http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/361062.html
and
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/361139.html
it seemed unlikely it would be long before police harrassed her again.
she took up her usual position on the small traffic island near the churchill statue at parliament square so that tony blair might see her pink genocide banner as he is driven to pm's question time. she has done this many times before, and has always acted peacefully. she was there at 11.40 with another campaigner, kat, when parliamentary police unusually came over. they claimed they were concerned for kat's safety and started to push the two women off the island into the road. as the protestors walked towards the square, four burly policemen pounced on barbara, pushing her to the ground. they claimed they were 'arresting' her for 'potential breach of the police', but once she was taken to charing cross the charge was escalated first to 'obstructing a police officer' and then one of the huge men claimed he'd been assaulted by her.
her solicitor attended the station where she was held for seven hours before even being interviewed. a doctor was called because she has recently started suffering from high blood pressure due to all the stress of the campaign against her.
her solicitor is hoping that cctv footage with sound is available of the time when barbara was fingerprinted, where police were 'joking' about how they like to bully old women and children.
eventually barbara was released near 11pm this evening and is bailed to return to charing cross at 5pm tomorrow evening.
left-wing mp (and possible contender in a leadership battle) came over to parliament square again this evening, and is hoping to place an early day motion about barbara's plight.
in the meantime, it is possible that judge snow may re-impose the conditions threatening her with a spell in holloway if she appears infront of him again.
please remember all this repression is because this committed peaceful activist, who has never been in any trouble with the law before and who is a good mother and ex-social worker, wants to stand up to blair and challenge his illegal war.
and blair still claims we went into iraq to liberate their people and bring them a taste of our democracy.
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
God help them all.
01.02.2007 00:52
All I can say for the 'liberation of Iraq' and bringing them a taste of 'our' democracy is...
...God help 'em. If Bliar has his way, we'll be transporting Charing Cross police officers over to them - totalitarian police state, here they come, watch out!
Barbara's awesome strength and courage should surely SHAME the police, prosecutors, courts and parliamentarians (both houses).
Long live the people.
SteveJ
SteveJ
e-mail: stevej_appalled@yahoo.co.uk
get out there
01.02.2007 01:55
I ain't there because I'm doing it elsewhere, on another platform, same thing - DEMOCRACY!
Where are you?
mbjhi6
First they ignore you, then laugh at you, then fight you, then you've won
01.02.2007 10:16
All power to you Barbara!!! They can't kill the spirit.
CharlieX
e-mail: neilgoodwinuk@hotmail.com
Blesing in disguise
01.02.2007 17:24
James
Balance?
14.02.2007 10:54
"Concerns about editorial guidelines or queries about moderation are dealt with on the imc-uk-features list. These issues are not dealt with through the newswire, and newswire posts on these topics will be hidden."
If you think that there is a good reason to display a comment take it to the list.
The underlying suggestion that police can lawfully act unlawfully if someone doesn't salute them and kiss their smelly arses stinks, imho.
not a fan of anonymous claims about real people