Loose Lips Sink Ships!

FRFI supporter Dominic O’Hara was harassed by two officers of Strathclyde police (Badges G480 and G383) tonight whilst petitioning at Lidl supermarket on Victoria Road in Govanhill, 7pm, against the targeting of disabled people for welfare cuts. One of the officers, PC Willie Neil, who led harassment of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! supporters in Govanhill during the summer 2010, when attempts were made to ban the newspaper Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! and charge those selling it with street trading offences, made the political nature of this harassment clear.

The original GDC in 2010

After demanding a leaflet and asking the comrade what he was petitioning against (‘the cuts’) the officers repeatedly stood around the comrade while PC Neil stated the following ‘we know where you live’, ‘have you got a street traders licence to sell that newspaper?’, ‘am I going to have to seize those newspapers off you’, ‘you know there’s a warrant out for you’, ‘in ten years’ time you will look back at this and be embarrassed’, 'aren't the cuts to the police terrible?'. The two officers also demanded the details of the comrade but as they were incapable of stating a crime he had committed or witnessed they failed to obtain these.

The Glasgow Defence Campaign will be contacting our legal representatives in response to this latest instance of harassment. As the comrade correctly stated a little while after the incident; ‘as the cuts get deeper political policing will increase’.

We must seize the day!

Defend Free Speech!

Oppose police harassment of anti cuts protest!

Fight the cuts!