A Policeman’s Lot…
Here is a police officer’s account of his experience policing the STWC’s Gaza March:
As usual we had been told that our role was to facilitate the lawful demonstration and that we were effectively ‘community Policing’ unless the situation changed and things became violent. Crucially, we were told that despite the fact that nearly every march relating to the Gaza/Israel situation had experienced violence, this was not sufficient evidence to suggest that THIS march would become violent. As such, because the senior officers are so afraid of offending the wrong people, we were NOT in possession of riot helmets or shields which were left on the carriers, although we all were in our protective gear and coveralls under the yellow jackets. We were wearing our normal everyday beat helmets and to say some were not happy about that would be a slight understatement.
…
We carried on down towards the front entrance to the Embassy and our end stayed pretty much the same. All of a sudden we heard calls from one of our other serials that dozens of people tried to break through the gates to get to the embassy and were climbing the fencing, throwing anything to hand, throwing burning flags at the gate and that they needed more units to help out. Within seconds we heard the call that no police officer wants to hear “more units now, urgent assistance, we’re under attack, officer down”
What had started as a several dozen turned into a hundred or so and the officers were being attacked with missiles including glass bottles, balloons filled with paint, scaffolding clips and metal poles, and a couple had been dragged into the crowd and were beaten to the floor. One officer was knocked unconscious by a scaffolding pole, two received really bad facial injuries and the other officers (male and female) were kicked and punched repeatedly until a couple of PSU’s managed to get to them. At the time we were not allowed to wear our protective helmets and were still marching towards the Embassy.
…
We got back to our posts near the front of the march to be told that a couple of shops opposite the embassy had been attacked and ransacked and that protestors had been seen stealing bottles and knives which were distributed through the crowd and subsequently thrown at the officers at the front gate. We were then informed by a serial at the gate that they had had several bottles of accelerant thrown at them which failed to ignite. At that point PSU’s were brought in to contain the crowd which did effectively block them in, the hope being that they would dissipate out the other end. The confrontation became even more violent, demonstrators destroyed the fencing that was keeping the pavements clear for the shops and emergency evac units, and some of the fencing was used as a barricade to stop the Police PSU’s from getting into the crowd to arrest people, specifically those from last weeks demo who had been recognised by the intelligence teams.
We then used filter cordons to try and dissipate the crowds to get the vast majority of people out of the area, this consists of a couple of ranks of officers with people still able to pass through. The people responsible for destroying the shops and throwing the missiles/accelerants were still in the crowd outside the embassy so they were contained. When information about the cordons started feeding back into the crowd a number of demonstrators tried to break out and were using anything and everything to attack the officers on the cordons, including the barriers themselves.
As the violence increased, our escalation increased, and for the first time in almost 8 years (in the Met) full deployment of longshield units was authorised, it was probably around 8pm at that point. Short of watercannon, rubber bullets and teargas, this is the highest state of force we can use in a public order situation and the decision to authorise it was not taken lightly, because it is so obviously aggressive.
Over the next several hours we had to use more cordons to force back crowds that had gathered on all sides to dissipate them as some (but not all by a long shot as there were a lot of normal demonstrators mixed in with them) of the group contained in the embassy continued attacking officers, vehicles, property, horses etc. We kept the cordons in as the protestors were taken out of the embassy cordon section individually where they were videoed for evidential purposes (to check against CCTV later) and searched for any items taken from the stores, they were then allowed to leave. As the number of people in the contained area shrunk we were able to move the cordons in further which released more officers to assist in searching so the whole group could dissipate quicker. Our cordons and teams were eventually taken down around half ten, having been in place from around four when it first started kicking off outside the embassy.
Then, by way of contrast, there is “FITWatch“. FITWatch describe themselves as:
“a fluid group of people who have come together to resist and oppose the tactics of the Forward Intelligence Teams (cops who harass protesters). We aim to act in solidarity with each other, supporting campaigns by being at meetings and protests, making it harder for the police to film and gather intelligence.”
And this is how they see it:
It is very easy to see violence at protests as perpetrated by “known troublemakers”, the “violent minority” or “rent-a-mob”. However this is a patronising oversimplification and is a very convenient way of dismissing caring, passionate people, especially as notoriously these people do not have a voice for fear of repercussions.
Political policing in this country is forcing people into militancy. Large protests have been ignored and smaller protests have been persecuted.
Fitwatch is a small but important part of this resistance. It is part of the same response, the same refusal to be constantly pushed around.
