UK Newswire Archive
Full article | 1 addition | 14 comments
Extremist’ policing of Leicester EDL demo
08-02-2012 09:46
Despite their assertions that the EDL are not ‘extremists’, the Domestic Extremism Unit did send along their public order intelligence officers Ian Skivens and Mark Sully, accompanied by football intelligence officers from Nottingham and Leicester – these are the FIT cops shown below. Their intelligence gathering was not, however, limited to the EDL, and the FIT cops below appeared to spend more time filming the anti-fascist response than the EDL. Added to that, there were a good number of local intelligence and PREVENT funded cops out keeping an eye on the local youth.
SchNEWS: Smashing Night At The 1in12
08-02-2012 09:06
The legendary 1in12 Club social centre based in Bradford is going through a tough patch. After a fire inspection a couple of months ago it was evident that after almost three decades of DIY refurbishment to the old mill, much needed to be done to bring the building up to regulatory standard.
HMIC report: "disgusting and farcical"
07-02-2012 22:55
Last week saw the publication of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary’s "review of national police units which provide intelligence on criminality associated with protest." This was one of the array of reports commissioned in the aftermath of the revelations about undercover police officer Mark Kennedy. The report, like the "Rose Report" into the CPS’ failure to disclose key evidence, has not been greeted warmly by activists. FITwatch went as far as to describe it as "disgusting and farcical."
On the newswire: Mark Kennedy: the HMIC report | HMIC review of police “domestic extremism” units | HMIC report disgusting and farcical | HMIC report into policing protest
Previous features Women sue Met over undercover cops | First report into undercover policing: “whitewash” | Undercover police officer back in the spotlight | Mark Kennedy/Stone exposed as undercover
The report had originally been intended for publication in October, but was postponed when it emerged that undercover officer Jim Boyling gave false evidence in court, apparently with the assent of his handlers. Despite this delay, this matter merits only a single paragraph in the report (pp. 39-40), which claims "this is outside HMIC‟s remit", but still sees fit to throw in an irrelevant reference to legislation passed after the incident in question to muddy the water.
The issues which the report is concerned with largely arose from the emergence of the "domestic extremism" apparatus, created over the last 10-15 years, based on a deliberately murky conflation of direct action with criminality and even terrorism. While the report does grapple with concept and claims to want to tighten it up, the report remains deeply problematic
The report claims (p11) that the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) definition is:
Domestic extremism and extremists are the terms used for activity, individuals or campaign groups that carry out criminal acts of direct action in furtherance of what is typically a single issue campaign. They usually seek to prevent something from happening or to change legislation or domestic policy, but attempt to do so outside of the normal democratic process.
According to the footnotes, this is drawn from a "Grant Agreement" with the Home Secretary (ACPO is a private company, which nonetheless receives funding from the state). While this may have been the definition they gave to politicians, it is questionable whether this was actually the definition used in practice.
Unfortunately, the NETCU website is currently down (apparently as part of work to launch a new NDEU website following the unit's transfer to the Met) and is unavailable in the Internet Archive. However, when it was around, this organisation, which was run by ACPO, offered a substantially broader definition (quoted at the time):
Domestic extremism is the term used to describe any unlawful or recognisably anti-social act carried out as part of an 'extreme campaign'.
It is often associated with campaigns focused around a single issue, such as animal rights.
Note that contrary to the cited ACPO definition, "criminal acts" are not necessary under this definition. Mere "anti-social acts" are sufficient and anti-social behaviour is notoriously difficult to define, encompassing anything from noisy sex, through littering and hanging around on street corners to mugging. As if to underline, just how ridiculously broad their defintion of domestic extremism was, NETCU chose to illustrate the frontpage of their website with a photo of the Clown Army.
It should give people pause to discover that HMIC have seemingly made little effort to explore what definitions of "domestic extremism" ACPO and its subsidiary bodies actually used in practice, given how central the concept is to the report. Instead they accept and restate on various occasions that "domestic extremism" is and always has been synonymous with illegal activity.
Regardless of these failures, it becomes apparent as the report continues that the insistence on "serious criminality" as a basis for considering activity extremist proposed by HMIC will make little difference. When they turn to examples of groups or individuals who "have chosen to pursue a belief or cause through serious criminality or by serious disruption of the community arising from criminal activities, rather than through the democratic process" (p. 15) the examples they point to include the "hijacking" of a coal train.
As FITwatch note, "The word hijack immediately evokes images of guns, threats and hostages, especially given the nail bombing campaign by right wing extremists is referenced within the same section." In reality, the action was an entirely peaceful one "committed by a group which included teachers and a preacher; a group who were described by the trial judge as "eloquent, sincere, moving and engaging". 21 out of 29 members of the group were given conditional discharges showing the level of seriousness the judge deemed the case."
"Serious criminality" is to be understood, according to the report, as "serious disruption to the life of the community (derived from section 12 of the Public Order Act 1986) arising from criminality." (p. 21) The obvious problem with this is that what constitutes "serious disruption" is largely subjective. Section 12 will be familiar to many activists, as is section 14 with which it shares the concept of "serious disruption". Locally, section 14 conditions were imposed on the Notts Uncut "Christmas Sepcial" last December, resulting in the arrests of two protesters. Is peacefully protesting for corporations to pay their tax now extremist and a legitimate target for infiltration?
The key point here is that "serious disruption" is not to be understood as disruption to the lives of ordinary people, but to the workings of corporations. This is why the examples pointed to include protests against "genetically modified crops; the burning of coal; and the expansion of aviation" as well as animal rights activists(p. 15). It also explains why, despite a single reference to far-right activists, which acknowledges the threat posed by fascist terrorism (p. 15), so much attention has been focussed by NPOIU and its ilk on broadly left-wing campaigns, rather than their right-wing counterparts. (Recall the Met's insistence that the EDL are not an extremist organisation.)
