Report from vigil for Ian Tomlinson

The vigil for Ian Tomlinson in the City of London last night brought together friends and family of Ian as well as some of us who have campaigned for justice to be served.

Julia Tomlinson, Ian’s wife, said at the vigil, “All we want is a proper investigation… We will not give up until we get it.”

The following weeks will especially difficult for the family as they cope with their first Christmas without Ian.

Alongside family members, those who gathered heard from John McDonnell MP and Vivian Figueiredo, Jean Charles de Menezes' cousin.

The road to finding justice still has far to go. The family are currently awaiting the CPS decision on how they will respond to the IPCC dossier into Ian’s death.

The United Campaign against Police Violence will support the Tomlinson family however we can in the tough months ahead, and they should know that ourselves and the organisations represented in our campaign are with them.

The protest was covered widely on the evening news, click here for reports from BBC News and the Evening Standard.

Pictures and video from the vigil will follow shortly - watch this space. Check out the Ian Tomlinson Family Campaign website and the Harpymarx blog for more information.

Vigil for Ian Tomlinson - Tuesday 1 December

Candlelight vigil to remember Ian Tomlinson

Royal Exchange by Threadneedle Street, London, EC3V 3LL

Tuesday 1st December

6pm - 7.15pm

The United Campaign against Police Violence would like to encourage all our supporters to come along to this vigil for Ian Tomlinson on Tuesday. It has been called by the Ian Tomlinson Family Campaign.

It is important that we keep Ian’s memory alive and continue the fight for justice, I hope as many people can come as possible.

Speakers include:
Ian’s family
Samantha Rigg David - Sean Rigg Justice & Change Campaign
Deborah Coles - INQUEST
John McDonnell MP

The Ian Tomlinson Family Campaign said:

"Ian died in tragic circumstances, an 'innocent passerby' trying to get home, after a police assault at the G20 protests on April 1st 2009.Eight months on, our family are preparing for our first Christmas without him and still waiting for justice.

"We have been grateful for public support this year and would like an opportunity to hold this public memorial gathering to remember Ian, with our friends and supporters around us.We ask that those who attend please wear black as a mark of respect and remember that this is peaceful event.

"PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE COMING so we can estimate numbers and please send messages of support - a number of these will be read out at the vigil.

"RSVP to iantomlinsonfamilycampaign@gmail.com"

Notting Hill Carnival policing (continued)

Anyone who was at Carnival this year would have seen another great event, with around a million people celebrating together.

The police were out in force, as anticipated, and spent much of the day walking in single file through the crowds, dividing groups of people street partying, setting up a series of what looked suspiciously like checkpoints, and stopping young black men as they came out of Tube stations.

According to the "Notting Hill Carnival News" section of the Metropolitan Police website there were eventually 139 arrests on Bank Holiday Monday. The report also talks of mass arrests at Victoria station (quoted below).

More details as we get them. UCAPV has also put in a Freedom of Information request to the Met Police querying the number of people searched, their ethnic background, how many of these were arrested and how many charged. This should take a few weeks but the results will be posted here when we have them.

The following is from the Met Police website, "Notting Hill Carnival News":
19:20hrs - 40 arrests at Victoria station

A total of 40 people have now been arrested at Victoria mainline station. They were arrested in order to prevent a breach of the peace at the Notting Hill Carnival.

At 1510hrs today, police contained an initial group of 25 people who we believe had travelled by train from south London. They were stopped based on intelligence to suggest that the group was going to the Carnival to commit disorder.

Of that 25 people, two were arrested straight away after police recovered body armour and a knife. The remaining 23 were arrested on a case-by-case basis.

As the group were being dealt with at Victoria, more people arrived at the station associated with the initial group. These 15 people were also arrested to prevent a breach of the peace on a case-by-case basis.

All 38 people will be taken by bus to a south London police station. They will be held until police are satisfied that there is no longer a risk they will commit disorder at Carnival.

The other two arrested are in custody.

22:40hrs - Those detained at Victoria released

The thirty-eight people arrested at Victoria mainline station to prevent a breach of the peace were released at 22:00hrs.

Those arrested were taken to a south London police station. The time they remained in custody was kept under constant review
until the opportunity for them to commit a breach of the peace had passed.
Where we identified juveniles we arranged collection by a guardian or responsible adult.

Notting Hill Carnival is not a policing operation

For most of us, Notting Hill Carnival represents the best of London life. It is a celebration of diversity, multiculturalism and culture attracting 1.5 million people from all around the world.