Comments
| 27 January 2009, 3:11 pm |
Surveillance and provocation officers are scum, and the tactics they use are a real civil liberties concern. But I’ve met the likes of fitwatch in the past, and they’re gesture-politics idiots.
Looking at their endearingly certain blog I see that fitwatch use the SWP attendance calculus…
| 27 January 2009, 3:19 pm |
… provocation officers …
Eh?
Everything in the post indicates that the police are trying to avoid confrontation (to the point of foolishness, it seems), not provoke it. Are you honestly suggesting that there are police officers specialising in provocation?
I’ve met the likes of fitwatch in the past, and they’re gesture-politics idiots.
They’re not militant enough for you, I suppose.
| 27 January 2009, 3:42 pm |
Surveillance and provocation officers are scum,
What are you on about dirigible? They are trying to uphold the law in our demcratic civil society as the post cogently demonstrates. To suggest otherwise is the sort of adolescent agit prop our new FITwatch friends seem to love; the tools.
| 27 January 2009, 3:51 pm |
It’s good to see some intelligence being passed on by this pig although it’s clearly minimal. As always, try not to get in the pig cordon.
But it’s heartening to hear that the demo did manage to serve a few purposes – as well as raising solidarity with those under Zionist assault it also served to take on the cop scum as well.
I’m pleased it had some success in the later although I also look forward to seeing reporting of the violence inflicted on the protesters by the ‘community coppers’.
| 27 January 2009, 3:55 pm |
As a Trade Union Veteran of The Print Workers Demonstrations at Wapping in the 1980’s – Who faced The Riot Police & Mounted Cavalry of The Met – let Me say that History has moved on & on this issue I fully Support The Police Who are defending Democracy on the streets of London against orchestrated Islamist Violence .
I offer My sympathy to The Police Officers Who have been injured by Thugs intent on creating carnage outside The Israeli Embassy . I am gratefull for the courteous way that The Police have facilitated the Rights to lawful assembly that the Jewish Community have peacefully exercised in Our Rallies outside The Israeli & Iranian Embassies and in Trafalgar Square .
I hope & Pray that all The Police Officers involved in The Policing of These Demonstrations stay safe & that They do not suffer injury in the course of Their Duties .
| 27 January 2009, 3:56 pm |
Next time in London, we may expect the popular fitwatch resistance committees to introduce kassam rocketeering to further peace in the ME.
| 27 January 2009, 3:57 pm |
This is the police blog I mentioned before where the youtube footage captioned that is was showing the police exercising maximum restraint, is now blocked, with a message that is shows inappropriate material. Who is doing the inappropriate stuff, I ask again.
| 27 January 2009, 4:06 pm |
Southpawpunch
Your comment is vile, just like the content of your blog.
| 27 January 2009, 4:10 pm |
I’m sure you’ve seen this?
| 27 January 2009, 4:18 pm |
Southpawpunch
“…it’s heartening to hear that the demo did manage to serve a few purposes – as well as raising solidarity with those under Zionist assault…”
****
Hate to break it to you, but if there is 1 purpose your frustrated peace tantrum did NOT serve, it is this:
“…raising solidarity with those under Zionist assault…”
On the plus side: it did raise awareness of the pathology that is your little freedom fighter romance.
| 27 January 2009, 4:23 pm |
‘FIT are interested in everyone who attends a demonstration, regardless of whether they are wearing any face coverings. Footage we have from their cameras show equal amounts of attention being paid to people who are not wearing masks. A person should not end up on a database simply for attending a demonstration, and we must resist this.’
I’m sure that they mean that worldwide and not only in the context of the UK.
You know. In Pakistan and Syria too.
Oh. And Iran. Mustn’t forget Iran.
| 27 January 2009, 4:24 pm |
The police have been noticeably restained, I’ve been to demos where they’ve been tooled up from the get go, and you could see the masked wankers (on both sides) itching for the bust up. I did note on Saturday teh cops were in riot overalls rather than uniforms, but still, at least they weren’t in full armour.
As Shaw said, anarchy is a game at which the police will beat you…
| 27 January 2009, 4:25 pm |
Southpaw is just a troll trying to get a reaction.
| 27 January 2009, 4:36 pm |
“Southpaw is just a troll trying to get a reaction.”
I know. It’s called masochism.
| 27 January 2009, 4:37 pm |
‘Political policing in this country is forcing people into militancy. Large protests have been ignored and smaller protests have been persecuted.’
