A vigil for Tom
A vigil for Tom
A vigil for Tom
A vigil for Tom
Sophie Hurndall, Toms sister, gives an interview
London ISm'er gives an interview
A vigil for Tom
"I am causing an obstruction but I will arrest you."
A vigil for Tom
"I am not causing an obstruction but you and your colleagues are"
After initially congregating (on the instruction of the Police) on the Downing Street side of the road, unfurling banners, lighting candles and giving interviews to assembled camera crews the Police practically drove into the camera crew to move them across the road and demanded that we all move. Refusal, they told us, would be met by mass arrest.
While there was the obvious opportunity for civil disobedience most of the crowd were the peaceful law abiding and extremely cold sort so we mved grudgingly over the other side of the road. At this point the Police tried to corall us into the narrowest of crowd control pens which made anyhting other than standing still very difficult so people broke out, walked around, chatted and gave interviews.
While one person stood well out of the way, talking to a friend, the Police approached and asked him to move into the 'pen'. The person refused on the grounds that he was simply holding a conversation on a public highway. The police, namely CX 128 were insistent that refusal to move would result in arrest for obstructing the public highway even though as most of us pointed out it was the assembled Police and onlookers and witnesses to this that were now 'really' causing an obstruction.
CX 128 called for a van to arrest and remove a number of us and also 'kindly' erected another small pen for us to stand in.
At this point I left the conflagration to take some pictures of the vigilists and I when I left the Police appeared to have backed down but I am waiting for some clarification.
It was an excellent turnout at such short notice and I would like to thank the many groups that came along to voice their protest at Blairs silence over the shooting which contrast to his immediate condemnation of any suicide bombing.
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Amendments
15.01.2004 10:20
Note to self. Read before Submit.
Mark @ ISM London
see also-
15.01.2004 11:40
~~~
Oh yeah - they backed down - all four times ;)
16.01.2004 03:11
Whilst CX128 was attempting to make his arrest and kick off some actual trouble, one of the ISMers involved spotted someone with a video camera. Said camera was rapidly deployed. CX 128 called over a few co-thugs to back him up/cause a fight (without success - we don't do violence, see - and even they weren't dumb enough to start it off with the camera on them). A more senior officer was then called over to order us into the pens. We engaged him in debate about the extent of his authority and apparent desire to exercise it in an arbitrary fashion. And then this:
"You're obstructing people."
"Erm - we clearly aren't. Has anyone complained?"
"Yes."
"Could you give us details of the complaints then?"
"I didn't take names and addresses."
"Fair enough, but you took notes. Right?"
"I don't need someone to complain in order to ask you to move."
"So you didn't get any complaints?"
"So, you were lying?"
He gave up. After that various other coppers came up at intervals and created an obstruction whilst attempting to make us move for potentially causing an obstruction "if a few more people stopped to talk to you" and similar bollocks. All were invited to explain their reasoning on camera (in case it would help the judge later on). They switched tactics and ordered us to stop filming. Oh how we laughed. Most of them then developed a severe case of camera shyness and left us well alone.
Went through the same rigmarole a few times as new coppers came on duty and didn't heed the warnings from their colleagues.
ISM-London
CX 128
16.01.2004 19:45
CX 128
:-)
Mark @ ISM London
edit button?
16.01.2004 23:24
thank you very much for the pictures of the vigil for Tom and the report.
also for reporting about him and the ism more generally.
I read that you ask for an edit button.
If you mean it, please consider the invitation to the indymedia london convergence:
Ms Indymedia
Ms Indymedia
Handsome, ain't he?
17.01.2004 02:36
Will post some stills from the film, if there is any film. Thing is, see ... the camera battery was dead. Must have forgotten to mention it or summink. Oops.
ISM-London