While the majority of us come to Carnival to enjoy taking part in Europe’s largest street party, the Metropolitan Police see Carnival is something to be controlled, curtailed and harassed.

This year’s Carnival will see 11,000 police officers on patrol. They will be enforcing a curfew from 6.30pm and ensuring that sound levels don’t pass the “agreed” 135 decibels. If the policing operation is anything like that of 2008, it will also see hundreds of mainly black youths being stopped, contained and searched indiscriminately as they make their way to the celebrations.

Most sinister of all, directing the policing operation will be Commander Bob Broadhurst. He was in charge of policing during April’s protests against the G20 in the City of London, which saw hundreds harassed, beaten and arrested by the police. This was also when we saw the death of Ian Tomlinson, who was struck by a police baton and died minutes later, despite the fact he was not even a protester but was simply making his way home. The fact that Commander Broadhurst is now directing this operation is a scandal.

This year we have already seen raids of “known troublemakers” prior to Carnival, and 150 letters hand-delivered by police to others commanding them not to attend. Can you imagine if this happened in the run up to London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations or the London Marathon?

The police seem to have a very different approach when the event involves the Afro-Caribbean community. While Carnival is a celebration of people coming together, it seems the police are more than willing to stoke racist divisions.

We believe that the Notting Hill Carnival should be a celebration – not a heavy-handed police operation.

Climate Camp: Has the climate changed for policing of protests?

As the government drags its feet over the vital task of saving the planet from environmental destruction, those who see the need for a radically different approach to fighting climate change have once more been forced to take direct action at the Camp for Climate Action.

But anyone who has been at the previous Climate Camps knows that while the criminal actions of multinationals go unchallenged by the state, those who fight against them are criminalised.

The recent publication of police log entries from the G20 protests against environmental and financial crimes have exposed the level of police brutality meted out. “I punched him in the jaw and he moved backwards,” wrote one officer, while another hit protesters with “shield strikes both flat and angled” and “open palm strikes…and fist strikes as well”.

A recent Christian Aid survey suggests that around half of the UK population believe the police have been too aggressive in the policing of environmental protests. In light of these revelations, we now see a police force tactically confused, dodging a constant barrage of criticism.

SOFTLY, SOFTLY?

Preparations for Climate Camp have reflected this. Much has been made of their new “softly, softly” approach, which suggests less use of force, increased communication with organisers, and, of course, their use of Twitter.

While the G20 protests were the tipping point for public opinion, it has built up over time, from the kettling and harassment of those on Stop the War protests over George W Bush’s visit to London last year and the invasion of Gaza to the Kingsnorth power station protests.

The staggering increase of stop and search – 322 percent for black people and 277 percent for Asians – since 2007 adds to this contempt. The issue of deaths in custody refuses to go away either, thanks to the continued fight for justice by the families of people like Sean Rigg, who died at Brixton police station one year ago, and Ian Tomlinson.

But the “community policing” of protests such as Climate Camp will not last unless this pressure is kept up on the police.
This tactic is an exercise in damage limitation, not a change of heart, and whether the police hit you with batons or not, they are still there to limit resistance at events such as this, by whatever means necessary.

We must ensure that the pressure is kept on until we are ensured the fundamental right to protest, to live without harassment, and win justice for those brutalised by the baton-wielding strong arm of the state.

GOOD COPS, BAD COPS
We should also recognise that the “softly, softly” approach seems selective. The man behind the operation in the City of London on that fateful day the G20 came to town, Commander Bob Broadhurst, is to direct the 11,000 police shifts at this year's Notting Hill Carnival.

If the policing operation at Carnival is anything like that of 2008, it will also see hundreds of mainly black youths being stopped, contained and searched indiscriminately as they make their way to the celebration of diversity and culture.

The United Campaign Against Police Violence (UCAPV) was formed in the wake of the G20 violence to ensure the right to peaceful protest, the protection of civil liberties, and to stop deaths at the hands of police – whether on protests, in police stations, during “terror raids” or anywhere else. UCAPV is an alliance of protest groups, trade unions, family justice campaigns, political parties and many others. Working together we can hold the police to account and push for reforms of British policing.

Community Policing? Tuesday's Stop the War Protest

A few videos from the Stop the War protest against Israeli PM Netanyahu's visit to Gordon Brown.

Is this the new "community policing" we can expect?

Christian Aid Survey: Half of UK adults displeased with policing of environmental protests

A new poll by Christian Aid confirms what many of us suspected - that the tide of public opinion has swung against the police after their violent responses to legitimate protests over the past year.

Read the full article on the Guardian website.