Having witnessed the Police presence in Brighton today for the “Smash EDO” protest, which led me to have to drive a 10-mile diversion to deliver my girlfriend to work, I read with interest the statement issued by the Brighton & Hove City Commander, Chief Supt Graham Bartlett, as follows:
“Once again, during a demonstration organised by Smash EDO, we have seen unjustified acts of violence aimed at premises and police officers, with some officers receiving minor injuries. Members of public including many visitors to the city have been clearly frightened and intimidated by a small minority of the group who have been verbally abusive, and throwing missiles at police.
“One member of public was struck in the face by a missile and had to be treated by a police medical team.
“Paint has been thrown at and daubed on a number of premises and a window at a boutique in Market Street was broken. There was also other reports of wanton criminal damage taking place.
“This is a tough time for businesses and this additional disruption, coupled with these criminal acts, only can only impact even more on vital commerce and tourism in the city.
“As at 7.40pm, there were three arrests – one man was arrested for assaulting a police officer, one for obstructing police and one for criminal damage. We will continue to investigate the other offences that have occurred and where possible bring those responsible to justice.
“Once again I urge those who wish to hold demonstrations in the city to abide by the law and notify the police of their intentions in advance so that jointly we can plan a safe but visible event which respects their right to protest and others rights to go about their business free from intimidation and violence.
“I would like to remind the people of Brighton & Hove and the rest of Sussex is that the officers involved in policing violent demonstrations such as we have seen today are the same officers who provide the local policing service you would expect from us. We would all rather see them helping to resolve local issues in their neighbourhoods than having to police such protests as this.”
Interesting, on a number of points. Firstly, I didn’t see the residents of the Fiveways area in fear of the protesters; on the contrary, it was the aggressive Police presence that was intimidating and scary for the people of Brighton. Literally scores of vans driving in at speed, disgorging vast crowds of police with helmets, batons and shields – that’s what people find scary. I witnessed one cyclist being physically, bodily stopped by a motorcycle policeman. It’s all so physical, rather too paramilitary, and wholly disproportionate. I also wonder what would have happened if the protest hadn’t been policed at all; would we end up with massive criminal damage in the town, or a largely peaceful protest? Do the Police contain violence, or provoke it?
The last paragraph is inaccurate at the very least. Many of the police officers in vehicles involved today appeared to have been drafted in from Kent, and therefore aren’t our friendly local bobbies. I just wonder how much it all cost. And why I haven’t seen anyone I could describe as a friendly local bobbie for years.
So you might expect me to be vehemently anti-Police, or sympathising with the protesters. Actually, neither is true. Truth is far more complex than that. For example, “What is the most dangerous animal in Africa?” I ask my children, who correctly avoid the obvious answer “the hippo” and instead go for the far more accurate “homo sapiens”. Yes, people kill far more people than hippos. But it’s rarely private individuals who are dangerous, it’s institutions, governments, armies, and warlord-led militia. EDO is a legitimate business which operates within the law, in a country which remains a parliamentary democracy. That is a true statement. “Smash EDO” is an apparently an organisation that stands for anarchy, not democratic rights, and appears to place far more emphasis on criminal damage and denial of service aimed at private enterprise than on protesting against wars. The ultimate truth is best represented perhaps by that old cliché that goes “weapons don’t kill people, people kill people”. But helmets, batons, shields and Police vans are weapons too, and as we saw in the recent G20 protest, they can hurt and even kill people very effectively in the hands of a small violent minority. But they have the power to scare people even if they don’t hurt them.
The Police should ensure therefore that they conduct themselves proportionately, appropriately, and remembering their origins as “civilians in uniform” rather than embracing paramilitary style tactics, or else they risk alienating the very people they are meant to serve. Alas these days, from personal experience, I wouldn’t naturally trust the Police to tell me the right time, let alone deal in the truth. Am I unusual? Alas, probably not. Mr Bartlett and colleagues have a mountain to climb, but they can’t even seem to find the right path to the foothills.
5th May 2009 at 11:46 am
God you’ve got it all so so so wrong.
Tell you what, we’ll stop coming to your protests and see how it all pans out.
5th May 2009 at 11:57 am
I don’t think I’ve got it wrong at all. I don’t hold protests, or indeed join in with them. Never mind the protestors – they’re just anti-establishment anarchists. But the Police scare people – people who are nothing to do with the protest – I’ve seen that with my own eyes.
5th May 2009 at 12:52 pm
Im starting to lose faith in our ability to affect change at all.
1,000,000 march peacefully in london to protest out involvement in the Iraq war. No result.
Thousands peacefully form a climate camp protest at the g20. Although bigger than the violent protests, it attracts little media attention. Having agreed with police to a 48 hour protest – it is instead violently evicted by police during the evening once the bored media journalists have left.
A few young kids learn over a few years that by extreme acts of violence they can attract the worlds media attention, and so do, and do.
