Democratic Right to protest - you must be joking!!!

See how the Authorities react to a  peaceful CARNIVAL:

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(Illegally penned-in by police: this contravenes the European Human Rights Act,

the right to free assembly & the right to freedom of expression)

WHOSE STREETS?

 

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It was billed as a 'Carnival for Full Enjoyment', &, you know me, a small kid at heart, I love such playful expressions of human creativity. So, like a fool, I followed the pink & silver SAMBA BAND, with my red, green & yellow whistle....it was all very colorful - we even had a contingent of fashion-conscious continental kids in co-ordinated black hoodies & black bandanas, & a dedicated few carried rather fetching black flags!

Seemed like a bit of innocuous fun, an al fresco frolic, little more (or less) than vaguely symbolic street theatre...that is, till the villains of the piece arrived...

CAUGHT IN A TRAP...

Assembling at W.Maitland Street (not far from the west end of Princes Street), a peaceful, orderly procession moved off (with police permission) down Torphichen Street, and was then directed by mounted police into Canning Street. Before we knew it, riot police had blocked both ends of the street & we were penned in. Ambushed!

A senior police officer made a loud-hailer announcement invoking Secion 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 as justification for the police cordon, which effectively detained over 200 people against their will.

However, he made a MISTAKE! He cited the WRONG LAW to justify the cordon, because not only does Section 14 P.O.A. NOT authorise the use of cordons, it doesn't even apply to PROCESSIONS (Section 12 is the relevant section). This must surely call into question the legality of the cordon.

****

'THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE'...?

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The police were out in force. Their overtime bill must have been enormous. To justify such profligate expenditure of tax payer's money, they had to  fulfil a quota of arrests. They were looking for trouble &, if they couldn't find  it, by golly they'd create it.

Riot cops cause riots. That's their job.

Only sadists need apply.

They know they have the upper hand. They're good at making others feel bad. It's like a game or sport to them, & they get paid for it.

  ****

[Fashion note: have you noticed how British soldiers in Basra don't wear helmets, but Riot police in Britain do?! They also wear masks but forbid demonstrators to do likewise...]

  

"What we are seeing in Britain is the rise of the  democratic police state."   - John Pilger, August 2005

 

These Bully Boys

Defend Democracy?

NO!

Police protect their Masters

& the Status

Quo...

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Obstructing the Highway

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Police took souvenir snapshots while newspaper hacks interviewed bystanders...

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NO WAY OUT...

After my arrest, looking out the back of a locked prison van, I see a gang of policemen posing for a group photo. They are LAUGHING & JOKING & sipping cans of Coke. A job well done, boys. Testosterone is everywhere in evidence. They probably used other 'performance-enhancing' drugs too: adrenaline, caffeine, sugar, meat certainly, speed maybe...&, did I mention, arrogance, aggression....

[WILL FILL IN MORE DETAILS AFTER MY TRIAL...]

Three hours later, while waiting quietly to be let out of Canning Street, I am arrested for 'breach of the peace' ( & me a pacifist!). Somehow, after 25 HOURS in custody, this has mysteriously evolved into the following, detailed (& totally erroneous) charges:

"

on 04 July 2005 at Canning Street, Edinburgh you….[list of names] DAVID KING…[list of names continued] did form part of a mob of evilly disposed persons which acting of a common purpose did conduct itself in a violent, riotous and tumultuous manner to the great TERROR* (my emphasis)and alarm of the lieges and in

* 'TERROR'? Well, they use the Terrorism Act against demonstrators, don't they?! See how they are conflating any kind of dissent with terrorism?

breach of the public peace and (with faces masked or covered) shout and swear at police officers, refuse to move on when requested by police officers so to do, throw missiles and street furniture at police officers forming a cordon there, push a wheelie bin towards said police officers, link arms and charge ranks of police officers and attempt to break through said ranks of police officers, repeatedly attempt to punch and kick and struggle with police officers, seize police equipment, inter alia hats and handcuffs from said police officers, and damage same, sit on the ground and obstruct police officers, run up and down lines of police officers and threaten to urinate and defacate (sic) on them and change your clothing and  appearance to avoid detection and arrest

"

FALSE! FALSE! FALSE!LIES, DAMNED LIES!

There is an old-fashioned word for this:

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The police are dishonest.

These malicious charges against me, which are a pack of lies from beginning to end, have still not been dropped nor have I been called to trial. They can have no valid evidence, because, I didn't actually DO any of the above, although I observed a few others engaged in some of the more minor activities detailed (eg sitting on the ground, which I fastidiously refrained from as I didn't wish to soil the white trousers I was wearing!)

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UPDATE...

