In the midst of a period of intensified police harassment of some anarchists & other radicals in & around Bristol, the Bristol Defendant Solidarity project and numerous other groups have issued a statement of defiance, mixing support & solidarity for those who need it, with legal advice & rights info.
Useful links to share:
Bristol Anti-Repression Statement:
http://bristolabc.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/statement-against-police-harassment/
Legal Advice/Info on Police Harassment: http://bristolabc.wordpress.com/defendant-solidarity/police-harassment/
Background info/context: http://www.bristolanarchistbookfair.org/cops-at-the-door-some-bristol-anarchists-respond/
Full Statement Text:
Bristol Anti-Repression Statement
Police in Bristol appear to be stepping up their so far fruitless efforts to find individual anarchists and those that they think are responsible for property destruction actions over the last few years in Bristol. One year after their firearms training centre at Portishead was burnt down, they have turned to desperate measures to try and get any scrap of useful information. They have made a number of arrests, detained people at airports, and raided people’s homes. The majority of people targeted have not even been charged with a crime, and we do not know of anyone who has been successfully prosecuted. Further, officers from CID have recently visited people at their homes under the pretext of having “a friendly chat”. Not surprisingly, they have been met with a resounding wall of silence with no cups of tea involved, as most good people understand the importance of not getting drawn into conversations with the police. Even if any one of the people recently harassed by these visits knew anything about these actions or the people involved, we are confident that common sense and solidarity would prevail and the police would get the sum total of zero information. Anything else would be working for the police.
These home visits, arrests, searches and requests to snitch are not just about information and evidence gathering. They have as much to do with a concerted effort to intimidate and divide us all. A big part of their plan is to scare people into inaction and to create divisions between us. They hope to get us blaming each other for increased surveillance to the point where someone falls for their lies and starts talking to the bad guys. These are tactics that have been used against social movements in countless places and times.
But they won’t work here in Bristol. None of us will ever co-operate with those whose job it is, all in the name of “security” and “safety”, to defend the rich and powerful while keeping us down. We know that we are not the only people who face repression from the police – in no way do we want to compare what is happening to us to the things they are doing to others, for example their systematic use of anti-terrorism powers against people they see as Muslim. We oppose all police brutality and harassment, whoever they do it to. We also understand the need to stick together in the face of state control and repression. Anarchists and others targeted by the police have a wide range of opinions and preferred tactics, but we know who our comrades are and recognise the enemies at our front doors.
Signed:
Bristol Defendant Solidarity; Bristol Anarchist Black Cross; South Wales Anarchists; Bristol Solidarity Network; Bristol Legal Observer Network; Bristol SolFed; Kebele Social Centre; Riot Ska Records; Bristol Rising Tide; Spanner; Bristol Hunt Saboteurs; Empty Cages Collective; Bristol AFed
Here is some useful information on dealing with the police, both on the street and at your front door….
There are no friendly chats with the police! If police try to talk to you, we recommend you refuse to answer anything – answer “no comment” or “I am not obliged to answer that” to all questions. This isn’t just about protecting others – any other response will be taken by them as a sign of weakness, and they may hassle you more as a result. The ONLY time you legally have to tell them anything other than your name and address is if you are stopped at an airport under “Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act”. Even then, you do NOT have to answer questions about others, and they can ONLY ask you questions related to terrorism. If this happens to you, request a solicitor. If police come to your door, do not let them in unless you have to. The only times they can force entry are when they have a warrant, when someone who lives at your house has been arrested, or in order to prevent a crime from happening. If you live in a shared house and someone is arrested, they can ONLY search communal areas and the room of the person arrested.
Dealing with police can be upsetting and intimidating, so it’s important that we support each other. Counselling For Social Change may be able to help if you need to talk through anything that’s happened www.counsellingforsocialchange.org.uk. Activist Trauma Support has a list of resources to help understand and deal with trauma – www.activist-trauma.net. The most important thing is to give each other space to talk without being given advice, and not to be left to deal with things alone.
Bristol Defendant Solidarity is a group of local people committed to putting principles of solidarity into practice and standing alongside anyone facing trouble from the authorities for involvement in radical politics. Anyone approached and harassed by the police to give information about people involved in struggle, here in Bristol or elsewhere, can contact BDS for support. We are also compiling a list of arrests, home visits and interviews at airports so far to get a clear picture of their lines of questioning, to track their operations and to use in any future court cases that people may want to bring against them.
