police

The legislation, which was passed it’s first reading in the house of commons on the 16th march proposes changes to protests in the UK.

Imposing start and finish times for protests, setting noise limits, even more worrying “It will also become a crime to fail to follow restrictions the protesters “ought” to have known about, even if they have not received a direct order from an officer.” (BBC News) – currently police need to be able to prove that protesters knew that they have been told to move on before action can be taken under the pretense of breaking the law.

The protest Bill also seeks to criminalize protests that cause “public nuisance” and “serious disruptions” to everyday social life. As the BBC further explained “This is designed to stop people occupying public spaces, hanging off bridges, gluing themselves to windows, or employing other protest tactics to make themselves both seen and heard”.

As a Bristol SF member recently arrived at a UK airport he was not expecting to be approached by plain clothed police and invited to have a little chat. This blatant attempt to harass and intimidate one of our members swiftly ended as the SF member, after realising they were not going to detain him, attempted to record the conversation and chased them off.

Bristol SF have a clear message for the police. We are about working-class solidarity, internationalism and freedom. Your creed is suspicion and paranoia. Your role is to protect privilege and crush dissent. We will never talk to you.

Recently, Richard Siggs, a Police Sergeant from Brighton, has been communicating with several charity agencies. In the text, he explains his concern about the “intolerable level” the numbers of “very visible members of the Street Community” have reached in the streets of Brighton, and he asks the agencies to reinforce these three ideas while dealing with their clients:

"Brighton & Hove do not accept rough sleeping to be a valid life choice, it is dangerous and based on chaotic life style"
"There is nowhere in Brighton & Hove to street drink, would you like us to refer you to support for your addiction?"
"Any property left laying around on the streets will be removed by the local authority and may be destroyed"

Serious concerns are emerging about the “botched and violent” police counter-terrorist stop and subsequent arrest of a Black man in Greenwich, just over a week after the death of Drummer Lee Rigby. After Counter Terrorism police performed a ‘hard stop’(1) on the car Husani Williams’ was driving, he was arrested for possession of a Class A drug. Williams submitted a defence statement in which he denied the cocaine possession charge and the CPS took the decision this week to drop that charge. The London Campaign against Police and State Violence (2) (LCAPSV) are now demanding that SO15 (3), the Metropolitan Police Service Counter-Terrorism Command, and SO19 (4), MPS’ Specialist Firearms Command should face an independent inquiry into their “brutal and unnecessary” use of force.

North London Solidarity Federation would like to extend our fullest solidarity to the anarchists who were wrongfully detained while returning from the St. Imier anarchist conference in Switzerland. These actions, executed by British anti-terrorist officers, at best constitute unlawful police harassment. At worst, they are illegal actions designed to intimidate and repress.

Although we are not at all surprised to see such blatant disregard for civil and legal rights by the British state, we are concerned that such actions indicate a turn towards a more aggressive policing of the global anti-capitalist movement. As such, North London Solidarity Federation pledges to stand in solidarity with not only these particular individuals and the organisations to which they belong -- the Anarchist Federation (UK) -- but to actively participate in defending anarchists who are victims of state repression.

North London Solidarity Federation reproduce a powerful statement by Ayanda Kota - a member of the militant South African shack dwellers organisation, Abahlali baseMjondolo, in protest at the murder of 45 striking miners by the South African police force and the role played by the ruling ANC party (once presided over by Nelson Mandela) in allegedly facilitating the police to carry out such acts of violence.

If you wish to express your anger at this, consider phoning the South African embassy in London at 0207-451-7299 and emailing them at london.general@dirco.gov.za .

For more phone numbers and emails, consider searching google for other relevant phone numbers and email adresses, including those belonging to the ruling ANC party.

Statement begins: 

Merseyside police have brought a protest against City Council cuts, at the Town Hall, to a violent end by physically assaulting and arresting innocent protesters.

A number of Solfed members were present at the incident, and you can read full write-ups at the Truth, Reason & Liberty, magiczebras, JayoDoom, Working Class Self Organisation blogs and on Twitter. There is also a report from an Occupy Liverpool member, sympathetic to Solfed, here.

On Sunday 8th January 2012, Merseyside Police attempted to illegally evict Occupy Liverpool from their city centre squat. A member of Liverpool Solidarity Federation was in attendance to observe and lend assistance to the occupiers.

Sir Ian Blair, ex Commissioner of the Met Police was meant to give a talk at Sussex university last night, but faced disruption from students - see the report below.

A Deptford assembly organiser and SLSF member hurriedly writes:

On Wednesday 10th August, around 200 Deptford and Lewisham residents were joined by a smattering of political activists for a demonstration in the name of DEPTFORD UNITY, against the social inequalities behind this week riots and disturbances across the country.  The demonstration had been agreed by an impromptu neighbourhood assembly on Deptford High Street the night before, which had progressed from discussing fire safety to political and social problems within a matter of hours.