Too much to expect them to form political parties dedicated to this heartbreaking desire more and more political demonstrations and test them within the democratic system.
| 27 January 2009, 6:34 pm |
Southpawpunch works in the ultra-bourgeois industry of PR and has to try to make amends to his revolutionary conscience by coming out with the most ultra left positions known to the blogosphere. This usually involves him telling everyone how many people he likes to shoot in his wadical wet dreams.
| 27 January 2009, 7:20 pm |
I’m just telling it like it is, there is no other motivation (although I can’t tell it fully like it is, because of British censorship laws).
Most of the comments above are to be expected from the denizens of a right-wing blog like this and the only thing vile here is this site and it’s recent mode of being a propaganda arm of the killers in the Gaza massacres.
But the saddest comment has to be that from Ian Sternberg. I was also a “Trade Union Veteran of The Print Workers Demonstrations at Wapping in the 1980’s” (not a print worker).
It sounds like Sternberg and I had similar experiences in that I had a pig ride his horse, at a charge, directly at us (a small, mixed party, including several older women) and with a real possibility of serious injury to us.
How Sternberg can go from witnessing, or even receiving, the same to his grovelling to his cops is very sad to behold.
Because the words every communist, or trade union militant, wants to hear is ‘1, no 10, no 100… officers down.’
| 27 January 2009, 8:40 pm |
I’m sure you’ve seen this?
Nice editing there
| 27 January 2009, 8:59 pm |
Southpawpunch, with your attitudes and point of view wouldn’t you be happier somewhere like urban 75? Loads of ‘wadicals’ over there.
For personal reasons and experience i’ve not always been on the side of the police (and I’ve had good reason not to like them) but when they are facing violent fascists then the police have in these situations my backing.
Fash are always more dangerous than police in a democratic society.
| 27 January 2009, 9:39 pm |
Southpaw punch said:”Most of the comments above are to be expected from the denizens of a right-wing blog like this and the only thing vile here is this site and it’s recent mode of being a propaganda arm of the killers in the Gaza massacres.
I don’t find this blog that right wing. Its defintely not a Tory one. I would say that this is more of a ’sensible left’ site. I also wouldn’t say that this site had an attitude of unquestioning support for Israel either. I’ve seen sensible criticism of Israel ie the issue of Settlements recently for example. I come here as I got tired of the racist ranting about Israel and the blind support for clerical fascists that is standard fare on other left sites. If you want to see stomach churning vile loons then Indymedia is your place for that.
I’ve also never seen any overt celebrating of the deaths of civilians in the Gaza conflict either. Posters on here have lamented the deaths of innocent civilians as is proper but have rightly in my view laid the blame for these deaths on the true villain in this conflict which has been Hamas. If people step away from their ideological positions and think about the situation you can plainly see that this was not a war that Israel wanted. Gaza could have been a prosperous statelet and the main reason it isn’t is because of Hamas.
Southpaw punch said:”But the saddest comment has to be that from Ian Sternberg. I was also a “Trade Union Veteran of The Print Workers Demonstrations at Wapping in the 1980’s” (not a print worker).
It sounds like Sternberg and I had similar experiences in that I had a pig ride his horse, at a charge, directly at us (a small, mixed party, including several older women) and with a real possibility of serious injury to us.
I also was at Wapping not as a picket but as a photographer and I saw a lot of what you did. My view of the police was clouded over what I saw that day so I know what you are talking about.
Southpaw punch said:”How Sternberg can go from witnessing, or even receiving, the same to his grovelling to his cops is very sad to behold.
However like me Mr Sternberg, may also have seen what the clerical fascists and their idiot fellow travellers on the left are up to and see that there is a need for them to be confronted physically when necessary. I tell you what I feel is very sad to behold, is that so many people of the left feel that it is acceptable to walk in line with, and excuse swaztika carrying fascists on the streets of London and other places in Britain. I never thought I’d ever see the day when allegedly thinking socialists lined up with fascists but this is what has happened. That is what is disgusting.
Fash cannot be negotiated with or pacified they eventually need to be physically confronted and the Police in a democratic society should be the ones to do this. If they will not then that is another matter IYSWIM.
Southpaw punch said:”Because the words every communist, or trade union militant, wants to hear is ‘1, no 10, no 100… officers down.’
