Anarchists arrested

[DaveCinzano]

Taking the story about "imitation guns" at face value right now would be akin to - for example - believing the police accounts proffered on the afternoon of 22nd July 2005 of how Jean Charles de Menezes behaved on the morning of 22nd July 2005.

"Imitation guns" could be paintball markers, super soakers, Airfix models, BB guns, airsoft toys, film props or any number of other such non-lethal items, for which there may be a reasonable (and legal) reason for having.

Already today Greeks have turned into Britons, "explosives" into fireworks. The day is still young. Seeing as the arrests stretch back to Friday, yet these key details have had to be corrected on the day the story was presented to the media nearly three days later, we may yet see more 'corrections' (though the collective memory of the earlier, more frightening, version will still linger).

 

[Pot-Bellied Pig]

Do you know any terrorists from the West Country ?

I don't think so. Sounds like some carrot eater plod thinks he wants his name in the papers.

Suspicious devices,,,if they had anything good they would have a press conference with details.

Load of shite.

 

[Azrael]

I'd be very interested to see what the "weapons", "suspicious devices" and "suspected extremist material" spoken of actually turn out to be.
I'm betting it'll be a couple of coshes, a can of lighter fuel and a copy of Albert Meltzer's autobiography.

Which is why no one should be held longer than 24 hours without charge. If it's as you say, the Meltzer reading cosh enthusiasts should be allowed on their way, presumably to ferry their deadly lighter fuel to a Withnail and I convention.

 

[Blagsta]

The police say they have found imitation firearms in a press conference on the BBC a while ago. Including imitation AK47s. I think that carries five years inside alone.

bollocks

 

[editor]

You've got to be daft as a brush to even think about bringing along imitation firearms to a G20 protest, but until I start seeing some hard evidence to back this claim up, I'll assume that that it's all 100% freshly minted bollocks.

 

[Blagsta]

What's the bet that they'll be released without charge or on minor charges after Thurs and the story will sink quietly. Rather like the attempted murder arrests at Never Mind the Ballots RTS in '97.

 

[free spirit]

a few fireworks and a couple of childrens plastic toy cowboy guns then?

*remembers press reports of hundreds of sharpened metal poles being found at the dissent campsite in 2005, aka spiggot aka the posts we'd been using for fencing off the river that surrounded the site on the orders of the council

 

[Goatherd]

I hope it doesn't turn out to be airsoft guns. They could have gone on a rampage which could have possibly left tens of people slightly bruised.

 

[lostexpectation]

im sorry to be boring and always defend the left and attack the right, but isn't more probable that right wing political activist would have imitation firearms?

 

[butchersapron]

What?

 

[editor]

Rather like the attempted murder arrests at Never Mind the Ballots RTS in '97.

My ex-girlfriend!

Naturally, the story of them subsequently being released without charge barely made the news after screaming headlines of, "ANARCHIST RIOTERS IN POLICE MURDER CHARGE" or whatever bollocks was fed out to the media by the Met.

 

[lostexpectation]

didnt' somebody actually get done for attempted manslaughter after hitting a (helmeted ) police man with a shovel?

 

[DaveCinzano]

im sorry to be boring and always defend the left and attack the right, but isn't more probable that right wing political activist would have imitation firearms?

What?

It's hardly worth bothering.

 

[Mr Moose]

All bullhshit. This began this morning as terror arrests of greeks with explosives and a plot, it's now some people with flares and a potential stunt.

I believe they came from Greece and had a thirst for knowledge.

 

[Blagsta]

You met at St Martin's College?

 

[well red]

In the Times tonight:

"Police in Plymouth make arrests under the Terrorism Act after flares are discovered 'by chance' ahead of summit ... The 25-year-old man was caught spraying "Antifa" on a wall, police said ... They also seized “political literature” believed to include anarchist and anti-capitalist publications ... Police have not disclosed any names although one of those detained is believed to be an international student of Greek origin."

Ho hum.

