"Get in my pen or you will be arrested"

And Down with the Counter-Terrorism Bills (all of them) | 16.05.2008 10:56 | SOCPA | Repression | London

NOT

On the 12th May I went opposite Downing Street to a demo against the Counter-terrorism Bill called by CAMPACC. I’m not sure whether CAMPACC asked for authorisation to hold that demo (SOCPA is still in place) or it is just that the Police has been reading Indymedia a bit too often. The case is that they had nicely set up a pen made out of fences in order to ‘facilitate’ our protest as they usually do. Myself and the other four friends with me tend to refuse to be penned/kettle in that way and decided to listen to the speeches from outside the pen. A very polite police officer approached us saying that she needed to keep the passage clear and if we could please move into the pen. We refused to do so (we weren’t even obstructing the pedestrian way. Not enough people there I’m afraid). At the end she threatened us with arrest. As we would still ignore her she called her ‘superior’, a more sinister character, who kept on threatening us with arrest. One of our friends happens to be a solicitor who makes a living out of suing the authorities and gave him a long speech on our rights and why she didn’t think they could really arrest anyone for refusing to be penned. I find the idea of protesting encircled by fences set up by the Police rather disempowering and even denigrating. Basically, I wouldn’t feel I’m protesting at all but just making it easy for them to neutralise again the effectiveness of any expression of political dissent. It is also their way of showing you are under their authority and have to obey their orders, never mind how ridiculous they may be.

I just wonder if anyone reading this has had a similar experience or know of any unlawful arrest after people refused to be penned.

And Down with the Counter-Terrorism Bills (all of them)

Additions

No Borders Harmondsworth

16.05.2008 12:06

I attended a No Borders demo on Saturday 18th April 2006. The entire protest was penned and people were refused entry to leave as a group. In other words they would only let dribs and drabs of people in and out at any given time. They knew they were stifling our protest by keeping it out of site so they were trying to circumvent people from regrouping somewhere else.

Anyway, a smaller group did manage to regroup elsewhere to have a more visible protest, but were quickly surrounded by a large number of police officers. I had managed to leave the other pen so witnessed this from a distance, so I started to approach the surrounded group with the intention of documenting what was happening. I must have been 25 metres away when I was approached by an officer from behind (who crept up on me) and demanded that I get in the pen with the surrounded group. I refused and was then pushed and assaulted by this officer, and dragged the entire 25 metres to the surrounded group and pushed inside. I spoke to a journalist inside the pen who had also been assaulted and forced in. This was without doubt illegal since the police are not allowed to obstruct journalists in their line of work. In fact, the police had recently released guidelines stating exactly how the police should behave towards journalists, i.e. they must be left alone. There is more to this story but I will leave it to the journo in question if they wish to elaborate.

Anon

all offences now arrestable

16.05.2008 13:43

Unfortunately, the law has now changed, and the police have the right to arrest for any offence.

I've had mixed experience of refusing to be penned (over ten years of arguing with cops etc). On the whole, if you argue the point, and stand your ground they don't arrest you. But there is no fixed rule. Sometimes they will assault you, and make you move into the pen. Other times, they have nicked for stuff like Breach of the Peace. However, I've never been successfully prosecuted for refusing to move into a pen.

It is always worth standing your ground. Cops, as a rule, will threaten to arrest every time you do something they don't like, or if you're questionning their authority. Most of the time, they know they're bullshitting, and it's child like bullying behaviour to make you comply. The times when this double bluff doesn't work, you may end up in the cells for a few hours - but you can always sue them afterwards.

fitwatch
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