The Glasgow Defence Campaign has been established to oppose political policing and defend democratic rights in the struggle against the cuts in Glasgow. If you face any form of police harassment or violence, please log as many details as you can and send to glasgowdefence@yahoo.co.uk.
We reproduce below a statement from Fitwatch on last night's armed raid on the Kurdish tent at Occupy LSX by the Metropolitan police. The Glasgow Defence Campaign issues its full solidarity to the Kurdish community and its proud tradition of working-class and anti-imperialist struggle, consistently criminalised by the British state as a result. We call on the Occupations to stand fully with those attacked, and to prepare for the inevitable attempts to evict and divide the ongoing fight against global inequality.
Last night, the Kurdish tent at the OccupyLSX camp was raided by armed police following an alleged tip off of a gun being present. They searched the tent for over half an hour unsurprisingly finding nothing.
The Kurdish community has long been criminalised, and labelled as terrorists for their attempts to oppose and draw attention to the repression they face in Turkey, and this is another attempt to frighten and intimidate the Kurdish community coming just a month after the Halkevi Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre in Hackney was raided. However, given the Kurdish community is used to standing up to thugs with guns they are not easily intimidated.
However, the fact armed police were sent to raid the tent of Kurds supporting OccupyLSX is extremely worrying, and must be opposed. To the more cynically minded this could be seen as an attempt to split support for and amongst protesters, and we hope the Kurdish protesters are receiving full support and solidarity from those at OccupyLSX.
On 13 October, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! supporter Dominic O´Hara appeared once again in front of a judge at Glasgow District Court, the latest in a long line of court appearances for FRFI activists over the past year of political harassment, arrests and trials. Fifteen supporters held a protest outside the court, standing with the banner of the Glasgow Defence Campaign (Don´t panic – organise!) and distributing leaflets to the many working class people coming and going through the revolving doors of sham Scottish justice.
To illustrate the GDC´s point, after a leaflet found its way into the hands of a Strathclyde police officer, back-up was radioed in, a police van shortly arrived, the contents of the leaflet discussed and by the time supporters left the court the police van, a police car with its lights flashing and upwards of six officers were on the street outside. Such are the dangers of peaceful protest in Glasgow!
Inside the courtroom itself, packed out by GDC supporters, the political targeting continued. As the defence solicitor began to address Judge Christie and ask for Dominic to be admonished after nine months on bail since being arrested on a student protest in December, the Procurator Fiscal (prosecutor) interrupted. A piece of paper was suddenly produced claiming that the defendant had committed a breach of the peace in April, while on bail. This outrageous fabrication was a clear attempt to secure a more serious sentence against an activist the police and the Crown would love to see remanded in custody.
In reality, Dominic, two other FRFI activists and two young students were subjected to targeted house raids and arrests by Strathclyde police after Dominic was found guilty of a framed-up charge of police assault on 11 April. The pretext for this was a supposed breach of the peace at a Vodafone shop during the December protests for which Dominic had already stood trial. In a clear breach of the Human Rights Act, all those arrested were only released on an “undertaking” that they did not enter the city centre or “assemble with two or more people for the purposes of a demonstration”. After the GDC organised a militant demonstration against political policing, all charges were dropped.
The disruptive tactics of the Fiscal resulted in sentencing again being deferred for another four weeks, prolonging a process which has already dragged on for almost one year. The entire justice system is designed to wear out and demoralise those who have the temerity to fight back and maintain their innocence – above all those charged for advancing working-class politics. Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! and the Glasgow Defence Campaign will continue providing solidarity to all those targeted for organising in defence of the people and ensuring that there will be no business as usual for the suited and uniformed servants of the British ruling class.
Following the adjournment of the trial of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! (FRFI) and Glasgow Defence Campaign (GDC) supporter Dominic O’Hara on Friday 7 October he now faces sentencing for another framed charge – also police assault – which he was convicted of on 11 April 2011. The outstanding charge relates to an anti-cuts protest on 29 January 2011 and the latter conviction and sentencing to a student protest on 9 December 2010; both were in Glasgow City Centre. The word of Strathclyde police officers is the only supporting evidence that an assault took place in each case.
