With banners, placards and speech bubbles, the group from Manchester No Borders said: Still Not Loving Police, Still Not Loving Tories - as they returned to the place where they had previously embarrassed council leader Richard Leese with a mountain of jumpers: see
![](/img/extlink.gif)
A large police presence wa nearby with some ten vans and 8 horses in Albert Square. Evidence gatherers also showed up for a while.
![](/img/extlink.gif)
Outside, anti-authoritarian protesters held their own rally, and warned that a Conservative government could bring clashes with police not seen since the miner’s strike and the poll tax riots.
Fittingly, the country’s senior police officers were discussing strategies on “how to build public confidence in policing” after the criticisms they received over their use of stop and search powers, their handling of football matches and environmental protests, and the killings of Jean Charles de Menezes and Ian Tomlinson.
We maintain that this will be an impossible task to achieve under a new Conservative government. Have we really forgotten the policing of the miner’s strike and the poll tax riots?
As we see it, the police does not serve to protect communitites. It serves to protect the government of the time and to squash dissent against unpopular policies. And under the Tories there will be a lot more of these.
We are specifically thinking of home evictions, lay-offs and welfare cuts. All these will bring more protest, and if the police step in, resistance.
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
going to be suppressed for this but....
05.10.2009 08:00
Sorry I know it is evil and wrong to say that the cops do anything right but the proof is right here.
anon
Vote
05.10.2009 08:18
AH
Anon,not exactly
05.10.2009 09:34
Winston Smith
Who you going to vote for then?
05.10.2009 12:57
Now admit it, you voted for them didn't you? You were all excited about Tony Blair and it was going to be the dawn of a bright new era wasn't it? It's the likes of you we have to blame for the ID card plans and an 82 year old getting thrown out of a party conference for heckling using anti-terrorist legislation.
Pete
Pete
05.10.2009 13:37
AH