Scotsman Reports Plastic Bullet Baton Rounds Authorised for G8 Protests in July

From:

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=110412005

Scottish police authorised to use baton rounds during the summit

DAN MCDOUGALL

Sat 29 Jan 2005

SPECIALLY selected police officers from all eight Scottish constabularies have been trained to use controversial plastic-bullet guns in order to cope with possible crowd violence during the G8 summit at Gleneagles in July.

The Scotsman has learned that officers will be sanctioned to use the weapons, which have been widely criticised by human rights groups.

It is understood that officers armed with the baton-round guns will be on standby around the site of the summit itself and in all major population centres, particularly Edinburgh, where the authorities are expecting large-scale protests that could involve tens of thousands of demonstrators.

Last night Brian Powrie, chief superintendent of Tayside Police, who is in charge of the G8 planning operation, said: "The use of baton rounds by police officers is one of a range of less lethal options currently available, in certain circumstances, as a proportionate and necessary response throughout the UK."

Frances Curran, the West of Scotland Scottish Socialist MSP, yesterday lodged a motion calling for clarification over the use of rubber bullets and baton rounds by Scottish police forces, claiming people could come under siege in their own country as a result of the weapons.

Last September all Scottish police forces brought in baton guns to be used by specialist firearms officers, although a single round has yet to be fired. The ammunition, known as baton rounds, uses a plastic compound which is shaped into a blunt projectile. The baton rounds can still cause fatal wounds if they strike a person’s head or chest area.

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Hide the following 9 comments

Good! Best news I have heard all day

31.01.2005 10:48

Thats good then because it means that you anti-capitalist hooligans wont be able to wreck the G8 Summit and that delegates to the G8 Summit will be able to get on with their business in peace. I also wish that you anti-capitalists would grow up and understand that the G8 conference is a good thing as it will help Third World countries.

Labour party member

rubber bullets KILL

31.01.2005 16:44

Rubber bullets in N.Ireland

http://www.relativesforjustice.com/plastic/plastic_history.htm

Rubber bullet victims of rubber bullets in N. Ireland

http://www.relativesforjustice.com/plastic/plastic_victims.htm

NB most of them are kids

took em 25 years but now rubber bullets come to the mailland
welcome to the real world Scotland England and Wales

Labour Party member or fash kettle cord lover?

31.01.2005 20:38

You're talking rubbish. Go and play with your tonka toys.

Dan

Rhetoric

31.01.2005 23:39

The level of rhetoric coming from the main parties these days is atrocious. It's as if they collectively swallowed a record player and it won't stop playing the same - stupid - lines.

So just to backtrack on the mantra of the war loving, tony blair kissing, environment destroying labour party member - 'the g8 is good for africa'? Well the G8 has been around since the mid 1970s, and since then Africa has seen its proportion of the worlds wealth diminish rapidly. If the G8 really cared about Africa then it wouldn't be in the state it is in today. It also wouldn't turn a blind eye to African dictatorships that happen to be friendly to the UK administration; or lend money for arms to impoverished countries.

Oh, and caring about Africa means caring about equality too in one way or another: and I think we all know that Blair's government has done nothing to address inequalities at home either - seeing as they have increased over his period in government. Oh and caring about Africa and equality also means caring about the environment, but here we have a government that blindly walks the plank towards ecological catastrophe, with the mere muttering of concern and talk of 'carbon trading' which does nothing to tackle the root causes of ecological catastrophe - capitalisms constant need to secure ever more more of the earths resources for the profit of the few.

The sooner Blair and his war criminal friends are out the better. Putting a sock into the mouths of idiotic supporters is perhaps one of the most enjoyable reasons for doing it. See you at Gleneagles!

Krop

Relatives for justice? Be honest you are republican propagandists!