With corruption exposed to the highest levels of the police in recent months we ask on what basis can the word of officers be trusted as ‘credible and reliable’ as they were by Judge Alan Finlay in April when Dominic was found guilty? The answer is on no basis! Police are renowned in the legal profession and amongst the general public for their corruption and dishonesty when it comes to convicting defendants and victims (dead or alive) for charges that depend on their word. The recent murder of Mark Duggan in London, which sparked unrest across England, and the fabricated lies that followed it, claiming that he shot at officers, is evidence that police lie and kill with enthusiasm and a long list of victims of police killings and cover ups can be added to this list – Blair Peach, Joy Gardner, James Ashley, Harry Stanley, Jean Charles de Menezes, Ian Tomlinson, Smiley Culture to name but a few…No officers convicted despite a treasure trove of evidence against them.
Dominic is committed to the fight in defence of living standards and democratic rights. For this reason he has been targeted by Strathclyde police alongside other FRFI, Scottish Socialist Party and Free Hetherington occupation supporters. We ask that all people opposed to the cuts and political policing attend his sentencing this Thursday 13 October, 2pm, to show solidarity but equally to display our opposition to the ongoing attack on living standards and criminalisation of protest. Join the court protest!
Glasgow District Court, 1.30 - 2pm
St Andrews St (off Saltmarket)
Bring banners opposing the cuts and political policing and courts!
Where there is injustice there will be resistance!
We demand the truth and the dropping of all charges now!
The trial of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! and Glasgow Defence Campaign supporter Dominic O'Hara has once again been adjourned today. Dominic faces charges relating to an anti-cuts protest in Glasgow city centre on 29 January 2011, where upon leaving the protest he was arrested in a vigilante style operation by Strathclyde Police and detained for 54 hours prior to his court appearance on a framed up charge of police assault.
Crown prosecutors have been repeatedly asked by Dominic’s defence team for the official procedure of Strathclyde police in to the practice known as 'kettling’, a form of indiscriminate crowd control and detention, but have failed to disclose the policy. Today the crown claimed that no CCTV existed of the alleged assault (despite it being in the heart of the city centre with CCTV cameras in the proximity) and opposed the defence motion to adjourn wishing to proceed to trial immediately. This was thrown out, and new dates were set for trial.
The GDC have lodged our concerns with our legal advisors and are clear that the reason that no CCTV has been found of the assault is because one did not take place! We are positive that CCTV footage will exist to show this to be true. As we saw on the 11 April 2011 when Dominic was found guilty of a framed charge of police assault the cops word in the non-jury Glasgow District Court is 'credible and reliable' whilst anyone who disputes their claims is deemed to be a ‘liar’.
Political charges in political courts must be fought with a political defence! We say to the Crown drop the made up charges now and Strathclyde Police hands off protest!
The new dates are:
Intermediate diet: Tuesday 29 November 2pm, Court 5
Trial Diet: Monday 19 December 10am, Court 6
Both in: Glasgow District Court (also known as the Justice of the Peace Court) St. Andrews St (off Saltmarket)
Saturday's ‘People First’ march organised by the Scottish Trades Union Congress once again saw the bullies of Strathclyde police harass, intimidate and detain protestors. This is nothing new. The real lessons and significance of the day’s events lay in the people’s response to this political policing.
From the start our No Cuts, Full Stop! contingent, organised by supporters of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! (FRFI) and the Glasgow Defence Campaign, called for the defence of democratic rights and was subject to surveillance. Our open megaphone event in Glasgow Green was used to publicise the upcoming trials and sentencing of our supporters, highlight the complicity of the Labour Party in implementing the cuts and show the need for anti-imperialist politics in any movement opposing austerity in Britain. Officers were assigned to stare at us. After the arrival of a heavily policed student feeder march the main event began.
Stalked by officers – one, PC Prentice, who was involved in the framed conviction of an FRFI and GDC supporter in April – on either side and with lively youth from the Coalition of Resistance (COR) behind us we set off. With chants calling for an end to political policing and Glasgow’s Labour City Council we passed the City Chambers and George Square. Regrettably the COR failed to take up either of the chants and confined their rhetoric to purely anti ConDem government slogans. Despite an incursion by officers into the march at this point no skirmishes broke out and the march remained peaceful.