Only in fantasy land. When the shit hits the fan and the fash are marching who’s going to stand up to them? Who is going to protect people from the fash?
| 27 January 2009, 10:36 pm |
For some reason David T didn’t post the post the police bogger’s opening paragraph :
Around 100-120k people marched yesterday. We were briefed that the public order branch expected, and had been told the plan had been arranged for around 15-20k, despite it being all over the media and sites like Indymedia that around 100k were due to turn up. The estimates on numbers are usually somewhere between the Police ones (invariably considerably less than there actually are) and the organisers who seriously ramp up the turn out. On this occasion however, the front of the march reached the embassy as the back had not long left Hyde Park, a distance of just under 1.5 miles, and it was packed, literally building line to building line across 4 lanes of road. We were told (at around 3pm) the official Police estimate was 20-25k, which was complete and utter bollocks…
I thought this was interesting for two reasons. First, it confirms the confirms the claims of the organisers that this was an absolutely massive demonstration of public outrage over Israel’s actions. And second, it suggests that poor police planning was at least partly to blame for the violence that ensued outside the Israeli embassy.
Now, one can certainly argue that the people responsible for the violence are exclusively to blame, but this is simplistic. Effective crowd control is about prevention, and in that respect the police clearly failed. What you had here was a large passionate demonstration, and an obvious hotspot – the Israeli embassy.
I wasn’t on the demo, but I was in continual phone contact with a friend of mine (a disabled middle aged lady attending her first ever demo) who had, to all intents and purposes, been imprisoned by the police outside the embassy. Despite her gender, age and disability, the police refused point blank to allow her to leave, and she was imprisoned for two to three hours in the biting cold. Because of the nature of her disability, I was pretty concerned for her physical wellbeing.
When her companion (like her, a middle aged demo newbie), tried to persuade the police to release her, he was abused by police officers who then twisted his arm behind his back and threatened to arrest him.
Needless to say, my friend’s experience of the policing outside the embassy was not exactly positive. What particularly irked her was that before she was finally released, her a police surveillance unit videoed her and another officer took her personal details, telling her that if she attended another demonstration, she would be arrested. In her view, this amounted to intimidation. According to her, there were many, many quite innocent protesters who were treated in the same manner.
Neither of my friends could remotely be described as violent extremists or troublemakers in any sense. They’re not even really ‘political’ and I was somewhat surprised that they demonstrated – Israel’s war seems to have moved a whole bunch of ‘normal’ British people out of apathy.
As I said, I was not on the demo, so I accept that I am only reporting what I was told. Over the years, I have been on several demonstrations which were well policed, and several others (particulary during the miners’ strike and Wapping) where it was clear that the police were intent on escalating conflict, not avoiding it.
| 27 January 2009, 11:11 pm |
Why the silence about rising antisemitism? Don’t we care about that anymore? And what about the tacit alliance between the far right and the islamofascists? There is much more to be to uncovered here.
| 28 January 2009, 12:26 am |
David B, you are right about the silence about rising antisemitism, the worrying thing is this silence is mostly coming from the left. That makes me very uneasy.
The contagion never goes away it just mutates.
| 28 January 2009, 10:30 pm |
I was actually expecting many more critical comments from My post – so I am pleasantly surprised that only Southpawpunch has made an adverse remark .
I was at wapping on January 24th 1987 and I vividly remember a Mounted Policeman ride His Horse up the pavement near a small group and start beating a Demonstrator over the head with His Baton – This sounds remarkably like SPP’s account – so mayby SPP & I were standing next to each other 22 Years ago !
If that is true then it is baffling for Me to understand how SPP can be joining Demonstrations for a group of Islamo-Fascists like HAMAS Who Smash the Strikes of Palestinian Trade Unionists , Torture and Murder Gays & Lesbians , Have a charter that calls for the killing of Jews & quotes from ” The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion ” ?
SPP You are the one Who is now Grovelling to The Idiot-Left & Islamist Extremists – now thats really Sad !
It is shocking that SPP seems to Hate individual Police Officers so much that calls for ” 100 down ” – He isn’t speaking for Me as a Socialist & Trade Unionist . I try hard not Hate anybody – My Socialism is about Love & Fighting for Justice , so although I will never forget what happened during The Great Strike & Wapping , We have to move on . I am not saying that The Labour Movement will never come into Conflict with The Police ever again just that on this occasion The Police are playing a Progressive role in defending Diplomatic Staff & The Jewish Community from Violence and
Anti-Semitic Attacks .
SPP – History has moved on – have You ever considered that mayby You are now on the wrong side of History ?
I hope no-one grasses the protesters up.