01.02.2005 00:04

Plastic bullets have killed but certainly not as many as IRA real bullets or bombs. Thoose killed were rioters who used lethal weapons such as acid bombs and petrol. If groups such as IRA and sinn Fein will encourage kids to throw such weapons at police tragedies will occur. Where is the condemnation on relatives for justice website about IRA atrocites? It's absense speaks volumes! All weapons need to be removed.

Paul

sticks and stones

01.02.2005 07:33

right, and just in case anyone throws a stone or two then we better get the tanks out. it seems to cope with those terrorist children in palestine. Oh and if any are captured get em up chimneys and them birch em. cat o nine tails. its the only language they understand. dont know how lucky they are to ba able to wear Nike clothes. Millions died, nazis, for you lazy... didnt know they were born, till they breathed the polluted air cunt and saw the oil slicks prick and woke up to the fact that a very rich minority group headed by inbred blue blooded horse thieves are shafting us and luaghing whilst holding very big guns...
fucks sake, have we forgotten that its our duty to protest whilst the elite im their tax havens, perpetually pillage and exploit the world over. until the g8 nations acccept responsibility for the ills facing society created by this capitalistic bulshit there will be hundreds of thousands on the streets. they cant shoot all of us. fear is their game. love is ours. oppression is their byword, freedom is in our hearts. Transformation is inevitable, our passion for freedom is stronger than any prison. Land thieves will be dealt with by Gaia
nature hates a vacuum.
You can stop the party, but you cant stop the future.

A quarian

its an Aquarian ting

rockhard

I said petrol bombs and acid not stones

01.02.2005 10:09

You mentioned Palestine not me. As well as cat o'er nine tails, chimney sweeps and all sorts of esoteric crap! Look at relatives for justice website it is just IRA propaganda from Northern Ireland. Rubber bullets there would never have been used if terrorists there hadn't encouraged kids to throw petrol bombs. 2 sides to every story relatives for justice tells just 1 version and seeks to inflate the myth of republican victimhood.

Paul

Paul the bigot

01.02.2005 18:52

Paul the bigot speaks: "republican propagandists" ha so u are stupid enough to beleive your own governments properganda
nb the first bomb to go off in N. Ireland was detonated by loyalists in 1968 fact
how do u explain that ?
i wont defend the ira but yr fucking murderous british army have killed more innocents along with the prodestant paramilitarys
so fuck you views what you doing here anyway fuck off
bigot

it's so bigoted to point out there's 2 sides to every story isn't it!

01.02.2005 22:06

Dealing firstly with your comment on Loyalist Bombing in 1968. Presumably(according to you)collusion? Well the problem with that is that the British put more Loyalists in prison than republicans! Even top notch assasins like Billy Wright and John Adair, why lock people away if they're doing your dirty work for you? Secondly Relatives for Justice are republicans! Why not admit it? The IRA had it's own shoot to kill policy(off duty soldiers/RUC, civilian contractors, people in their own community who disagreed with them!etc, they also deliberately murdered civilians such as Jean McConville. The reponse from RFJ for these atrocities nil. Why because as republicans they blame everything on the British they should just admit to doing so instead of denying it. Also the so called shoot to kill, victims on the RFJ website(more like an IRA role of honour!) include people who were shot whilst atively engaged on IRA operations, eg Loughall, drumnakilly etc. But of course according to you and RFJ only the Brits commited atrocities. There are 2 sides to every story RFJ is just 1 side all victims of the conflict need to be remembered. I'll leave it to you to explain to IMCers who Jean McConville was and why she was killed as there sure won't be a public inquiry into that one.

Paul

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Scotsman Reports Plastic Bullet Baton Rounds Authorised for G8 Protests in July

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Good! Best news I have heard all day

rubber bullets KILL

Labour Party member or fash kettle cord lover?

Rhetoric

Relatives for justice? Be honest you are republican propagandists!

sticks and stones

I said petrol bombs and acid not stones

Paul the bigot

it's so bigoted to point out there's 2 sides to every story isn't it!

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