The further the march moved up St. Vincent street the tighter the police closed ranks on protestors. People were warned for speaking out against political policing and COR supporters were taken to the side of the march and told to keep their contingent under control. It became clear that officers were intent on provoking a response from protestors in order to arrest people and thus shut down any criticism of their repressive role after they manhandled a 14 year old girl for “not moving in”.
Aware of the underlying aim of the police our contingent resisted provocation but defended our right to free speech and carried on our chants against the cuts and political policing. The "antagonistic chant" – ‘Strathclyde Police Hands Off Protest!’ - was a thorn in the officers sides and so led by Inspector Alan Bowater - Badge no. G 20 - of Aikenhead Road Police Station they decided to take the law into their own hands and detain one of our supporters outside Cranstonhill Police Station, 945, Argyle St. This was not the first time our comrade Dominic O’Hara has been targeted on anti-cuts protests and neither is it the first time we have crossed paths with Inspector Bowater. On Saturday 13 August 2011 Bowater and his cronies from Cathcart police station attempted to shut down an FRFI anti cuts stall in Govanhill. He demanded details of an organiser despite having no legal basis for doing so (see harassment log). Under threat of arrest a selected FRFI steward gave his details but made no further compromises ensuring that the stall went ahead.
In similar fashion Bowater questioned and demanded details off Dominic without naming an offence he had committed. Note he was overheard telling his officers not to arrest the FRFI steward who had successfully stood up to him on the 13 August in Govanhill - he wanted easier prey. His revenge on the GDC was cut short however as the marchers decided it was their turn to close ranks on the cops! The bullies now felt what a kettle was like from the inside! They did not like it and were forced by the determination of the marchers to free the innocent comrade and back down in a humiliating retreat. People power 2 – Bowater and Strathclyde police - 0!
As we anticipated would happen officers once again led by Bowater trailed behind our contingent and attempted to encircle us in Kelvingrove Park at the end of the march. In fear of being picked off and arrested, as happened to Dominic on 29 January 2011 after leaving a protest with a small group, we raised the alarm and made the rest of the marchers aware of what was going on, including human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar and STUC Assistant Secretary, Dave Moxham, (Moxham gave us no support and dangerously advised people to leave Kelvingrove park individually! Such characters do not face political policing at present and so cannot be relied upon for advice on how to confront it or even for support against it).
Once again in the spirit of solidarity individual supporters of COR and a few others helped to form a group of witnesses to leave the area with FRFI and GDC supporters who experienced no further problems. COR supporters were also questioned in the park at the end after the march but the GDC does not have the details of what was said. If anyone knows please send details to glasgowdefence@yahoo.co.uk and we can publicise.
Although the victory was ours on Saturday we must not be complacent. Despite various humiliations and botched operations (Free Hetherington eviction 22 March, Strathclyde University arrests 2 June…) the cops appear to be getting bolder in clamping down on dissent. Therefore we must learn the political and practical lessons from Saturday for future protests. (1) Maximum unity, solidarity and communication is required between progressive people and groups in the event that police attempt to isolate and arrest someone/people before, during or after a protest or march (2) Do not be provoked into action justifying your arrest but firmly and calmly defend your right to free speech and demand the support of others in this fight (3) Take the badge numbers, names and stations of offending officers you wish to report to the GDC or lawyers. See GDC legal briefing for further details of dealing with cops.
As was stated at an FRFI meeting on 1st September 2009 titled ‘economic recession and police repression’;
‘The right to organise political protest is being rapidly eroded. Marches are banned as they were in Scotland during the Irish hunger strike in the 1980s. Left-wing newspaper sellers are harassed and arrested. Street meetings are attacked. Marches, especially those involving black youth, are attacked by the police. The courts are used to remand 'troublesome' people for months on end, to deny legal aid to those attacked by police, to pass punitive sentences against those daring to oppose police repression. As yet this repression is concentrated against the small forces of opposition. But as soon as these forces grow then so too will this openly political policing.’
Lets get organised for the battles ahead!
