The Sea Cat
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CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Jan 31, 2011, 09:22
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/30/police-cs-spray-tax-protesters
..........
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drewbhoy
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Edited Jan 31, 2011, 11:51
Re: CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Jan 31, 2011, 11:51
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Further evidence, if any was needed, that the police are acting above the law marching towards a police state. Good on the staff at the Boots shop tho!
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Kid Calamity
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Re: CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Jan 31, 2011, 15:17
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Disgusting
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Merrick
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Re: CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Jan 31, 2011, 20:09
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I don't think it's an advance towards a police state, it's nothing new at all. The police have always used violence against those who disobey them, or those who attend demonstrations deemed politically unacceptable (irrespective of the disruption or threat posed). What has changed in the last couple of years is the prevalence of pocket devices with video capacity.
This is not in any way to diminish the rightful anger and disgust we feel at this, it's just to point out that we should be feeling it a lot more often.
The Guardian have footage of one of the protesters being sprayed. Police guidelines are clear that the spray should not be used from less than a metre "unless the nature of the risk to the officer is such that this cannot be avoided". The cop in the video sprays someone standing still and speaking.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/31/video-police-cs-spray-protesters
At least there was a little redress as a cop managed to spray themselves too
http://www.demotix.com/photo/574629/peaceful-ukuncut-protest-london-marred-police-using-pepper-spray
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Myers
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Re: CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Jan 31, 2011, 20:28
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It is disgusting. And from the point of view of a "peace keeper", of sorts, I am appalled at these wankers behaviour.
Ok, ex peace keeper of sorts!
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drewbhoy
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Re: CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Jan 31, 2011, 22:15
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Merrick wrote:
This is not in any way to diminish the rightful anger and disgust we feel at this, it's just to point out that we should be feeling it a lot more often.
Every time something like this happens we should feel revulsion at these cowardly tactics not just more often. The policeman in the video seems to just walk away from his victim without a care.......pathetic.
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grufty jim
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Re: CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Jan 31, 2011, 23:59
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I remember getting a mouthful of pepper spray at a Reclaim The Streets thing in Leeds back in the 90s. So this is certainly not a new thing. Admittedly I can see how the police officer in question might have considered me a serious threat... I was helping set up a bouncy-castle after all.
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Merrick
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Re: CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Feb 01, 2011, 00:35
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drewbhoy wrote: The policeman in the video seems to just walk away from his victim without a care.
As with any such video, it's instructive no look at the colleagues of the one attacking a protester. Note how none of them reprimand him or even look twice, when their sworn duty should be to stop him and dob him in. That's how casual and normalised the attitude and behaviour is.
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drewbhoy
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Re: CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Feb 01, 2011, 02:08
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Merrick wrote: drewbhoy wrote: The policeman in the video seems to just walk away from his victim without a care.
As with any such video, it's instructive no look at the colleagues of the one attacking a protester. Note how none of them reprimand him or even look twice, when their sworn duty should be to stop him and dob him in. That's how casual and normalised the attitude and behaviour is.
As before, I think it is wrong, in fact pathetic is far to decent a word. Keep highlighting it please, but don't forget us up here we have problems as well. Moray and Aberdeenshire's infrustructure is being dismantled and because we are far away we don't get noticed as we dared to vote a different and better way.
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geoffrey_prime
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Re: CS Gas at Peaceful Protest
Feb 01, 2011, 02:20
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I am all for people's right to protest, peacefully and would defend their right to speak freely, but..
"Other demonstrators tried to stop the arrest and at least one police officer used CS spray, which hospitalised three people."
If folks are trying to resist/stop arrests..then they are asking for trouble.
I for one, want to see the Police maintaining order, within the law. As a taxpayer, I don't want to be paying the bills for the damage / havoc some protesting marches will create, if the Police are not able to maintain a basic level of control.
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