Jack Boot City - Demo report, Weds 27th September & Important Action Alert

As we become ever more savvy to the extreme behaviour of the police in their attempts to break the animal rights movement we were once again treated to a show of bullying more akin to gang culture than policing a legal protest. Forty supporters of the SPEAK campaign gathered in central London to once again legally protest against those who fund external research grants at Oxford University.

It was clear from the start of the day that policing would be different: the usual police officers who normally watch over the peaceful demonstrations had been replaced by what looked like extras from a futuristic film, none wearing any shoulder numbers that could identify who they were. As soon as we arrived at our first port of call, ‘Vodafone’, it was clear that the testosterone fuelled 'action men' of the Met police were determined to cause trouble - protestors were told they were blocking the highway even though they were lined up opposite the Vodafone shop giving members of the public unobstructed passage.

The police then began to push protesters, threatening to arrest anyone who did not comply with their orders to move. The protestors had only wanted to demonstrate as is their legal right. However, now they were forced to move, whilst on either side of them police officers pushed and cajoled them into a forced march. It was at this point that the senior police officer then decided to impose a section 12 because he now deemed the demonstration had become a march. However, it was the police that had forced the protestors to march in the first place.

This whole situation was obviously concocted by the police in order to allow them to issue a section 12, which meant they could impose strict conditions on the demonstrators, which entailed surrounding them and forcing them to march wherever they deemed suitable.

Campaigners quickly turned the tables on the police and put their placards and banners away and then turned back to walk to the next demo. Demonstrators arrived at the Esmee Fairbairn charitable trust and again lined up along the railings opposite this Oxford Funders office, as had been done on numerous occasions before with no problems from the police. This time it was obvious that the police were acting on different orders from usual as they stormed the 40 strong crowd, which was made up of various age groups from the very young to those in their 70’s. Irrespective of age or gender the police waded into the peaceful crowd, who had only wanted to legally demonstrate against something they objected to – namely animal abuse.

Before the protestors even had a chance to get their placards out the police were trying to forcefully move people away, threatening to arrest anyone who didn't move immediately. One young woman was hurled to the ground and as she lay on the ground a police officer kicked her. Other protesters were punched and roughly handled, including pensioners who were part of the protest. Eventually, the protestors were forced away from Esmee Fairbairns' office