Court protests against political policing!
Trial of FRFI supporters Dominic O'Hara and Joey Simons
Friday 7 and Monday 31 October, from 9.30am
Outside Glasgow District Court,
St. Andrews Street, Glasgow (just off Saltmarket)
Sentencing of FRFI supporter Dominic O'Hara will take place on Thursday 13 October, 2pm, at the same court. This is for a framed up charge and conviction of police assault relating to the 9 December 2011student protest in Glasgow City Centre. Supporters will be gathered outside the court from 1.40pm.
The Glasgow Defence Campaign condemns the open political policing that was employed on yesterday’s Scottish Trades Union Council march from Glasgow Green to Kelvingrove Park. Throughout the march people were harassed and stalked by lines of officer’s intent on provoking a response from the peaceful protestors. Coalition of Resistance supporters were taken aside by officers and warned to behave, IRSP Alba and John Brady Society followers were questioned for flying a Starry Plough flag and a Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! and Glasgow Defence Campaign supporter, who has been targeted on previous protests, was manhandled by officers off the march for condemning political policing as the march passed Cranstonhill Police Station, 945, Argyle St.
The following video captures the scenes as the arrest took place only for him to be de-arrested due to the popular will of the protestors.
The GDC sends its solidarity to the people who left the march and successfully secured our supporters release. As the targeted comrade said after re-joining the march 'a victory for one is a victory for all!'
A full report of the day’s events is to follow so please subscribe to and spread the word about our blog. If anyone experienced political policing on yesterday’s march send the details to glasgowdefence@yahoo.co.uk and we can publicise the incidents.
Posted below is the victory statement of the HSBC 3 Defence Campaign in Newcastle where political charges and convictions against three Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! supporters have been successfully overturned. The Glasgow Defence Campaign would like to send them our solidarity and applaud their consistent work against the cuts and the attack on democratic rights which has led to this victory against political policing! They did not win justice by sitting on their hands!
The convictions of Mark Pearson and Patrick Reay – who were arrested for protesting against public sector cuts and tax dodging banks and companies in December 2010 – were overturned yesterday after a two day appeal at Newcastle Crown Court. The success of the appeal is a victory for the democratic right to protest in Newcastle and shows that it is always worthwhile challenging political policing.
Picket of Newcastle Crown Court on 28th September
Stop Political Policing!
The arrests and charges of the HSBC 3 were politically motivated, designed to intimidate protesters, and restrict future protests against the cuts and austerity measures. As John Pilger said in his solidarity statement, ‘The arrests of Patrick, Mark and Toby starkly represent the most disturbing trend in Britain — the rise of an openly political police… At worst, the police can kill with impunity, it seems, and increasingly they arrest and prosecute arbitrarily those whose dissent which marks the line between democracy and a state of fear and compliance’.
In recent years many activists have been arrested on trumped-up charges, including the Gaza solidarity demonstrations in early 2009, the student protests in December 2010/ January 2011 and the August 2011 uprisings. Many people were encouraged by duty solicitors to plead guilty or accept a caution, on the basis that they would avoid a criminal record or receive a reduced sentence. This may seem like a better option in the short term but it erodes political rights for all of us, allowing protest to be criminalised.
Defend One, Defend All, Defend the HSBC 3!
The HSBC 3 Defence Campaign has shown that it is possible to fight charges on a political basis, thereby defending both individual activists and future demonstrators. The HSBC 3 refused to accept any guilt for their legitimate actions as protesters. Even after Mark and Patrick were unfairly convicted at the magistrate’s court and fined a total of £760, they were able to appeal the convictions because of the support of the campaign.
Many thanks to all those people who supported the HSBC 3 defence campaign. In particular the court witnesses, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! / Revolutionary Communist Group who organised demonstrations and court pickets, members of the North East Anarchists Group and the Anti-Cuts Network who organised several benefit gigs, everybody who took part in those events or helped publicise them, Unite Newcastle Central Branch who made a financial contribution, and the many people who showed their solidarity from the court’s public gallery during the trial. The HSBC 3 Defence Campaign has always been clear on the need for political action on the streets alongside a legal defence in the courts. As with the police, the fundamental role of Britain’s courts is the defence of private property – they cannot be trusted to defend working class people.
