Police Harrassment of Anti-Fascists Increases In Leeds
Over the past few months there has been considerable harassment of anti-fascists in Leeds. In the latest incident, the police put pressure on a local squat to cancel an anti-fascist benefit night which was due to take place there on Friday November 11th. Not satisfied with having had the gig cancelled, police harrassed those trying to attend. In one incident (described on Leeds-Bradford Indymedia), two people were swooped on by plain-clothes police, causing one of them to have an asthma attack.
“We were stopped on the back street by a plain clothes white police estate car, we had noticed it following us for a while. As we came around the corner, without warning, the car screeched up at the side of us and put on it's blue police light strobes concealed in the cars lights, at first we thought we were going to be attacked until two officers who had photography equipment with them shouted at us to stay where we were, and my buddy had a asthma attack. Within seconds, yes seconds, a police van and a police car had rolled up to join them and we were searched. I had a printout of the fundraiser in my bag and some smoke...major crime stuff !”
Despite now facing prosecution for possession of a small amount of cannabis, it was the tactics of the police which their victim found most unsettling.
“What was more worrying was the way the police were using a secret police car to spy on us and the fact that the officers asked us if we were on our way to the event. When my friend got a bit cocky with the arrogant police and refused to tell them they called in the harrasment squad in a police van and a police car.”
It is inevitable that these two people were not the only ones who faced police harassment for trying to support an anti-fascist benefit Police Harrassment of Anti-Fascists Increases In Leeds. Anti-fascists in West Yorkshire can no doubt expect more harassment over the coming months as they continue to wage an effective battle against organized fascism in the area and Blair’s little stormtroopers attempt to help out Griffin’s. We will not be intimidated.
Over the past few months there has been considerable harassment of anti-fascists in Leeds. In the latest incident, the police put pressure on a local squat to cancel an anti-fascist benefit night which was due to take place there on Friday November 11th. Not satisfied with having had the gig cancelled, police harrassed those trying to attend. In one incident (described on Leeds-Bradford Indymedia), two people were swooped on by plain-clothes police, causing one of them to have an asthma attack.
“We were stopped on the back street by a plain clothes white police estate car, we had noticed it following us for a while. As we came around the corner, without warning, the car screeched up at the side of us and put on it's blue police light strobes concealed in the cars lights, at first we thought we were going to be attacked until two officers who had photography equipment with them shouted at us to stay where we were, and my buddy had a asthma attack. Within seconds, yes seconds, a police van and a police car had rolled up to join them and we were searched. I had a printout of the fundraiser in my bag and some smoke...major crime stuff !”
Despite now facing prosecution for possession of a small amount of cannabis, it was the tactics of the police which their victim found most unsettling.
“What was more worrying was the way the police were using a secret police car to spy on us and the fact that the officers asked us if we were on our way to the event. When my friend got a bit cocky with the arrogant police and refused to tell them they called in the harrasment squad in a police van and a police car.”
It is inevitable that these two people were not the only ones who faced police harassment for trying to support an anti-fascist benefit Police Harrassment of Anti-Fascists Increases In Leeds. Anti-fascists in West Yorkshire can no doubt expect more harassment over the coming months as they continue to wage an effective battle against organized fascism in the area and Blair’s little stormtroopers attempt to help out Griffin’s. We will not be intimidated.
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