free spirit
more tea vicar?
sorry for cut and paste, but it i can't be arsed to rewrite it and it's from an email not websource...
this is quite worrying really - a load of mates of mine got nicked last week on their way to protest outside the EU justice ministers meeting in newcastle about the loss of civil liberties and ID cards (bizzarely enough). Thing is they all got nicked a good distance from the demo, with the car actually being targeted by the police on the road before they'd even got close. The protest hadn't started at this point, and the protest planned was jsut to be a small symbolic demo.
Those nicked have had their mobiles confiscated and houses raided, all for wanting to make a peaceful point about the erosion of our civil liberties - if this is the freedom and democracy we're supposed to be spreading around the world then count me out
> Update on arrests at EU Home Office ministers summit in
> Newcastle 8/9 September
>
> THE PLAN FOR A SMALL, PEACFUL DEMONSRATION This was not the
> most organised demo, hence only a few people knew about it to
> go. There was a 12 foot square giant ID card that was going
> to be held by the entrance of the Marriott Gosforth Hotel on
> the morning of the start of the EU Justice & Home Office
> ministers (see www.jhanewcastlegateshead.co.uk). Some people
> were going to be in orange boiler suits and shackled with
> chains and handcuffs (like Guantanamo Bay), and have barcodes
> on their foreheads.
>
> WHAT HAPPENED
> Before the vehicles got near the Hotel two of them were
> stopped and searched by a load of coppers. It seemed funny
> and ironic at the time that a protest for the protection of
> civil liberties was being stopped before it could even start.
> G, H, K, P, R and Y were all arrested and taken to Etal Lane
> police station. Other people managed to disperse before being
> stopped by the cops. Initially the arrests were for "Breach
> of the Peace", but later changed to "Conspiracy to cause
> Criminal Damage". The cops were heard to say that they were
> taking it so seriously because "anarchism is a violent
> movement that started in Spain in the 1930's"!
>
> THE RAIDS
> All those arrested had their homes searched while they were
> in police cells. Various bits of literature, videos and a
> passport were taken. One of the books they took from 2 houses
> was the brilliantly useful "Recipes For Disaster"
> (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970910142). They
> did not take people's computers, but they did confiscate
> people's mobile phones (obviously with call records on them).
> Cops from across the region were used to do the searches.
>
> THE RELEASE
> After 18 hours in the nick everyone was released at 4am on
> bail not to return anywhere near Gosforth Park till this
> Sunday and to return to the cops on 28th October to find out
> if they are pursuing any charges. The vehicles were given
> back to their owners.
>
> WHAT NEXT
> Who knows how much information they might have found out
> about you and local political activity. But their ideal
> result would be for us to be so paranoid that we stop talking
> and organising together. Obviously there is no point ringing
> the mobile phones of those that have been arrested. For some
> ideas about security culture see
> http://security.resist.ca/personal/culture.shtml. You can
> comment on what happened at
> http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/322769.html.
>
> Stay strong,
>
> [email protected]
this is quite worrying really - a load of mates of mine got nicked last week on their way to protest outside the EU justice ministers meeting in newcastle about the loss of civil liberties and ID cards (bizzarely enough). Thing is they all got nicked a good distance from the demo, with the car actually being targeted by the police on the road before they'd even got close. The protest hadn't started at this point, and the protest planned was jsut to be a small symbolic demo.
Those nicked have had their mobiles confiscated and houses raided, all for wanting to make a peaceful point about the erosion of our civil liberties - if this is the freedom and democracy we're supposed to be spreading around the world then count me out
> Update on arrests at EU Home Office ministers summit in
> Newcastle 8/9 September
>
> THE PLAN FOR A SMALL, PEACFUL DEMONSRATION This was not the
> most organised demo, hence only a few people knew about it to
> go. There was a 12 foot square giant ID card that was going
> to be held by the entrance of the Marriott Gosforth Hotel on
> the morning of the start of the EU Justice & Home Office
> ministers (see www.jhanewcastlegateshead.co.uk). Some people
> were going to be in orange boiler suits and shackled with
> chains and handcuffs (like Guantanamo Bay), and have barcodes
> on their foreheads.
>
> WHAT HAPPENED
> Before the vehicles got near the Hotel two of them were
> stopped and searched by a load of coppers. It seemed funny
> and ironic at the time that a protest for the protection of
> civil liberties was being stopped before it could even start.
> G, H, K, P, R and Y were all arrested and taken to Etal Lane
> police station. Other people managed to disperse before being
> stopped by the cops. Initially the arrests were for "Breach
> of the Peace", but later changed to "Conspiracy to cause
> Criminal Damage". The cops were heard to say that they were
> taking it so seriously because "anarchism is a violent
> movement that started in Spain in the 1930's"!
>
> THE RAIDS
> All those arrested had their homes searched while they were
> in police cells. Various bits of literature, videos and a
> passport were taken. One of the books they took from 2 houses
> was the brilliantly useful "Recipes For Disaster"
> (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970910142). They
> did not take people's computers, but they did confiscate
> people's mobile phones (obviously with call records on them).
> Cops from across the region were used to do the searches.
>
> THE RELEASE
> After 18 hours in the nick everyone was released at 4am on
> bail not to return anywhere near Gosforth Park till this
> Sunday and to return to the cops on 28th October to find out
> if they are pursuing any charges. The vehicles were given
> back to their owners.
>
> WHAT NEXT
> Who knows how much information they might have found out
> about you and local political activity. But their ideal
> result would be for us to be so paranoid that we stop talking
> and organising together. Obviously there is no point ringing
> the mobile phones of those that have been arrested. For some
> ideas about security culture see
> http://security.resist.ca/personal/culture.shtml. You can
> comment on what happened at
> http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/322769.html.
>
> Stay strong,
>
> [email protected]
I'll be putting a proper write-up on indymeeja, hopefully tonight/tomorrow.