The defence of democratic rights is the defence of working class living standards. As the fight against austerity continues, we need to be ready for more defence campaigns. The example of the HSBC 3 Defence Campaign should be celebrated and followed.
On Tuesday 13 September Paul Donnachie, former student and supporter of Palestinian rights, was sentenced to 150 hours community service and a payment of £300 compensation to an American Jewish student for his criticism of the state of Israel and its flag. Sheriff Charles MacNair oversaw this attack on free speech at Cupar Sheriff Court.
Donnachie's conviction on the ridiculous charge of 'racially-aggravated conduct' in August, which resulted in his immediate expulsion from St. Andrews university, is further evidence of the increasing intolerance of the British state towards criticism of its policies at home and abroad. The detainment of Sheik Raed Salah on 28 June 2011 was another example. The British state fear that criticism of the racist state of Israel might further expose British complicity in the oppression of the Palestinians and therefore have no option but to stamp it out.
Supporters of Palestinian rights determined to oppose this criminalization responded to a call by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) for a picket of the court and defaced the Israeli flag outside the court in an act of political defiance. The Glasgow Defence Campaign applauds this action but stresses the need to remain on guard as the state may use this to bring future charges against those involved. Delayed arrests and charges were used against GDC supporters in April 2011 with the imposition of draconian bail conditions preventing their attendance at a rally to oppose the cuts and political policing on 16 April.
At all times we must be prepared to defend ourselves and others against state attacks! We would like to send our solidarity to the former student, who is appealing the sentence, and urge supporters of Palestine to speak louder in their condemnation of Zionist Israel than ever before.
The Glasgow Defence Campaign gives its support to the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign's call for "supporters of Palestinian rights, anti-racists and supporters of free speech to assemble outside Cupar Sheriff court on Tuesday September 13th at 9am to support Paul Donnachie. An injury to one is an injury to all."
Paul Donnachie is a student who was convicted on a ridiculous, politically-motivated charge of 'racially-aggravated conduct' at Cupar court in August, leading to his expulsion from St Andrews university. The trial verdict essentially criminalises any criticism of the brutal violence waged by the Israeli state against the Palestinian people. Those who dare to oppose this racist state are now decried as racists.
The verdict is being appealed and the Glasgow Defence Campaign and its supporters will aim to attend the protest next week. Anyone concerned with basic democratic freedoms in a world of imperialist war and violence should do so too.
The British state - the police, courts, parliament and media - has responded to the uprisings in English cities with a viciousness and hypocrisy that only the imperialist ruling class and its defenders are capable of. They ranted about destruction, anarchy, violence, disorder and lawlessness while the Royal Air Force had flown over 15,000missions against the people of Libya and dropped high explosives on residential areas killing innocent men, women and children. What causes the greatest damage, we ask, a half brick or a jet fighter loaded with murderous missiles! Which is the more anti-social crime? Helping yourself to a pair of jeans or helping yourself to a country's oil?
In this context, the reality of ruling class violence and lawlessness, we look back at the last year of the Glasgow Defence Campaign's work and the argument that we made in August of 2010 that the British state was preparing to attack the living standards of the working class through the cuts budgets and would attempt to control and criminalise all resistance to the rule of the wealthy. As a Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! (FRFI) supporter stated at a May Day rally in Dundee this year: the defence of working class living standards is the defence of democratic rights.
Comrades from FRFI got out onto the streets of Govanhill, Glasgow last year to protest at the austerity budget of the newly elected Tory-Con Dem government. Within hours we were facing Strathclyde police's attempts to immediately close down our leafletting and petitioning. Regulations were cited and invented to try to force us off the streets. Our human rights to expression and association - clearly upheld in law- were ignored by the bullies in uniform as newspapers and stalls were seized and charges issued against FRFI supporters.
We stood firm in the face of this political policing and fought back by openly challenging the police censorship and gathering support from every group and individual sharing our concern about the attack on democratic rights. We urged unity and public protest to defend those rights and warned that we were only at the begining of the state's attempts to limit and make any protest ineffective and isolated.