It was the same in Paris the day Sarkozy got elected, there where riots and burning cars, and it was pretty much 100% kids doing it.
So where lies the middle ground for those who wish to make a stand on these issues. Peaceful and your issues are ignored. Violent and you are not ignored but your issues will be replaced by only discussion of violence.
Personally i spent the day talking to shop keepers and passerby about the reasons people where protesting. I found *nobody* who knew about the issues involve, the closest i found was one group of lads who told me its about banning the bomb – very 70s(!?). I found that once told 100% of shop keepers expressed support, although few thought it would change anything. Out of the passers by less interest was shown in the issues.
5th May 2009 at 1:11 pm
Yes it’s true, the protestors didn’t exactly get their point across clearly to the people of Brighton, or indeed the rest of the country. But thugs will always be drawn to a good fight, and this was no exception.
5th May 2009 at 1:34 pm
Then its a difficult question still for protest organizers. Do you police the protesters yourself, maybe going as far as detaining and handing over to the police any who break the law (and do you include established law such as damage to property/persons as well as the newer laws such as photographing police, or incitement to religious hatred e.g equating george bush’s or Tony Blairs Christian believes with fascism).
With the amount of apathy and (in the nicest way) ignorance, i encountered, is it better to have people talking about your issue even in a negative light rather than completely ignored.
However i dont believe the ignorance and apathy of the public come from a genuine lack of care about the issues. Most people seem to be of the opinion what is the point of protesting when you know it cant change anything.
5th May 2009 at 2:09 pm
You’re so right, on every count. Self-policing sounds stupid, but if it worked they’d have the admiration of the public on their side. As for which laws you’d uphold – now there’s a slippery slope!
Yes, people are apathetic. Most people don’t care either way on most things, and it’d cause them hernias if you pressed them to express an original opinion borne of individual thought. Yes, people don’t feel empowered to change anything. It’s strange, given all the new opportunities presented by the Internet for freedom of speech, debate and self-publishing. We really need to start making ordinary people realise that they have as much of a voice as they want – but that that voice should always speak, never shout, and to always be connected to listening ears and an open mind.
5th May 2009 at 2:32 pm
Perhaps, and to follow your tangent. We do need a massive change to how our countries are run. What was the turn out to the last election? And the local elections are even worse.
Too many people are convinced our politicians are beyond help and the act of giving away your power once every four years does not represent a sufficient stake in the power making process.
Its this disconnect that protest has always been about addressing, and its been a vital part of the democratic process.
If i could make a single change to our society it would be remove our elected politicians and replace them with an internet based system of open voting for specific issues.
5th May 2009 at 2:41 pm
What an excellent idea – perhaps we should take a vote on it?! 🙂
5th May 2009 at 5:51 pm
John Silver, you are a dick.
5th May 2009 at 5:59 pm
Such brilliant, intelligent, incisive debate, Jamie. Well done.
5th May 2009 at 5:53 pm
Jon Silver, you are a dick.
5th May 2009 at 6:00 pm
So good, you said it twice. Ah well, at least you spelled my name correctly the second time.
5th May 2009 at 6:24 pm
Could I just make one simple request? If any more representatives of the Police decide they want to comment on my blog, please try to come across as somewhat more than monosyllabic troglodites. I’m trying to help, whereas you’re really doing yourselves no favours at all. Martin Richards, Graham Bartlett and others in charge, please do something to improve your recruitment process – You really should be a lot more selective.
6th May 2009 at 8:43 pm
I would just like to clear up a few issues regarding the protest. I was on the march and although the police may have seemed calm in the centre of town when we started heading out of town they were much more keen on their batons. The protest was largely good natured and many local young people joined in.
If the police had allowed the marchs progression we would have been out of the town very quickly causing minimal issues. The people dancing on the store at the pier at the end of the day were mostly local kids. We took precautions in regards to the public, for example, telling everyone to go around the childrens park rather than through it. The police were outnumbered but continually blocked routes rather than minimise disorder.
I feel the protest was proportionate given the fact the EDO factory makes weapons delivery systems to be used in illegal wars and McDonalds owns 16,000 shares in EDO. A million people or more marched in London against the war in Iraq, but it went ahead. Complying with the powers that be leaves your cause ignored; doing the opposite gets you negative publicity but you have to get the issue out somehow. If you think we got it wrong, my challenge to you is to get out on the streets and show us how its done.
6th May 2009 at 9:17 pm
Mick, I can’t comment on your assertion about the nature of the protest & protesters. But I saw the Police at Fiveways and they were fired up, aggressive, and spoiling for a fight. However perhaps the greatest contrast is between your calm, articulate comment and the imbecile’s one line insult delivered yesterday by an employee of the Police. It all points to one thing – people don’t listen when you shout, and they tend to bloody-mindedly take the opposite point of view, even if it’s not heart-felt, when you resort to any kind of violence. By the time you’ve even prepared to raise your voice, you’ve lost the argument. And of course that applies whichever side of the fence you’re on.