 

[butchersapron]

In the Times tonight:

"Police in Plymouth make arrests under the Terrorism Act after flares are discovered 'by chance' ahead of summit ... The 25-year-old man was caught spraying "Antifa" on a wall, police said ... They also seized “political literature” believed to include anarchist and anti-capitalist publications ... Police have not disclosed any names although one of those detained is believed to be an international student of Greek origin."

Ho hum.

Nice to see you WR Keep your eye one this and other ones.

 

[editor]

In the Times tonight:

"Police in Plymouth make arrests under the Terrorism Act after flares are discovered 'by chance' ahead of summit ... The 25-year-old man was caught spraying "Antifa" on a wall, police said ... They also seized “political literature” believed to include anarchist and anti-capitalist publications ... Police have not disclosed any names although one of those detained is believed to be an international student of Greek origin."

Ho hum.

I bet they were on their way to hijack a load of holographic planes too, and fly them into platform 2 of Bank tube station.

 

[cantsin]

I'd be very interested to see what the "weapons", "suspicious devices" and "suspected extremist material" spoken of actually turn out to be.
I'm betting it'll be a couple of coshes, a can of lighter fuel and a copy of Albert Meltzer's autobiography.

standard

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

Not read all reports, I heard it was some flares and fake Kalashnikovs.

Sounds distinctly theatrical to me. Doesnt need that much to be terrorist anyway. We only need to sort out Walter Wolfgang and some trainspotters for that.

 

[derf]

Ah, that word 'terror' being used for all kinds of shit yet again

It does seem that the definition of terrorism has been expanded slightly to cover idiots with fireworks and anyone taking a photo of a train.

This is not a good move.

 

[Azrael]

That's the problem with laws against "terrorism". It's such a vague concept that the law's scope can be widened bit by bit until it means "anything that causes the state a nuisance". Laws should be made against specific and tightly defined crimes, like murder and possesion of explosives, not a tactic. I don't see any reason why terrorists of the murdering kind couldn't be busted under regular laws. Giving them their own special code both threatens liberty and aggrandises the worst sort of criminals.

If anything the men should have been arrested under the various Explosives Acts still on the statute book. Which would of course have required a trip to the law library from the local constabulary.

 

[lostexpectation]

then only got as far as Plymouth?

 

[butchersapron]

I look forward to your jokes, lostexpectation they're always good.

 

[Bernie Gunther]

In the Times tonight:

"Police in Plymouth make arrests under the Terrorism Act after flares are discovered 'by chance' ahead of summit ... <snip>

Damn fashion police ...

 

[winjer]

Laws should be made against specific and tightly defined crimes, like murder and possesion of explosives, not a tactic. I don't see any reason why terrorists of the murdering kind couldn't be busted under regular laws. Giving them their own special code both threatens liberty and aggrandises the worst sort of criminals.

Jean Claude Paye covers this at length in The Global War on Liberty, the change from withdrawing political status by using ordinary criminal law, to emphasising it by using special law. Makes a good practical exposition alongside to Giorgio Agamben's theories on states of emergency in Homo Sacer and State of Exception.

If anything the men should have been arrested under the various Explosives Acts still on the statute book. Which would of course have required a trip to the law library from the local constabulary.

The sole reason for invoking the Terror powers seems to be to ensure they can be kept for questioning for longer than under the Explosives Act/PACE.

 

[lostexpectation]

I look forward to your jokes, lostexpectation they're always good.

what do you mean by that, it wasn't a joke.

 

[butchersapron]

What was it then?

 

[ViolentPanda]

what do you mean by that, it wasn't a joke.

No, but it was quite a close approximation of one.

 

[danny la rouge]

In the Times tonight:

"Police in Plymouth make arrests under the Terrorism Act after flares are discovered 'by chance' ahead of summit ... The 25-year-old man was caught spraying "Antifa" on a wall, police said ... They also seized “political literature” believed to include anarchist and anti-capitalist publications ... Police have not disclosed any names although one of those detained is believed to be an international student of Greek origin."

Ho hum.

Hi well red, nice to see you back.