Towards the end of that year as students took to the streets everywhere to protest at education cuts we recognised the emergence of new police tactics to control, intimidate and criminalise protest. From Parliament Square in London to George Square, Glasgow, the kettle was on. FRFI supporters were targeted and arrested by police on protests in December and January and hauled in front of sham courts. Delayed arrests, house raids, frame ups, surveillance and assault were evidence of the state giving the green light to the police to close down protest.
The Glasgow Defence Campaign was established to meet these attacks in kind, recording and exposing every incident of police harassment, naming and shaming the officers involved, taking protests to the doors of the District and Sheriff courts and the streets of Glasgow. The thuggish police operation to evict the Free Hetherington occupation on 22 March educated new layers of young people in the need to organise rapidly against such repression. The even more brutal eviction of Margaret Jaconelli soon followed. On 16 April, after another week of arrests and convictions of FRFI and other anti-cuts activists, the GDC held a defiant rally in Glasgow city centre to demand an end to the political attacks, uniting progressive forces. Five days later, all charges against seven activists were dropped as they were due to appear in court. This victory showed that the anti-democratic activities of Strathclyde police and their paymasters could be effectively challenged if people stood together.
Now, faced with the anger of inner city youth facing poverty and unemployment - sparked off by another police killing - the British state's real methods of operation are obvious to many more people. Their idea of justice is to ignore the theft of billions by the wealthy elites represented in the cabinet and parliament or the corruption of policemen and women by the millionaire press and to treat the working class as criminals deserving only of a prison cell should they rebel.
The Glasgow Defence Campaign states its commitment to the argument that the defence of democratic rights is the defence of the working class. We define that working class as workers in jobs, youth in revolt on the streets, the disabled and poor, immigrants and asylum seekers- all those who the rich are trying to make pay for an economic crisis not of their making.
The police who tried to close down our political activity last year and who were made to back off by the campaigning work of the Glasgow Defence Campaign have been made bolder and more arrogant by recent developments. At the time of writing this statement, concern is rising about a steep rise in deaths at the hands of police - 3 killings in 8 days. Recent arrests in Glasgow and the return of police interference in legitimate and legal political organisation should put us all on alert and demands that unity and solidarity must be fought for and built in the struggle to defend democratic rights and in the fight for real justice.
POLICE HANDS OFF PROTEST!
DEFEND DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS!
AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!
Issued by the Glasgow Defence Campaign, 6 September 2011
A Scottish Socialist Youth activist was sentenced today at Glasgow Sheriff Court for 'culpable and reckless conduct' during the events that followed the violent police eviction of the Free Hetherington occupation at Glasgow university on 22 March 2011. He entered a guilty plea and was fined £250 with the judge going on to question his reasons for protesting, dismissing the claim that there is youth unemployment in Scotland as 'rubbish' and pressuring the activist to think about his career prospects before protesting again.
He confirms what the GDC have argued all along - that the right to free speech and protest in Britain comes with the prospect of criminal charges. The choice is clear: abandon dissent in the hope a career in this rotten system awaits you or stand up against the cuts and imperialist war and face criminalization for doing so.
The GDC pledges it full support to the comrade who has been singled out for his progressive work against the cuts and once again reminds supporters not to give in to pressure from solicitors to plead guilty to criminal charges. At the very least, we must make the Crown office work if they wish to purse their campaign of criminalising politics.
The Glasgow Defence Campaign sends its solidarity to Paul Donnachie, a student and Palestine solidarity activist who was found guilty on Tuesday 23 August on the outrageous charge of 'racially aggravated conduct' after expressing his contempt for the Israeli flag. He was immediately expelled from St. Andrews university. The verdict sets a dangerous precedent whereby any criticism of the Israeli state and its continuing brutality against the Palestinian people is outlawed. The charge of 'racially aggravated conduct' for criticising, in a private incident, the violent, racist conduct of Israel is clearly politically-motivated, and as Paul Donnachie stated following his conviction: "I've fought racism all my life." An appeal is underway.
