[h="2"]Twelve people have been arrested after a large group of protesters clashed with police outside the Houses of Parliament over plans to criminalise squatting.[/h] Around 150 people gathered in Parliament Square in Westminster shortly after midnight in the pre-planned demonstration agains the legislation changes.
Violence flared as officers using batons and loud hailers attempted to disperse the crowd. The majority of protesters moved away from the scene peacefully, but around 50 people refused to leave claiming they were holding a Halloween picnic.
They were held within a police cordon and a number were arrested before the area was cleared by around 3am, eyewitnesses said.
“We tried to leave, we were kettled,” protestor Ellwynnnnn wrote on Twitter. “Now we're being beaten up, pressure points are being used. I'm terrified.”
Piombo, also writing on the social networking site, added: “At least 24 vans of cops meet at Parliament Square.”
Amazing how someone can tweet whilst being beaten. Yes the police sometimes get too rough with people. However to try to compare it with what goes on in the countries we condemn is laughable.
It doesn't happen often in 'ordinary' situations like routine arrests or at police stations, but there have been regular reports of it during demonstrations, particularly ones the authorities don't have much toleration for. There was a lot of police violence against students for example when there were mass protests in London against tuition fees. The use of 'kettling' tactics (bunching together demonstrators behind tight cordons so that they can't march and keeping them caged in for long periods) has often been coupled with brutality by the police in London, for example attacks on female demonstrators by male officers.
Amazing how someone can tweet whilst being beaten. Yes the police sometimes get too rough with people. However to try to compare it with what goes on in the countries we condemn is laughable.
So, for example, did you think it was just being 'too rough' when Ian Tomlinson was struck to death without provocation by the usual suspects from the TSG? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Ian_Tomlinson
So, for example, did you think it was just being 'too rough' when Ian Tomlinson was struck to death without provocation by the usual suspects from the TSG? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Ian_Tomlinson
Your going to compare this to what goes in China where they use plain clothes thugs to attack people? Christ the fact you even hear about these events puts us on a higher playing field than most of the world. Our policing has issues, obviously, and instances like the above need to be condemned and their root case dealt with. But I'd take British policing over that which is found in most of the world any day of the week.
Police restrained. Protestors claimed they were beaten.
You tend to find protest groups pushing and agenda tend to use emotive terminology to get support.
If protestors were beaten we'd see many in hospital with injuries consistent with a beating such as blunt trauma injuries.
Agree agree agree agree x9999
The most witty reply by far.
Protestors often try to potray themselves as victims. Not just in uk but also at other parts of the world even though the police have allowed them to occupy public places and obstruct traffic for nearly a month now.