Police violence on demo may have been aided by agent provocateurs present in the crowd of Stop the War demonstration against Bush visit.
Stop the War Coalition
Press Release
Monday 23 June
20.20
immediate
www.stopwar.org.uk
New evidence has now emerged that the violent attack on the anti-Bush
demonstration by the police last Sunday, 15th June, was not only
premeditated but was also orchestrated by the police themselves.
Yasmin Whittaker-Khan writing in yesterday's Mail on Sunday identified
one 'protester' as a police 'agent provocateur'
The background is this:
On Sunday 15th June the Stop the War Coalition together with the
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the British Muslim Initiative
organised a peaceful protest against the visit of US President George
Bush to London.
Over the last seven years Stop the War has organised numerous
demonstrations all of which have all passed off peacefully. All these
events have been arranged with the co-operation of the Metropolitan
police with whom the Coalition has had a good working relationship.
This time the police were clearly operating with a different agenda:
1] Whitehall was sealed off for unspecified reasons. The police had
taken the 'political' decision not to allow a march to proceed along
Whitehall.
2] More than 1200 police, many of whom were riot police, were deployed
to control a peace demonstration of no more than 2500 people.
3] Without provocation the police drew their batons en masse and
proceeded to attack the demonstrators. There are many independent
witnesses to this and the photographic evidence is strong. Several
people were hospitalised and others arrested indiscriminately.
4] There is evidence that the police used 'agent provocateurs' to try
[without success] and stir up the crowd. See the article by Yasmin
Whittaker-Khan in the Mail on Sunday 22nd June 2008.
A number of questions now need urgent attention:
a] Who took the decision to ban the march? Which government ministers
were involved? What role did the United States security services play in
this decision?
b] Why were so many police deployed?
c] Who gave the order for batons to be drawn and used?
d] Why did the police use 'agent provocateurs' to try and create disorder?
Were the security services involved in this sinister development?
Andrew Murray, Chair of the Stop the War Coalition, said today, 'The
premeditated attack on a peace demonstration by the police marks a
further deterioration in the civil liberties of all people in Britain.
We demand a full public investigation into the events of June 15th.'
further information
Stop the War Coalition
Press Office
27 Britannia Street
London WC1X 9JP
T 020 7 278 6694
Press Release
Monday 23 June
20.20
immediate
www.stopwar.org.uk
New evidence has now emerged that the violent attack on the anti-Bush
demonstration by the police last Sunday, 15th June, was not only
premeditated but was also orchestrated by the police themselves.
Yasmin Whittaker-Khan writing in yesterday's Mail on Sunday identified
one 'protester' as a police 'agent provocateur'
The background is this:
On Sunday 15th June the Stop the War Coalition together with the
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the British Muslim Initiative
organised a peaceful protest against the visit of US President George
Bush to London.
Over the last seven years Stop the War has organised numerous
demonstrations all of which have all passed off peacefully. All these
events have been arranged with the co-operation of the Metropolitan
police with whom the Coalition has had a good working relationship.
This time the police were clearly operating with a different agenda:
1] Whitehall was sealed off for unspecified reasons. The police had
taken the 'political' decision not to allow a march to proceed along
Whitehall.
2] More than 1200 police, many of whom were riot police, were deployed
to control a peace demonstration of no more than 2500 people.
3] Without provocation the police drew their batons en masse and
proceeded to attack the demonstrators. There are many independent
witnesses to this and the photographic evidence is strong. Several
people were hospitalised and others arrested indiscriminately.
4] There is evidence that the police used 'agent provocateurs' to try
[without success] and stir up the crowd. See the article by Yasmin
Whittaker-Khan in the Mail on Sunday 22nd June 2008.
A number of questions now need urgent attention:
a] Who took the decision to ban the march? Which government ministers
were involved? What role did the United States security services play in
this decision?
b] Why were so many police deployed?
c] Who gave the order for batons to be drawn and used?
d] Why did the police use 'agent provocateurs' to try and create disorder?
Were the security services involved in this sinister development?
Andrew Murray, Chair of the Stop the War Coalition, said today, 'The
premeditated attack on a peace demonstration by the police marks a
further deterioration in the civil liberties of all people in Britain.
We demand a full public investigation into the events of June 15th.'
further information
Stop the War Coalition
Press Office
27 Britannia Street
London WC1X 9JP
T 020 7 278 6694
e-mail:
Homepage:
Comments
Hide the following 17 comments
Photos?
24.06.2008 10:39
Let's have it up on site.
SteveJ
Suprised Swappies
24.06.2008 10:48
That says quite a lot.....
Clatter
Paul
24.06.2008 11:32
Are there any photos of this person as it appears that there were several minutes of contact. How about a name perhaps to help shame this person and the police. I think it is fair to say that without this key evidence most will remain extremely sceptical that such a person was a) in the crowd b) behaved in this way..... Hmmmm...
WOW!
In opposition to the STWC's monopoly of the anti-war movement.
24.06.2008 11:50
STWC has to except that some people oppose their pacifist (pacifying?) ideals and are prepared to confront the police. This talk of agent provocateurs is a complete non-issue regardless of its authenticity. STWC are just using this article as a means to distance themselves from the more radical fraction willing to use direct action at events like this. I honestly don't believe the majority of people at at anti-war protests wish to tow the STWC line or even care about them they are there in opposition to an unjust war. The majority of the general public is not pacifist. Its time we built a more accommodating anti-war movement open to diverse tactics and thats primary aim isn't furthering the careers of aging liberal dinosaurs.