Alongside the continuing arrests and frame-ups of anti-cuts activists and the remanding in custody of young teenagers who commented on Facebook on the recent riots in England, the Scottish justice system is clearly showing that it stands firmly on the side of the powerful and wealthy against justice. Any democratic rights we have can only be secured by a continuing fight in their defence.
The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has issued reports from the trial and an official statement which will appear on their website shortly. The GDC urges all its supporters to heed the SPSC's call for "supporters of Palestinian rights, anti-racists, and supporters of free speech to assemble outside Cupar Sheriff court on Tuesday September 13th at 9am to support Paul Donnachie. An injury to one is an injury to all."
The Glasgow Defence Campaign is once more calling on all supporters of the anti-cuts movement and democratic rights to attend a protest outside the trial of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! (FRFI) supporter Joey Simons on Tuesday 23 August. Hundreds took part in the demonstrations on 9 December in Glasgow on which two FRFI supporters were targeted and arrested by Strathclyde police.
The GDC and FRFI haver consistently fought to oppose the attacks on anti-cuts activists by both the courts and the police, and offered our solidarity to all those who have faced harassment for their political activity. We urge and demand that all progressive forces stand with those protesting outside Glasgow District Court tomorrow calling for the charges to be dropped as not in the public interest. Only through protest and public campaigning can we apply any form of scrutiny and accountability to the 'justice' system. Recent events in England have shown the viciousness with which the courts of the ruling class can act. We cannot allow any member of the anti-cuts movement to face isolation and criminal charges. As Strathclyde police continues to arrest ever increasing numbers of activists, 'An injury to one is an injury to all' must be the principle on which we fight. All out for the Glasgow District Court!
On Friday 12 August, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! and GDC supporters held a "No to the Cuts! No to Political Policing!" stall outside Buchanan Galleries on Sauchiehall St. Two Strathclyde police officers (A678 and A297) approached the stall at 3.30pm, threatening a charge of breach of the peace for the megaphone being "too loud." Activists effectively defended their rights and drew in a crowd of around 50 members of the public to highlight yet another instance of political policing. Officers attempted to pull a 15 year-old GDC supporters away from the stall but failed and eventually retreated.
A second set of male officers (A192 and A929) arrived in a police vehicle at 4.25pm. They then circled the stall by foot and entered shops in the surrounding area, before approaching twenty minutes later, again failing to intimidate activists and unlawfully take personal details of those on the stall. The police eventually back off. Another example of the necessity and effectiveness of standing up for our rights in the face of political policing. Strathclyde police - back off!
The Glasgow Defence Campaign condemns the most recent wave of arrests in the past week as yet another example of political policing in the city of Glasgow. The arrests are an abuse of power which is intended to intimidate and isolate those prepared to make a principled stance against the cuts. The timing and character of the arrests are themselves further evidence it was directed by the highest levels within Strathclyde police working alongside the crown office.
If the latest round of anti democratic actions by Strathclyde police go unchecked and unchallenged – who will be next? History teaches us that the British state will show no mercy against those it deems necessary to criminalise; those who cooperate with the prosecution will be hammered. Witness the attacks on the Gaza demonstrators of January 2009, the attack on Charlie Gilmour and the punitive incarceration of Milbank protesters.
The GDC calls for those who wish to defend themselves politically to contact us. Now is the time for effective, non sectarian unity among everyone under attack. The police attacks on the right to free speech and assembly must not go unopposed. We say that those who remain silent, and accept criminalisation, invite more trouble – not less.
Joey Simons, a supporter of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! stated ‘only through public campaigning can we be successful – not just on an individual basis but also in upholding the rights of everyone. We refuse to be intimidated, isolated and criminalised. That is why we oppose this latest round of arrests and call for supporters to attend my trial on 23 August. We are calling for enough public pressure to be mounted in order to have all of the charges dropped.’
The trial against Joey Simons is set to take place on Tuesday 23 August from 10am at the District Court, St Andrews Street, Glasgow. The GDC is calling on supporters to attend and for messages of solidarity to be sent from individuals and organisations.
Last night, the Kurdish tent at the OccupyLSX camp was raided by armed police following an alleged tip off of a gun being present. They searched the tent for over half an hour unsurprisingly finding nothing.
