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Police Harassment

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    Police Harassment

    This country is becoming worse than a third world banana republic for human rights abuse.

    A friend of mine was arrested without any specific charge over his website which highlights how his children were abused with clear proof but no action taken. Yesterday(Tuesday) he held a demo to protest at his treatment.

    I received this from him today(I have his permission to post this) :-

    You may have heard that I and two other campaigners, Mike ****** and Keith *********, were arrested yesterday as we prepared to hold a peaceful, orderly demonstration on the pavement outside Wolverhampton Police station. We were all released yesterday evening, after being locked up for about 10 hours. We were not charged or bailed to return, and the Police intend no further action against us.

    Now that the dust has settled, I've pieced together what happened.

    I sent out a press release before-hand, stating our intention to protest outside the police station about the police continually arresting and harassing me without justification. http://www.megaphonedad.net/on-line%...eaflet%202.pdf . I later discovered that one local paper, the Express and Star, decided to forward it to the Police. When I arrived at 8.45 am, I could see police officers guarding all the entrances to the building. They spotted me, and 2 officers followed me to a cafe where I met up with Mike and Keith. Within a few minutes, there were 6 officers crowded around us inside the cafe, and after a while, they received instruction on their radios to arrest us, which they did.

    They told us they had received intelligence that we intended to climb on the roof of the police station, and damage it, and so they were arresting us on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage.

    The intelligence can have amounted to no more than our press release which had been forwarded to them. No reasonable person reading it could have believed that it indicated an intention to climb on the building and damage it, and if that had been our intention we are hardly likely to have put out a press release. When they eventually questioned me it came out that their reasoning went something like this: these 3 people in this cafe are linked to fathers rights protests. Fathers rights protestors climb buildings; therefore these 3 people intend to climb our building; they could not climb our building without damaging it in the process; therefore they must have conspired to criminally damage our building. Wow!

    The Police's true purpose was to prevent us standing on their door-step and exposing their previous harassment of me. They couldn't arrest us for that, so instead they contrived this nonsense about us intending to damage the building. They are shamelessly abusing their powers in order to stop me speaking out.

    Conspiracy is an indictable offence, and so arrest for conspiracy allowed them to search each of our homes while we were detained in the cells. They searched mine and took away my computer, and some documents, which they returned to me when I was released without charge yesterday evening. However, had they found grounds, however spurious, to continue their investigations, they could have retained my computer for months, and without it, I couldn't have carried on with my consultancy business. They may have searched Mike's and Keith's homes as well.

    The implications for all of us in this movement could be serious. If other police forces learn from this and do the same it could mean that, simply because of our historic association with roof-top protests, any equal parenting protesters who are planning a peaceful demo may automatically be suspected of conspiring to commit criminal damage, leading to their arrest, search of their home, and removal of key items like computers!

    What price democracy and freedom of speech now? On a practical level, the next step is for the 3 of us to sue the police. If they are allowed to get away with this, they will believe they can get away with anything.

    Regards,

    Ray

    www.megaphonedad.net

    #2
    Originally posted by BrilloPad View Post
    simply because of our historic association with roof-top protests
    I think that's make police reaction reasonable - F4J were known to have done some ridiculous things, so if he was associated with them in the past then reaction of the police is reasonable given that history.

    They returned him computer quickly, so fair enough - if he is a consultant that does not have backups and additional computers he could use at moments notice then he is not really a good consultant.

    I don't understand what's the point to picket police station anyway? If he has a problem with the police then there are proper channels to take it through.

    Comment


      #3
      Sorry to hear that BrilloPad, but the UK has never had democracy or freedom of speach, and TPTB have always used spurious excuses to intimidate people who point out their failings.

      IIRC it is a "parliamentary democracy", and the only place where free speach is allowed is "Speakers Corner".
      Insanity: repeating the same actions, but expecting different results.
      threadeds website, and here's my blog.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by AtW View Post
        I think that's make police reaction reasonable - F4J were known to have done some ridiculous things, so if he was associated with them in the past then reaction of the police is reasonable given that history.

        They returned him computer quickly, so fair enough - if he is a consultant that does not have backups and additional computers he could use at moments notice then he is not really a good consultant.

        I don't understand what's the point to picket police station anyway? If he has a problem with the police then there are proper channels to take it through.
        the reaction of the police is in fact illegal. if you think it is legal you listen to propoganda too much.

        agreed about backups - though I dont think the police should assume that.

        the idea of the demo is to let people know what happened - well done Ray for not just letting the country sleepwalk towards loss of freedom - at least he tried.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by threaded View Post
          Sorry to hear that BrilloPad, but the UK has never had democracy or freedom of speach, and TPTB have always used spurious excuses to intimidate people who point out their failings.

          IIRC it is a "parliamentary democracy", and the only place where free speach is allowed is "Speakers Corner".
          agreed - and thanks for the commnts.

          BTW Ray once trained to be a priest - you could not meet a kinder, gentler bloke. how he ever met a girl like his ex is beyond me - but then I often say that about me and my ex.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by BrilloPad View Post
            the reaction of the police is in fact illegal.
            Well, if it's illegal why won't he sue them? The courts in this country are pretty much independent, so if he is in the right he can find justice there.

            I actually think the police reaction might be inline with what fathers for justice did in the past - they are known to do shenanigans like scaling high security building.

            Perhaps searching his computer was too much - but his problem is that he was associated with a bunch of people who did go to commit crimes, I don't think this is a totally unreasonable move by the police, though maybe he should go to court to test that.

            Sorry Brillo, I think that this is certainly not a clear cut case of police harassment, the UK is not a fascist state - people who think it is have never lived in one. The guy should stop whining and take on a lawyer to defend his rights or study law himself.

            Comment


              #7
              Shush!....Be careful what you say. They're monitoring this site for anti-govt activities, and general sh!t stirring like not liking IR35, SS60, Employment Regs, HSMP, +++ .......

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Turion View Post
                They're monitoring this site
                I know. That's why I am supporting the cops...

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by AtW View Post
                  The courts in this country are pretty much independent.
                  Unfortunately they are not. The Attorney General is a member of the government but also oversees criminal cases.

                  The separation of powers is one thing that the Americans got right.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Did they take DNA?

                    Comment

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