The report has a broader remit than the Rose Report and this may have contributed to the fact that it is much more vague, lacking in detail. While HIMC claim that Mark Kennedy "did help to uncover serious criminality" (p. 26), as FITwatch observe, "there is no evidence he actually prevented any criminality from taking place... Kennedy didn’t prevent the actions happening he provided intelligence on, didn’t contribute to prosecutions, and has, according to the report, no discernible role."
The report is particularly poor when it comes to the impact of Kennedy and others on those whose lives he inveigled his way into. HMIC euphemistically dismiss this issue (presumably with a straight-face) as "collateral intrusion" (p. 36). By contrast, there are, as FITwatch are quick to point out, "several references to the psychological difficulties these poor police officers have to endure."
It is, in closing, difficult to disagree with FITwatch's rather cynical conclusion:
This is a disgusting report showing utter contempt for activists, and a complete disregard for their rights with the only recommendations made being ones which will make no real material difference in the way the units operate. HMIC are not, as the claim to be "inspecting policing in the public interest" but inspecting policing in the interests of the state and corporations.
Defend the Right to Peaceful Protest: Drop Charges against Cardiff Castle Two
07-02-2012 22:16
On Friday 11th November 2011 the police violently broke up a completely peaceful protest on the green outside Cardiff Castle by Occupy Cardiff (part of the world-wide Occupy movement against inequality and injustice in the financial system). They 'kettled' the demonstrators in a subway and arrested six people.
Troubled Over Bridgwater
07-02-2012 17:27
Three anti-nuclear activists have occupied trees at the site of a proposed nuclear power station near Bridgwater in Somerset
Reclaim the Fields Spring Gathering 2012
07-02-2012 17:17
Has anybody heard any news from Israel Today?
07-02-2012 15:51
Maybe someone over dosing on Israel Today!!Important update in Scottish Census Refuser court case
07-02-2012 15:25
Palestine Today 02 07 2012
07-02-2012 15:17
Syrian rebels execute hostages - to bolster fake "shelling" allegation
07-02-2012 15:05
On Saturday 4.2, Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya brougt pictures of alleged victims of "army shelling" - having "killed 200" in Homs.But the victims have their hands tied - so they can hardly have died from shelling.
Future Of NHS Hangs on High Court Scales, Wed 8th
07-02-2012 14:07
Mother of Richard O’Dwyer “America is trying to control and police the Internet”
07-02-2012 12:39
No Pasaran! Leeds Antifascist Film Festival A Storming Success
07-02-2012 11:20
Concerned Locals take to the Trees at Hinkley Point near Bridgwater, Somerset.
07-02-2012 11:02
The IWW 'hit the Hut'!
07-02-2012 10:55
On Saturday 4th February 2012, The Bristol General Branch (GMB) of the IWW showed solidarity with Fellow Workers in Sheffield by handing out leaflets outside 2 central branches of Pizza Hut, and travelling further out to talk to staff at 3 other sites
On Saturday 4th February 2012, The Bristol General Branch (GMB) of the IWW showed solidarity with Fellow Workers in Sheffield by handing out leaflets outside 2 central branches of Pizza Hut, and travelling further out to talk to staff at 3 other sites.
The Fellow Workers in Sheffield belong to Industrial Union (IU) branch 460, which covers all Pizza Hut workers in the UK. They are taking action to try and make the management listen to their reasonable demands:
- At the moment Pizza Hut (UK) staff are paid bank holidays as a normal day, i.e. they are not paid any extra for working, even on Christmas Day or Boxing Day! Staff used to get ‘time and a half’ until a few years ago, when the company took it away.
- Delivery staff, using their own cars, are only given 60p PER DELIVERY to cover petrol costs, and the wear-and-tear to their car, even if the delivery is up to 6 miles away! Despite the rocketing price of petrol, this rate hasn’t gone up in several years. The company promised a review, and a new rate, but has not delivered, so IU 460 have been forced to take action. They are demanding a rate similar to the AA’s recommendation for ‘own car use’ of 45p per mile.
Staff at all sites were obviously supportive, and glad to see that their case was being highlighted. We hope to now set up a Bristol branch of IU460 and urge any Pizza Hut workers from any site in the West Country to email us IN CONFIDENCE at bristoliww@riseup.net to get involved.
The Bristol FW’s who showed support were in high spirits despite the cold, and were joined in solidarity by members of the Anarchist Federation (AFED) and the Solidarity Federation (SOLFED).
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO ORGANISE! DON’T LET YOUR BOSS TELL YOU OTHERWISE!
Concerned Locals take to the Trees at Hinkley Point
07-02-2012 09:41
Early this morning, concerned locals occupied threatened, ancient trees at the proposed site for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, near Bridgwater in Somerset. Michael Hunt, one of the tree occupiers said of their action :“We're here to stop work on this criminal development and to protect the ancient trees that are surrounded by a special conservation area but mysteriously excluded from it “
Action to re-occupy the ZAD
06-02-2012 23:52
SHU Meeting, 7th Feb: Oppose extradition of Richard O’Dwyer to the US!
06-02-2012 23:05
Sheffield Hallam University computer science student Richard O’Dwyer faces extradition to the United States on copyright infringement charges, where he faces five to ten years imprisonment in a US federal jail.Tuesday, February 7, 5:30 p.m.
Sheffield Hallam University Students’ Union
The Fishbowl @ The Hubs
Paternoster Row, S1 2QQ