INCREDIBLE SHRINKING CHARGES

Between July & December, the dire crimes I was accused of have somehow diminished.The new, improved or revised charges (which I quote exactly, grammatical mistakes included!) are:

"on 04 July 2005 at Canning Street, Edinburgh you DAVID KING did whilst acting with a disorderly crowd and with your face covered conduct yourself in a disorderly manner shout, swear, threaten to urinate and defecate on police officers, place the lieges in a state of fear and alarm and commit a breach of the peace"

 

Now, whoever concocted the 'threaten to urinate and defecate on police officers' accusation must surely have suffered from inadequate potty training!

Besides, how exactly (without defying gravity) would one go about shitting on a 6 foot something cop in full riot gear? None of them were lying down, so whoever came up with that scatalogical accusation was plain lying.

Being only of small stature, I am in no way physically intimidating, especially to above-mentioned 6 foot something cops in full riot gear, & they were the only 'lieges' thereabouts. Stretches credulity to suggest that army of brutes with batons & shields would be placed in 'a state of fear & alarm' by little yours truly! Doesn't the word 'lieges' have feudal overtones, suggesting serfs or something. Mind you, I'm to appear before the SHERIFF's court, latterday Robin Hood that I am.

Etc. etc.

I could go on but will keep my metaphorical powder dry for the trial which is due to take place in the Spring. Something to look forward to…

The TRIAL!

 

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Eg I was handcuffed in the back of a locked police van for at least 4 hours en route to the police cells. Remember, I was a DANGEROUS TERRORIST DEMONSTRATOR & maximum security was obviously called for....

Coming soon: more fascinating details about my arrest & imprisonment (25 hours before I was allowed to see a solicitor, denial of food & medical attention etc, the brutality & illegal behaviour of the prison staff etc etc; 29 hours before I was released on bail but effectively deported from Scotland so I couldn't take part in any further anti-G8 activity...)

 

 

 

While in police custody, I was photographed, fingerprinted & my DNA stolen via an oral swab (cf Saddam Hussein) - before being charged, let alone found guilty of any crime. Presumed innocent?

 

 

 

Before the War Criminal Blair's Regime makes this page illegal

on grounds of incitement to rebellion or something,

please note the following disclaimer:

Genoa G8

Gleneagles G8

Otro Mundo

Trial

Police

Politics

A Real Riot

Brixton Riot

Scotland

Homepage

Contents

A - Z

 

NB This site condemns all terrorism,

including STATE TERRORISM.

Violence against the State is futile,

since the power of the State partly

consists in the overwhelming violence

of the police & the military.

*

Political Representation Repression in Britain

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Rooftop Protest

PS:

Screaming BANNER HEADLINES in the 'Edinburgh Evening News',

5 July 2005, referring to previous day's protests:

ANARCHISTS 'GO HOME'

(xenophobia, n'est-ce pas, as if there aren't any Scottish Anarchists!)

THEY CAME LOOKING FOR TROUBLE…

THEY GOT THEIR WISH

Then, the quiet understatement in much smaller print:

G8 runs risk of disappointing campaigners, says Brown

Now, I'd suggest that in terms of world impact, the latter is more important news.

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Didgeridoo?

Don't!

 

If that had been the main headline, it would have provided a meaningful context

for the former sensationalist report, & made sense of why people were demonstrating,

instead of suggesting it was merely gratuitous.

 

In my experience, it really was the police who caused the trouble.

They obligingly fulfilled the prophecies of the tabloids

& justified their overtime pay by arresting their quota.

 

I personally did NOT go 'looking for trouble', but they, the police,

caused me no end of 'trouble' & got paid overtime for their 'troubles'.

(More will be added to this page, when I have the time & energy,

& as further developments unfold, so check back here...)

[photos by Davy King]

 

 .....STOP PRESS....

Compare & contrast?

Funnily enough (or rather not very funny), had I been a hot-headed Muslim demonstrator carrying an aggressive placard that threatened beheading & bombing, I would not have been arrested (London, 3rd February 2006). See Cartoon controversy...

 

This is a valid remark. There is some truth in it. It's not merely gratuitous. I'm not saying it to be offensive, so keep yer Fatwa - I don't want it! Why do I mention it? Here's why:

 

On July 4th/5th/6th 2005, there was a massive police presence north of the border, in Edinburgh, drawn from forces all over the country including London. They were there to counter the deadly threat posed by pro-peace, anti-poverty protestors, who were concerned about catastrophic climate chaos & therefore opposed to the criminal policies of the self-appointed G8 gang. Hundreds of people were arrested, yours truly among them.

 

On 7th July 2005, 'Islamofascist' Fundamentalist bombs exploded in London...

 

Links

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( not much was allowed in Canning Street Edinburgh on 4th July 2005!)