Here is the main article.“ATOS Kills!” Proclaim Demonstrators at Atos Edinburgh Benefits Testing Centre
18-12-2011 00:55
“ATOS KILLS!” Pronounce Demonstrators at Atos Edinburgh Benefits Testing Centre
Kristallnacht in Palestine
17-12-2011 23:43
Virtually daily, Israeli security forces attack, kill, or injure Palestinian civilians with impunity. They also destroy their property by bombing, shelling, bulldozing and uprooting it. At the same time, Israeli authorities wink and nod, occasionally decry, yet do nothing to deter extremist settler crimes against Palestinian civilians. Most often, they're given license to terrorize, vandalize and commit physical violence with impunity. Rarely ever is anyone held accountable. The same holds for its own security forces, no matter how outrageous their crimes.Notts Uncut Arrests
17-12-2011 22:55
Statement of Defiance
Three people were arrested today whilst taking part in Notts Uncut action outside Topshop. The first arrest was for "refusing to comply with section 14". The woman concerned had been asked to move 20 yards away from the front of the shop. She asked the officer how far that was in metres or where he wanted her to move to (being of a generation which was taught metric) and was promptly arrested. Her disabled husband was arrested shortly afterwards for the same offence and manhandled violently into the back of a police van.
Another protester was arrested in the police station reception later that day for the heinous crime of asking when one of the protesters arrested previously was going to be released.
Notts Uncut believes this to be yet another example of the political policing increasingly being used to stifle peaceful protest. We can only be encouraged by this behaviour as the over-reaction of the "powers that be" only goes to show that we are making an impact.
We will not be intimidated into silence.
We will not be bullied into submission.
To quote a valued member of Notts Uncut "We're here; we're Notts Uncut; and we're still not going shopping"
Full article | 1 addition | 3 comments
Three more jailed for Facebook comments on UK summer riots
17-12-2011 21:36
Two teenagers from Dundee, Scotland, and a 22-year-old man from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, in England, were imprisoned for years for statements posted on the social media site Facebook at the time of riots in English cities last summer.Free Food! Free Bradley Manning! Cardiff action
17-12-2011 20:36
Live Coverage of Bradley Manning Pre-Trial Fort Meade, Maryland USA
17-12-2011 20:20
lBLOGive blog from the hearing:
http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2011/12/17/bradley-manning-pre-trial-live-blog-day-2/s. OCCUPY D.C. LIVESTREAM
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupy-dc
2 Arrested at Uncut demo: Topshop, Nottingham
17-12-2011 18:55
Saturday 17 December 2011
BREAKING NEWS!
After meeting outside Boots in Parliament Street, Uncut protesters proceeded to a number of their usual locations.
Calling at Miss Selfridge, on to Vodafone in Clumber Street and accompanied by a number of police officers. Because of an alleged "serious disruption to the life of the community" [shopping!] and "intimidating people from going about their lawful business" the sargeant in charge informed people that he was making a direction under sect 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 that protestors should move 20 yards from the store entrance and not use a megaphone.
People continued from there onto TopShop in Lister Gate. At 2.00pm, same police officers following on issued a similar direction there. People argued that this infringed their human rights and their rights to protest. One lady asked a question, didn't move fast enough and was duely arrested. Another, querried this arrest and was himself arrested. Their young 11 year old son was then left in care of others.
Both were quite disabled with mobility issues and had to be assisted / helped [one shoved] into the police van sent to pick them up.
A demonstration was then held outside of the Bridewell Police Station in their support.
People were not allowed to visit in the police station, I assume while they were being processed. Then, a local vicar and their son was similarly refused when again wishing to cheak on their welfare.
Later in the evening, I also understand a further arrest has been made at the Bridewell POlice Station for refusing to leave.
More info to follow. Onwards
____________________________________________
ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham. UK
Email: tash@indymedia.org
Web: http://digitaljournalist.eu
Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]
____________________________________________
"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
___________________________________________
<ends>
Devolve the Crown Estate in Scotland to the Scottish Parliament
17-12-2011 18:55
Squatting: Tool for political liberation
17-12-2011 18:55
An eviction, another squatting!
We would like to express our support to the squatting actions in Calle Almagro de Nou Barris (Barcelona), in Hotel Madrid, and many other squatting projects related to both public and private spaces- either in or out the context of M15 movement-,. It is an excelent deep work of antithesis to property and creation of free spaces.
From our point of view, this shall be a far-reaching task in order to systematically get spaces back from capital (private properties) and from the state (capitalized public properties), and lead them at the community's disposal. It is a matter of starting a process in which neighbourhoods shall self-manage these spaces for their use and enjoyment. Furthemore, these squatting actions shall only have a real changing power if they are kept beyond the fringes of capital, both private and state -with its subsidy policies- initiatives. Not being wished these spaces to turn into a joint management of misery in capitalism, it shall be necessary to exclude them from any plans of economic profitability, of management in hands of a few people, and of the state's social control.