Contact:
bristoldefendantsolidarity [AT] riseup.net
07746741104
We have compiled a more extensive guide to police powers and your rights if they target you, which you can read here: http://bristolabc.wordpress.com/defendant-solidarity/police-harassment
Bristol Anti-Repression Statement:
http://bristolabc.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/statement-against-police-harassment/ Legal Advice/Info on Police Harassment:
http://bristolabc.wordpress.com/defendant-solidarity/police-harassment/ Background info/context:
http://www.bristolanarchistbookfair.org/cops-at-the-door-some-bristol-anarchists-respond/ Full Statement Text:
Bristol Anti-Repression Statement
Police in Bristol appear to be stepping up their so far fruitless efforts to find individual anarchists and those that they think are responsible for property destruction actions over the last few years in Bristol. One year after their firearms training centre at Portishead was burnt down, they have turned to desperate measures to try and get any scrap of useful information. They have made a number of arrests, detained people at airports, and raided people’s homes. The majority of people targeted have not even been charged with a crime, and we do not know of anyone who has been successfully prosecuted. Further, officers from CID have recently visited people at their homes under the pretext of having “a friendly chat”. Not surprisingly, they have been met with a resounding wall of silence with no cups of tea involved, as most good people understand the importance of not getting drawn into conversations with the police. Even if any one of the people recently harassed by these visits knew anything about these actions or the people involved, we are confident that common sense and solidarity would prevail and the police would get the sum total of zero information. Anything else would be working for the police.
These home visits, arrests, searches and requests to snitch are not just about information and evidence gathering. They have as much to do with a concerted effort to intimidate and divide us all. A big part of their plan is to scare people into inaction and to create divisions between us. They hope to get us blaming each other for increased surveillance to the point where someone falls for their lies and starts talking to the bad guys. These are tactics that have been used against social movements in countless places and times.
But they won’t work here in Bristol. None of us will ever co-operate with those whose job it is, all in the name of “security” and “safety”, to defend the rich and powerful while keeping us down. We know that we are not the only people who face repression from the police – in no way do we want to compare what is happening to us to the things they are doing to others, for example their systematic use of anti-terrorism powers against people they see as Muslim. We oppose all police brutality and harassment, whoever they do it to. We also understand the need to stick together in the face of state control and repression. Anarchists and others targeted by the police have a wide range of opinions and preferred tactics, but we know who our comrades are and recognise the enemies at our front doors.
Signed:
Bristol Defendant Solidarity; Bristol Anarchist Black Cross; South Wales Anarchists; Bristol Solidarity Network; Bristol Legal Observer Network; Bristol SolFed; Kebele Social Centre; Riot Ska Records; Bristol Rising Tide; Spanner; Bristol Hunt Saboteurs; Empty Cages Collective; Bristol AFed
Here is some useful information on dealing with the police, both on the street and at your front door….
There are no friendly chats with the police! If police try to talk to you, we recommend you refuse to answer anything – answer “no comment” or “I am not obliged to answer that” to all questions. This isn’t just about protecting others – any other response will be taken by them as a sign of weakness, and they may hassle you more as a result. The ONLY time you legally have to tell them anything other than your name and address is if you are stopped at an airport under “Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act”. Even then, you do NOT have to answer questions about others, and they can ONLY ask you questions related to terrorism. If this happens to you, request a solicitor. If police come to your door, do not let them in unless you have to. The only times they can force entry are when they have a warrant, when someone who lives at your house has been arrested, or in order to prevent a crime from happening. If you live in a shared house and someone is arrested, they can ONLY search communal areas and the room of the person arrested.
Dealing with police can be upsetting and intimidating, so it’s important that we support each other. Counselling For Social Change may be able to help if you need to talk through anything that’s happened www.counsellingforsocialchange.org.uk. Activist Trauma Support has a list of resources to help understand and deal with trauma – www.activist-trauma.net. The most important thing is to give each other space to talk without being given advice, and not to be left to deal with things alone.
Bristol Defendant Solidarity is a group of local people committed to putting principles of solidarity into practice and standing alongside anyone facing trouble from the authorities for involvement in radical politics. Anyone approached and harassed by the police to give information about people involved in struggle, here in Bristol or elsewhere, can contact BDS for support. We are also compiling a list of arrests, home visits and interviews at airports so far to get a clear picture of their lines of questioning, to track their operations and to use in any future court cases that people may want to bring against them.
