Legal/Bail Support for Baltimore

You can donate to folks needing bail money and legal costs in Baltimore here. From the donation page:

The beating and murder of Freddie Gray by 6 police officers have tapped the outrage of the communities of color that have long suffered endless abuse by the Baltimore Police.

The people of Baltimore are protesting the epidemic of police violence in their community. One small way we can support the communities and families of Baltimore is to assert the right of every individual to legal representation. Every American has the right to due process and fair trial, but this has not been the case in Baltimore for too many, for too long. Please donate to this fund to ensure that every person arrested during this crisis, regardless of charges, has access to proper legal representation.

Dangerous, victim-blaming advice given to “peacefully resist” police brutality.

Source : https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202556463454795&set=gm.835248499821517 from a post to a London event to oppose police brutality against “ravers” – https://www.facebook.com/events/833587209987646/

I hardly know where to start with how wrong this image is.

First off, those who are the victims of police brutality are *not* to blame for it. The police do not just attack protesters because we “give them the excuse”.

Secondly, the first time I tried to “resist peacefully” police attacking a demonstration I sat in front of a line of riot police and ended up dragged across a road by them and smashed in the face with a riot shield. The UK police have a horrific record for violence – Ian Tomlinson, for example, was killed as he faced away from police (see below). Turning your back to those with a high-likelihood of attacking you is naive, but advocating it as the morally and tactically superior action is disgraceful.

Thirdly, it doesn’t matter whether or not the police have an “excuse”, because as the list below shows, the state continues pretty much as usual. Things don’t change just because the population knows that a situation is unjust, but because they force a change. And turning your backs on those with weapons, a history of using them against those that want change, is not a good way of achieving that.

Here’s a list from a variety of sources that I looked up off the top of my head whilst writing this post. Please add links to other instances as a comment below.

• Ian Tomlinson, killed by police whilst walking home from work during G20 protests.
• Amy Jowett, still suffering from complications after police broke her leg whilst she opposed the BNP – witness appeal ongoing – please share link
• Jean Charles de Menezes, killed after walking away from police he probably didn’t even know were following him until too late
• Alfie Meadows, who suffered a head injury requiring surgery when he was assaulted by police.
• Jodie McIntyre, dragged from his wheelchair by police and hit with their batons.
• Mark Duggan, shot by police.
• The hundreds who have died in UK police custody, with not a single officer convicted (1998-2010).

The Face of Mark Duggan

This has been doing the rounds on the internet but bears repeating. If one picture can be said to have shown the world the face of Mark Duggan, this image would probably be it:

The media used the above image heavily when talking about Mark’s murder. Often it headed reports parroting police lies about Mark opening fire. Even in the best reports it was implied that he was a hardened gangster who got his comeuppance; after all a picture says a thousand words. This image wasn’t just used in the right-wing press like the Daily Mail and the Telegraph, but also across the  liberal and left-wing papers. However, lets take a look at the full picture:

This is a picture of someone going to lay a memorial on his daughters grave.

We all have pictures of us taken on bad days, scowling, angry, upset, hurt or even just frowning. When we see that photo of Mark Duggan let’s remember how the media colludes with the police to turn us against one another, and how they have no respect for a grieving father or a grieving family.

Links on a week of campus protests

Inside and against the university (Joseph Kay on LibCom)

TOTAL PROTEST (Cops off Campus)

Yesterday, Students Were Arrested for Protesting Against the Arrest of Students (Vice)

University of strife: John Harris on the latest wave of student protests (Guardian)

The articles above come in the wake of the violently repressed ULU senate rooms occupation and the protests against cops coming onto campus. happening in the same timeframe as occupations at Edinburgh, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sussex, Exeter, Ulster and Goldsmiths in London. These provided concrete support to striking staff members out on the picket lines.

At the same time five students have been suspended for involvement in protests at Sussex Uni.

This repression also comes in the shadow of the highly successful industrial action by workers in the 3 Cosas campaign and the creation of the Sussex Pop-Up Union initiative. This resignation letter for a porter at Sussex Uni sims up the feeling amongst staff on their campus.

If any Glasgow-based students interested in anarchist organisation on campus may be interested in contacting the Autonomous Students Network, and of course we would be happy to provide support in any campaign if requested.

EDIT: This also just came across my radar…

Police Spies Out of Lives

Via Police Spies Out of Lives:

In December 2011 eight women launched legal action against the Metropolitan Police for the harm caused by undercover officers deceiving them into long term intimate relationships.

