Guy Aitchison and Andy May: Tomorrow morning the Metropolitan Police Authority meets for the first time since the policing of the G20 protests. We will be there along with other members of a new campaign group, Defend Peaceful Protest, to question the Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson on how he plans to ensure the kind of brutal and intimidatory police tactics used in the City on April 1st, which resulted in the death of one man, hundreds of assaults and the systematic violation of the rights of thousands to peaceful protest and assembly, aren’t repeated.
We now have had confirmation that the Chief Executive of the MPA will receive the following questions submitted by us:
1. Why were many police at the G20 demonstrations not wearing shoulder ID or deliberately concealing ID when categoric assurances had been made by Silver star commander Broadhurst to MPs that this would not happen?
2 Will there be a wider independent investigation into allegations of systematic use of excessive force by police against individual protestors?
3 Will there be a broader review into policing strategy at protests in general, in addition to the review of policing at the G20 protests?
4 Will the chair of the MPA meet with Defend Peaceful Protest and other groups who were at the G20 protests to ensure that any review of the tactics deployed at the G20 includes the experiences of the protestors themselves?
We believe the Met’s handling of the G20 protest reveals the danger to the democratic rights and safety of protesters when aggressive police tactics are deployed. The police’s decision to indiscriminately detain thousands of individuals (including passers-by) without access to food, water, toilets or medicine, fomented a dangerous and unpredictable atmosphere.
In our view this technique of “kettling” protesters, which was also used at the Gaza protests in January and the Countryside Alliance rally in 2004, is provocative and counter-productive and amounts to a serious infringement of civil liberties and human rights. There are now numerous accounts and lots of online footage of police officers, concealing their ID numbers, physically assaulting peaceful protesters who offered no resistance in return.
So far, unfortunately, Sir Paul Stephenson has given little indication that he grasps the severity of the problem. He was silent until the release of the most damaging footage of the police attack on Ian Tomlinson a week after his death and has failed to offer the public strong reassurances that a culture of violence will not be tolerated in the Met and that his force is committed to protecting and facilitating the right to peaceful protest. In an article in the Evening Standard last week, Stephenson praised the “astonishing effort” of the G20 operation and urged Londoners not to judge his organisation based on the actions of the “handful” of officers now being investigated for assault.
Alongside similar remarks by Sir Ken Jones, president of ACPO, Stephenson’s comments suggest that senior police commanders will attempt to evade responsibility for the systemic failure of leadership within the force and refuse to carry out the reforms needed to win the confidence of the public, 59% of whom now judge the policing at the G20 “too violent”.
Defend Peaceful Protest campaign
Defend Peaceful Protest will work alongside other campaigns, including other groups which came out of the G20 protests like the United Campaign Against Police Violence, to ensure this doesn’t happen. Defend Peaceful Protest is a young organization, both in terms of how long it has been going and the age of its members. We aim to be non-aligned, working with individuals and groups from across the political spectrum - the right to protest is, after all, common to each of us.
Our focus so far has been on bringing the brutal policing at the G20 to the attention of the media and politicians and we hope to build on initial successes in getting some of the shocking video footage of the protests into the mainstream.
But we are also clear that the threats to peaceful protest come from many sources and not just from police brutality towards protesters. Within the last few weeks alone we’ve had news of the police operation at a school in Nottingham at which 114 individuals were pre-emptively arrested for planning a protest at a nearby power station as well as the infiltration and intimidation by police of environmental groups. We believe such tactics are part of a wider trend towards the demonization and criminalization of protest, itself an aspect of growing state authoritarianism.
These threats to our democratic rights and traditions can be overcome, but only by concerted effort and campaigning beyond the initial furore surrounding the policing of the G20.
Here we are publishing a provisional list of our aims with the hope of getting ideas, feedback and support:
- Investigation
We’re calling for a fully independent, effective and impartial investigation into the tactics and methods employed by the police at and around the date of the G20 protests to include an investigation into individual allegations of police brutality, the use of the “kettling” and other techniques, the deliberate obscuring of police identity badges, the disproportionate use of force and the allegations of improper use of police equipment. Any inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 will not satisfy the criteria for a genuinely effective and impartial investigation. The hearings and the methods of the investigation must be made public and there must be public disclosure of the evidence and findings. - Dialogue
We would like to propose the running of a forum with the Metropolitan Police; a transparent dialogue in which all interested parties could respectfully exchange views and discuss this important agenda. We believe that an unambiguous and respectful dialogue will be tremendously beneficial to all parties involved. - Reform
Active reform of both policy and practice and where applicable legislation to ensure that all methods and tactics employed by police reflect and promote the right to peaceful protest. Reforms should include: - - An immediate ban on the “kettling technique” at peaceful protests.
- Greater accountability for senior management, changes in the way tactical decisions are made and a review of training and recruitment for riot police.
- New human-rights based guidelines for the policing of peaceful protests: we believe that the police should protect and facilitate peaceful protest, rather than seek to shut it down.
- An end to the intimidating and probably illegal practice of filming peaceful protesters and adding their profiles to a central intelligence database along with those of criminals.
- An end to the use of catch-all anti-terror powers, such as stop and search, to harass and intimidate protesters.
- A repeal of all laws which interfere unduly with democratic rights to protest and assembly, such as the restrictions on protest within 1km of Parliament (Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005)
We are in the process of preparing a submission to the Home Affairs select committee who are conducting an inquiry into the policing of the G20 protests, so if you were at the protest and would like to submit your account do get in touch before Friday. We are also lobbying MPs and establishing links with other groups and campaigns.
If you would like to be involved, please join the facebook group, visit the website, write to your MP and - if you live in London - your GLA member. Anyone with website building skills who’d like to help would be very welcome. You can get in touch with us at: no2policeviolenceATgooglemail.com We’ll feedback on the MPA meeting here tomorrow
