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16 THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH 16-22 MAY 2011

A number of activists and squatters were arrested in the

run-up to the royal wedding to prevent disturbances on

the day. Ryan Gallagher asks if this an example of

political policing to restrict the right to protestDemo aversion

The police are using new tactics to discourageresistance to the coalition governments cutsprogramme, lawyers and Labour MPs have claimed.

The allegation comes after more than 50 activistswere pre-emptively arrested by police to preventdisturbances or demonstrations during the RoyalWedding last month.

Squatters have also been targeted in a series ofpolice raids, while one man was arrested by plainclothes officers in Londons Soho Square after singingthe words we all live in a fascist regime to the tuneof the Beatles song We All Live In A YellowSubmarine.

Labour MPs Katy Clark and John McDonnell havesigned a letter defending the right to protest after thepre-emptive arrests, with McDonnell saying itappeared police had been given authority fromgovernment to quell resistance to its policies. Thecops basically have been given a free hand tointimidate as much as to prosecute, he said. Theyare breaking new ground in the actions theyre taking.Theres a boldness that they now have because they

think theyve got authority from the top to do it.

According to lawyers and campaigners, the tacticsused by the authorities show that protesters areincreasingly being targeted with a new form ofpolitical policing.

Sarah McSherry, a partner at law firm ChristianKhan, who represents several protesters in casesagainst the police, said the use of pre-emptive arreststo detain activists is a worrying development thatcould deter people from exercising their right toprotest in the future.

If those individuals recently arrested on suspicionof conspiracy to cause public nuisance and breach ofthe peace wished only to promote and express theirrepublican beliefs, their arrest flies in the face of therole of the police to facilitate rather than impede theactivities of democratic protesters, she said. Thereis also the concern that this sets a precedent to berelied upon by the police in thecontext of any forthcomingprotests.

Since the studentdemonstrations at the end oflast year, civil unrest hascontinued acrossEngland as government-imposed reforms and cutscause increasing anger. Butafter violent scenes andproperty damage onthe streets of Londonand Manchester during

anti-cuts protests

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exercising their rights purely as a result of theirpolitical opinions.

A number of squatted properties in the London areawere also raided before the wedding, with computersand mobile phones confiscated by specialist officers,some of whom were from the Metropolitan Policescounter-terrorist command.

Paul, 29, a former squatter of one of the raided

properties, said: What I think is happening at themoment is that police are trying to marginalise theanarchist and the squatting communities. For me itsa case of: first they came for some other people, nowtheyre coming for us.

Much of what we are experiencing at the minute isnot that dissimilar to what marginal groups withinsociety experience regularly, such as migrants,asylum seekers and ethnic minorities.

Paul, who gives legal advice in the squattingcommunity, added that some believe the squat raidsare part of a move coming from within the coalitiongovernment to ban squatting altogether.

Theres a move against squatting in general at themoment, he said. But a ban wont just affect a smallminority of squatters; it will dramatically increase theease with which landowners can clear out peoplefrom their land and will make a lot more peoplevulnerably housed. A move against squatters rights isa move against housing rights.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that counter-terrorism police were present at a raid on a Londonsquat, but said they were not present to perform acounter-terrorism raid, and were rather drafted in toassist. The Met did not respond directly to questionsabout alleged political policing.

A Met spokesperson added: The MetropolitanPolice Service is very clear that we support thepublics democratic right to peaceful protest.However, officers reserve the right to take appropriateaction where, based on all available information,there is a real perceived threat of public disordertaking place or distress being caused to the wider

public.

Cause for concernPolice tactics have been under scrutiny since the death ofnewspaper seller Ian Tomlinson during G20 protests in London twoyears ago. The death of Tomlinson who was killed after he wasstruck from behind with a baton and pushed to the ground by anofficer prompted calls for an investigation into policing at largedemonstrations.

But when student protests descended into violence atConservative Party headquarters last year, the police were againcriticised after some protesters claimed they provoked clashes andkettled schoolchildren.

Solicitor Sarah McSherry, who represents protesters in actionsagainst the police, believes the polices tactics are a cause forconcern. She said: In the context of our work in relation to thelatest series of protests, we have seen the utilisation of a number

of tactics which infringe the right to peaceful protest, privacy andfreedom of expression, assembly and movement.

These include the photographing of protesters, the use ofkettling to detain them and obtain their personal details andaggressive policing, particularly to enforce kettles, which placesprotesters at risk of significant harm and the criminalisation of,particularly young, protesters.

earlier this year, police vowed to use more robusttactics.

Charlie Veitch was one of those arrested forconspiring to cause public nuisance the day beforethe royal wedding. The 30-year-old peace campaigner,who lives in Cambridge, was held for 24 hours in twopolice stations.

He was obstructed from contacting his lawyer andfamily, he claims, before eventually being bailed on

the condition that he does not enter central Londonfor a period of six weeks.

The more they try and crack down on protesters,the more it creates a massive fuss in the media and itradicalises even more young people who start torealise that the establishment is not a friend of thepeople, Veitch said. All activists should take this asa very positive thing that has happened, because itshows that we are being effective. The government isscared.

But activist and politics student Guy Aitchison, 26,believes the polices tougher strategy particularlythe recent squat raids and pre-emptive arrests isalready having a negative impact on the protestmovement.

People are scared, he said. They dont want to

go out and get arrested for no reason, so its working;its already having a chilling effect.Aitchison, who was part of a group of students who

occupied University College London in Novemberover education cuts, said he was troubled that policeappear to be trying to discourage people fromprotesting by pre-emptively arresting figureheadactivists.

I find it really disturbing, he said. Pre-emptivearrest is basically a form of using any excuse to arrestpeople and detain people, just to prevent them doingsomething you dont want them to do.

Its just like a form of thought crime, where theyrejust banging people up to prevent them going toprotests. Theyve committed no crime, but theyrebasically being punished and prevented from

1716-22 MAY 2011 THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH

POLICING AND PROTEST

Police officers detain a demonstrator during anti-cuts protests in London. Photo: Reuters/Andrew Winning

Clampdown on squattingA clampdown on squatting is being pushed by Conservative ministers in the coalition government.

Justice secretary Kenneth Clarke has asked his department to devise a law that will allowhomeowners to seize occupied buildings and bring criminal charges against squatters, who could facejail.

A source close to Clarke told the Daily Telegraph: Ken has had enough of seeing hard workinghomeowners battle to get squatters out. He is determined to use the full force of the law to savepeople from the nightmare of having to fight to get their houses back. The days of squatters rightswill be over.

Last month, there was a riot in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol after police raided a squatted propertythey claimed was a real threat to the local community.

Prior to the Royal Wedding, five squats were raided in 24 hours. One activist, Paul, 29, said hebelieved the raids were an attempt to isolate squatters across the country.

Its the politics of privilege, he said. Theyre trying to make the lifestyle unliveable because theydont want the lifestyle to exist.

The cops have been given a freehand to intimidate as much asto prosecute.

McSherry: tactics area cause for concern

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