The women assert that the actions of the Metropolitan police officers breached their human rights, subjecting them to inhumane and degrading treatment, and disrespecting their private and family life and their right to form relationships without unjustified interference by the state.

The women are also bringing claims for deceit, assault, misfeasance in public office and negligence. They seek to highlight and prevent the continuation of psychological, emotional and sexual abuse of campaigners and others by undercover police officers.

Many people are going to great effort and/or expense to bring this complex legal action. Navigating the legal system to bring a highly secretive part of the state to account is practically and emotionally difficult.

The women bringing the case are dealing with the emotionally challenging work of preparing the case and rebuilding their lives. As the support group we feel strongly that they should not be the ones bearing the financial costs on top of all of this.

Police Spies Out Of Lives is run by volunteers to support the women involved with this case. It is not a legal entity, but a loose affiliation of concerned individuals, friends, and family members of the eight women who are bringing the case.

We are currently fundraising for three things:

• Legal costs to put the case together. (Please note: this is to cover ‘disbursements’, which are costs other than lawyers, such as expert reports and travel costs).

• Counselling support for the claimants, to deal with the emotional burden of discovering the truth, coming to terms with what has happened and preparing a case which relates to their private lives.

• Necessary administration of explaining the case to the wider public (including this website) and fielding enquiries.

Click the image below for more info on how to make a donation:

Thanks to those who made last night…

Thanks to everyone who could make it to the talk last night. While we were able to get a PA, we were unable to record the talk, but photos from Edinburgh show a recorder on the table so we’ll be sure to repost any recordings that pop up, and if you have any from last night then drop us an email and we’ll pop it up here. It was awesome to see so many people keen to listen to and talk with Lorenzo and JoNina. After an early breakfast they have made their way onto the next leg of their tour and we wish them well.

Thanks must also go out to strathy polis for really taking to heart community policing. We had them parked outside our talk in a van for 5 minutes before two officers attempted to come in because they were concerned that a car had its lights left on outside. They also sent a van down the dead-end street at 10pm to check on the situation (coincidently the time they thought we were leaving). This care also appears to be spreading to Cardiff:

Today got phone call from police ‘concerned’ about content & format of a lecture by two ex-black panthers I’ve helped promote in Cardiff.

— Val Swain (@grangeendgal) October 7, 2013

I asked if the concerns were terrorism related. Answer: er yes, something like that. Talking about black history now ’cause for concern’?

— Val Swain (@grangeendgal) October 7, 2013

Anyways, the next discussion event from Glasgow AF will be on the 20th of November and we will be looking at the trade unions. More news on that here nearer the time.

Police Are A Bunch Of Lying Scum Bags – SHOCK!!

After having claimed, after a rushed post mortem, that Ian Tomlinson, who died at the 20 protests in London, died due to natural causes we now see that he was clearly assaulted by the met.

Who would have thought that the police would ever seek to cover up their crimes?

Death At The Hands Of Capitalism

This is no appeal to calm.

Jean Charles de Menezes: UN-lawfully killed

Coroner Sir Michael Wright: thinks you can't make your own mind up

Despite the coroner’s blatant attempt to manipulate the results of the Inquest into the Killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, by denying the jury the option of an “unlawful killing” verdict, the jury’s verdict is clear.

By unanimously returning the most critical verdict available to them and rejecting police testimony on every crucial point, we know that:

• Firearms officers never shouted “Armed Police” as they burst into the tube carriage
• Officers colluded in their testimony
• Special Branch officers altered evidence
• Nobody identified Jean Charles as “Hussein Osman”

The coroner also gagged the media from reporting the complete breakdown in trust between the family and his court. At one point he even barred them from being in court so he could hear parts of the evidence in secret! Sir Michael Wright didn’t get his knighthood by allowing criticism of the gang of out-of-control, incompetent, macho, racists that are the Metropolitan Police.

Without the jury system (with the crucial “of your peers” thing), this would have been swept under the carpet within a week. No wonder there are so many attempts to get rid of it.

This is not over yet. There are clearly guilty people at the Metropolitan Police. Police corruption and impunity is a universal phenomenon. It’s not a matter of “a few bad apples”: the system’s barrel is rotten. Concentrating power in the hands of individuals and institutions makes this kind of abuse inevitable. Greece shows what happens when you push ordinary people too far.

Sometimes we push back.