Despite a deeply mixed public reaction to the idea of the Metropolitan Police introducing intrusive surveillance technology city-wide Labour, the Tories and media darling Rory Stewart have all jumped on the chance to look tough on crime at the expense of civil freedoms. In an interview today Stewart joined Sadiq Khan and Tory barely-known Shaun
Tag: policing
The eviction of New Hope anti-fracking camp shows the blurry line between policing and private security
In case you missed it: early this morning, a mob of dog-wielding bailiffs stormed the Camp of New Hope at Preston New Road, evicting frontline anti-fracking activists from what, for some, had been their home for 3 years. The eviction was planned and executed with the supervision of Lancashire police, and, as Freedom reported earlier
How Johnson’s stop and search expansion will hurt BME communities
Earlier this month, Boris Johnson revealed the next string to his crime-fighting bow; a country-wide extension to Stop-and-Search procedures. Stop-and-Search – which refers to Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act – is a practice which gives certain police officers the power to stop a person whom they believe to be a
Green and Black Cross: Extinction Rebellion’s legal support is inadequate
In a statement released today the longstanding activist court support group is expressing serious concerns about how senior organisers with Extinction Rebellion (XR) are approaching legal observation and policing — and explains why GBC is withdrawing backing for the group. Green and Black Cross (GBC) is an organisation which provides legal support and solidarity to those
Activist legal update: Notorious ‘Common Assault’ penalty doubled
From November 19th 2018 an new offence of “Assaulting an Emergency Worker” has been created, which doubles the maximum penalty for Common Assault (Section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988). The top sentence rises from six months imprisonment to a year if someone is “acting in the exercise of functions as an emergency worker”
Police Surveillance – a Note for Extinction Rebellion Campaigners
Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) co-ordinator Kevin Blowe breaks down likely tactics police will be using to disrupt the activities of climate action group Extinction Rebellion and why extreme caution should be used when dealing with the force. Netpol is a coalition of organisations, researchers and lawyers challenging violent or excessive policing in the UK, and
Judge extends swingeing injunction barring fracking protests against Ineos
Environmental activists were heavily restricted at or banned from seven sites belonging to frack firm Ineos today, along with the surrounding roads. The wide-ranging Chancery Division ruling by judge Morgan represents a major extension of legal cover for the firm and has sparked fears that other fracking companies could piggyback their own injunctions against activists.
Rent Strike: The new wave of student radicalism in London
Student rent strikes have become something of a phenomenon in London. Starting with University College London and now encompassing three other universities, including Goldsmiths and the Courtauld Institute, around 1500 are withholding at least £1.2 million from university administrators in protest of rising accommodation costs and shoddy maintenance of student halls.The rent strike is the