This shall mean a quantum leap in the wide squatting movement. Squatting shall move forward into more significant projects in which the community not only squats and manages spaces, but also offers people tools to fight. We believe that rehousing people who have been evicted, as it is being done in Nou Barris and will be at Hotel Madrid, is a good start whereas it allows the community to empower itself and assume the ability of managing in common the housing problem in our society. Besides, it allows to bring up a straight clash against banks and real state agencies which speculate and make a profit of the basic need of a house, as well as a clash against the capitalist system of life management.
This step forward in the general squatting process shall also help to extend the phenomenon of squatting, and make it accesible, visible and understandable to everyone. Moreover, squatting shall become a feasable and possible alternative, specially in the present economic context in which the possibilities to get a house are more and more restricted, as well as the refusal to carry on a free life. That is why we believe these taken and liberated spaces shall not tend to become, once again, in new social centers or alternative leisure locations, but they shall become self-managed centers where people can develop free and politically aware experiences which make squatting the beginning of a general self-management of life. Therefore, we believe it would be interesting to get into four basic aspects of squatting in which is based the Hotel Madrid project:
1. Rehousing people.
2. Creating centers of legal and practic information for future squatting actions (Squatting Offices).
3. Creating spaces where people can learn in a non-authoritarian or hierarchical manner, free from any sectarian dogma or will and beyond the fringe of utilitarian reason.
4. Freeing up public spaces against the capitalist and state logic.
Furthermore, we find really important to squat and collectivize rural areas, lands, deserted villages, orchards and vegetable gardens, in order to help people to access them against the emptiness, speculation and renunciation. This would also be applicable to squares, parks, lots and urban waste grounds.
Finally, we would like to mention we believe squatting shall extend as far and soon as possible to any social, politic and economic sectors, i.e. factories, companies, workplaces, schools, and universities, among others, in order to being managed by the community from the inside. That way, it will be us who decide on any aspects of life that affect us by only paying attention to the real needs of people: what would we like to destroy, what to keep, what to transform. To do this we find necessary to dissociate every free space of the mercantilist logic, the tyranny of money, the wage-earning jobs, and of any kind of domination; all of this will only come together with our capacity of generating experience, our persistence and resistance. We will only be free when we dare to be.
An eviction, another squatting!
"A social movement that forgets its prisoners is doomed to failure".
Parliament Square Peace Camp under threat
17-12-2011 18:55
Peace Strike Statement From Parliament Square 17th December 2011
The Peace Strike Campaign at Parliament Square announces to all concerned citizens that there is a real possibility of the 'Peace Camp' being disassembled and removed this Monday 19th December 2011.
A 'Commencement Order' has been issued to activate part of the new 'Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011'
SOCPA 2005 parts 132 to 136 and 138 still stand, and will be repealed on the 30th March 2012.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/2834/note/made
However, parts of the PRSR Act 2011 are being activated this Monday, which will make it an offence to sleep overnight at Parliament Square, and any items deemed associated with 'sleeping' will be confiscated by an official in authority or a police officer. SOCPA 2005 Part 137 (use of loudspeakers) is repealed on this date.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/2834/article/2/made
This is a strange situation as anyone with authorisation would still have 'permission to demonstrate over a 24hr period' however, they would now be denied shelter. This would directly contravene the 'Human Rights Act', Articles 10 and 11 which allow for the right to freedom of expression and freedom of Assembly. How can you carry on over a 24hr period, which is allowed, but not have the means to do so, which was legal before? There are many questions to raise.
The big issue is that the people will loose possession of parliament Square, and it will then become a controlled area.
Now more than ever, people need to be seen out on the streets. They need to be seen by the Government of the day. There is so much social injustice that is effecting so many people in so many parts of the world. All these issues are all connected.
The ongoing Congo demonstration is an example of a great social injustice that has been allowed to happen, and has been funded and supported by the West. There has been an orchestrated international silence. The Genocide in the Congo is off the scale in modern history.
War is looming with Iran, we need to organise NOW for 'PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES FOR PEACE'.
Our message is as important as ever. Provided that, within reason, people are demonstrating in a peaceful manner, then there should not be any objection as to how long they need to demonstrate. What harm there is, has not been identified.
The real question the Government needs to ask is:
'WHY ARE PEOPLE DEMONSTRATING?'
'WHAT ARE THEIR ISSUES?'
'WHY ARE THEY SO UP UPSET?'
Government should be prepared to meet with grass root campaigners.
People do not stand in the wind, sleet and rain for endless hours without there being a very REAL concern.
The 'Times' magazine has just voted 'The Protester' as person of the year 2011. International protest has brought to the front the ignored concerns of the multitudes.
David Cameron advocates that the UK take up Christian values. 'Love Thy Neighbour' is the main responsibility of Christians with a 'duty of care' for one another. Quite right David, what greater way to express this than to stand up for injustice against our fellow human being.
Support would be appreciated on Monday 19th so that our concerns can be put forward in a peaceful manner.
Many thanks as always,
Peace Strike Campaign ' On Strike for Peace'
Parliament Square
07907233861
Message From Winston Churchill Speaking live from Parliament Square on behalf of Peace Strike and all demonstrators :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmWfBgCaB7g
Thank you Joker for not playing with Israeli Apartheid
17-12-2011 17:35