It not surprising that the police will have plain closed officers in attendance at demos or that they would use illegal tactics in there operations but we need to get past this and learn to act accordingly with autonomy and solidarity with those prepared to act directly.
Me
tactical genius
24.06.2008 12:04
demonstrations all of which have all passed off peacefully. All these
events have been arranged with the co-operation of the Metropolitan
police with whom the Coalition has had a good working relationship."
I love the way this is put forward as a 'good thing'. STWC has also utterly failed in its supposed objectives. Could there be a connection?
Rich
Blah blah blah
24.06.2008 13:02
StWC are crap. We know that. They abandoned the momentum of the early days of the anti-war 'movement' and stifled the move to protest / enter the air bases where a real movement would have had an effect on the progress of the war. Ok.
So where are the people organising non-StWC demos? Where is the more radical / non-pacifist movement that organises against Bush coming to town? Or Blair's public appearance? Like is always said. Want something to happen then make it happen!
Of course the police will use provocateurs for all sort of agendas and of course some people want to have a go and be a bit more lively. The Mail article is ridiculously vague but nonetheless worth commenting upon. The point of Indymedia is to act as a forum for discussing these ideas and events, not just to type shite about how crap and obvious it all is.
iko
More pertinent questions
24.06.2008 13:10
this decision?
b] Why were so few protesters rallyed?
c] Who gave the order for paper sellers to be deployed?
d] Why did the STWC use 'stewards' to try and quell disorder?
Were the security services involved in this sinister development?
the Insp Chris Dreyfus affair
the answer of this question b. is
24.06.2008 13:53
loppy
the police fighting the police fighting the police fighting the police etc..
24.06.2008 13:53
make the middle class history
e-mail:
worldwarfreeatriseupdotnet
Homepage:
http://pretentiousartist.com
Brilliant2read this expose,SWPleaders are abit crap,but lets b diplomatic,most
24.06.2008 14:57
Green Syndicalist
Re:Iko
24.06.2008 15:17
There are things happening outside of the STWC umbrella like Smash EDO, State of Emergency and Disarm DSEI. Although these causes/groups may not be nearly as strong as STWC they do exist.
The problem is not just existing outside STWC actions but that they effectively dis-empower the rest of the anti-war movement. STWC has had a crippling effect on the anti-war movement in general. If STWC encouraged diversity in tactics (something all effective movements have used) then it wouldn't be such a problem.
Me
Reminds me of "Montebello Quebec 2007 police agent provacateur" caught in act.
24.06.2008 17:39
by their booties you will know them
This was how the news broke on unionman and unionwoman networks :- "...Canadian Union of Public Employees or CUPE, uploaded pictures of the altercation that show the arrested “protesters” have the same footwear as the police. The video and photos show that the protesters are moving into the police line as a union leader challenges their actions and tries to expose them as police officers...."
these were the photos :-
The story then went really big, with people all over the shop (even some humans) taking an interest and being sure something similar would never ever occur in their neighbourhoods.
Videos :
English dubbing -
articles that then covered it all for people who might not pay their union dues but still know what side of the Class war they're on.
speaking of the class war and sides.... I don't know if this link still works, but it was the word from Quebecker Plod (or the police force of Montreal) at the time
Pretty much what the Canadian police said according to my infamous and sinister personal archives was :-
"after analysing the vid taken by the police at the scene (note neither the media nor protesters) it's now appropriate to confirm that these individuals are Quebecker police. They were acting under orders to identify non-pacifist protesters and prevent rioting. The police officers were mingling with the protesters and (check this out) they refused to throw projectiles. (quite right the trade union dued shamed that cop to drop the rock.....now it gets good......) at no time do the police force of Quebec act [are deployed] as agent provacateurs or to commit criminal acts. Moreover it is not in the policy of service of the police nor their strategy to act in such a manner. At all times they carried out their duty in maintaining order & security. [pretty much to that effect]
ipsiphi
mainstream media = mediation
24.06.2008 21:28
Who cares if the mainstream media is in favour? They are employed by corporations that daily profit from misery and destruction, it's in their interests to promote ineffectual gesture politics.
Why help them keep us docile?
ACAB
Yes but...
24.06.2008 21:39
Smash EDO has been a brilliant local non-STWC campaign and I think there recent demo gave a big boost to those who were there or who were inspired by it.
State of Emergency brought you the incredibly daft Sack Parliament event and is more or less defunct. Disarm DSei has been super unempowering since about 2003, through people's apathy mainly.
I dont think the STWC disempowers any of the people who go on it and are happy to march and listen to speeches. This people will never do anything other than that. The point is to organise something that isn't daft or over optimistic but something that is imaginative enough to deal with how the police lockdown any demo in London but is also something more than marching or a push and a shove. Something that people who still have some energy and anger will come along too.
Yeah I don't have any ideas yet either. But eventually someone will come up with something.
IKO
Agent provocateurism
26.06.2008 01:08
anonface
Brains obviously something you know nothing about
26.06.2008 08:00
A21
Plod hunting
26.06.2008 14:31
to keep the focus on the secret police instead of slagging each other off
good hunting
Willy