Contact:
bristoldefendantsolidarity [AT] riseup.net
07746741104
We have compiled a more extensive guide to police powers and your rights if they target you, which you can read here:
http://bristolabc.wordpress.com/defendant-solidarity/police-harassment
Homepage:
Comments
Hide the following 3 comments
Police response to 'cops at the door' article
06.11.2014 10:29
“Looking back over the history of protest, I think it’s true to say the police have not always got it right, either nationally or in Bristol. I’m sure some of you will think this is an understatement. But things are changing.
“It’s very clear to me that one of our responsibilities is to facilitate peaceful protest without discrimination. To spell it out, I mean that this is something we must do in any event, even when those protesting may not like us very much. It’s our duty to uphold the right to freedom of expression and freedom of thought, and to do so fiercely, and to be held to account when we fail to do so.
“Turning to the series of criminal damage that the ‘cops at the door’ article referred to, I’ll be frank and transparent about what we’re doing.
“First of all, we recognise that we need to work on our relationships with the many people involved in protest activity in Bristol. The article said that we have been out and about speaking to protest communities and this is absolutely true. Our purpose in making contact in this way is to get a better understanding of the issues and build confidence about our commitment to support peaceful protest. We respect people’s rights to privacy and to not speak to the police if they don’t want to. That’s fine, but all the same we think it’s important to make the effort and we accept that we’ve got some ground to make up here.
“Secondly, we want to bring those responsible for this series of criminal attacks to justice. I draw a clear distinction when protest crosses the line into serious criminality. I make no apologies for pursuing those people who commit crimes that endanger the lives of the public and people from emergency services.
“It’s true that ‘CID’ officers have been knocking on doors asking questions about those responsible. From many people (not all - I accept) we’ve picked up a growing lack of sympathy for those that take this kind of direct action because it gives those who are committed to peaceful protest a bad name.
“Each offence committed has the potential to cause mass disruption to people’s lives and seriously pollute the environment, but in many cases it also poses the risk of serious injury or even the death of innocent people who are trying to live their lives in the way they chose, freely.
“The arson attack on Glebe Road in Bristol in July of this year risked the lives of many adults and children living in a residential street. Had any of the cars exploded or spread to the nearby Victorian terraced housing the outcome could have been much more devastating. Members of the public who try and tackle the fires themselves – and they do - and the emergency personnel who respond are also put in danger. It’s extremely fortunate that no one was injured or killed.
“Our experience over the last few months of being out and about and talking more to people involved in protest activity has been a positive one. We feel better informed and so more confident about not even having to police protest activity in the majority of cases. I hope you agree, this could work well for all. Please give us a chance.”
Chief Supt Julian Moss head of specialist operations at Avon and Somerset Police
NOT Julian Moss
07.11.2014 00:48
Please remove the comment above which claims to have been written by me. It was not written by me and it does not represent my views.
It is true that legitimate groups have a right to peaceful protest, although this must be balanced with the rights of residents and businesses too. Most of those who have been 'targeted' and questioned by us are not what the law-abiding public would consider to be 'legitimate'. So-called anarchists have been preaching violent revolution and class-hatred in Bristol for a long time. Yet it is businesses and entrepreneurs ("the rich" in their words) that make this city great, not the rabble of anarchists and scroungers. In light of this, I believe our operation against them is entirely proportionate. I hope to be making more arrests in the near future.
If it were up to me, I would close down every social centre, political 'bookshop' and squat in the city. These people want nothing less than the destruction of our way of life, and the people of Bristol should rest assured that Avon and Sommerset Police will stand firm against them.
Chief Superintendent Julian Moss, Avon and Somerset Police
Chief Superintendent Julian Moss, Avon and Somerset Police
Deeply concerned
07.11.2014 11:47
I do hope that those who have experienced harassment from the police will come forward and make a complaint. If it happens to you, be sure to write down the name or shoulder number of the police officers in question.
Whilst I sincerily hope that it will not be necessary, anyone who wishes to make a civil claim against the police should consult the list of solicitors maintained by Network for Police Monitoring.
Yours faithfully,
Sue Mountstevens, Avon and Somerset PCC
Sue Mountstevens, Avon and Somerset PCC
e-mail:
pcc@avonandsomerset.pnn.police.uk
Homepage:
http://www.avonandsomerset-pcc.gov.uk