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| 16th
February 1995
| Issue 10 SchNEWSResults from the CJA
Arrestometer SECURITY MUTINY AT M77Hundreds of police and security moved in this week to Pollok Park, Glasgow in order for trees to be felled along the path of the proposed M77. As SchNEWS went to press 100 police and security were evicting squatters from Pollok Castle and cutting down trees. However, on one day 24 security guards chucked down their uniforms saying they couldn't do the job - some of them returning as protestors! Security have also been warned by lads from the estate not to ruff up any demonstrators. Last week Scottish Office Minister Alan Stewart resigned after threatening protestors with a pickaxe. Perhaps he could get a job as a security guard? Local schools let out two classrooms of 8 - 12 year olds to go and demonstrate - many of them picking up handy road sabotage hints from Grange Hill. They invaded one work site, clambering over equipment and bringing work to a halt. Five protest camps have been set up with tree-houses (one with windows),benders, tee-pees. There's carved totem poles and regular workshops /skill-sharing particularly for the local kids. It's the largest urban green space in Europe - over one thousand acres of woodland, fields and riverside habitats. An essential "green lung" to some of the most deprived areas in Glasgow it was given to the people of the city in 1939 by John Stirling Maxwell, founder of the Forestry Commission and Scottish National Trust. In his will he wanted it left free from development unless it was "in the public interest" to do otherwise. Is cutting a £79 million motorway through it in the public interest? So far most people have been arrested for malicious mischief or breach of the peace. Two protestors spent six days in prison after initially refusing bail conditions which stated they were "not to approach obstruct or interfere with any Wimpey Construction Site". Their crime? Taking out fence poles and damaging cement. One of them commented: "Conditions were ridiculously vague, I could be arrested for walking out of my tree-house in the direction of the site." He's now been bailed to a tree. Faced with increasing determination of protesters, stricter bail conditions are being used to stop people fighting back. Section 27 and 28 of the new CJA allows the police to refuse bail to anyone they think will commit a further offence. It also means they can detain people until their trial if they refuse bail conditions, even if the offence they have committed is not an arrestable one. At Twyford 76 protesters had injunctions on them risking 6 months in prison if they went on any work sites. Travellers up on charges for the Castlemorton Free Festival in 1992 were sent up papers telling them to keep away from the Malverns and Glastonbury. All those nicked at Shoreham have been told not to go anywhere near the demonstrations and one man from Eastbourne can't go anywhere near parts of Brighton or Hove either. The kamikaze car convoy "To Pollok With Love" wormed its way up from Brighton, Oxford, Birmingham (to join a 3,000 strong demo against the CJA), Preston and finally Pollok where one of the cars was locked onto the steps of the offices of Strathclyde Regional Council. Annoyed Tory Scottish MPs have complained about 'imported English agitators'! One SchNEWS reporter speaking live and direct from a tree-house could only mutter "its beautiful here". SO PUT ON YOUR WOOLLIES AND HEAD FOR GLASGOW. 041 636 1924/ 041 810 1600. SchNEWS LIVE!
We Say.The 1986 PUBLIC ORDER ACT banned amongst other things assemblies of more than 20 people without police permission, set up a 4 mile exclusion zone round Stonehenge and made it unlawful for more than 12 travellers vehicles on undesignated sites. Travellers have born the brunt of this legislation but nobody really spoke out for them. Where the Criminal Justice Act has failed is that it is an attack on everyone, which combined with a welcome outbreak of direct action has meant the police using laws such as the Public Order Act far more vigorously. If we sit back and take it there will be worse to come! THE MESSAGE MUST BE CARRY ON DEFYING. BAIL CONDITIONS: THE INSIDE STORYPutting people on bail conditions is a common tactic used by the courts to stop a protest once it gets into its stride. Suddenly you find all types of silly arrests going on. Then you find that the police will keep everyone in overnight and a very compliant court will agree to bail conditions banning protesting the next day. Right to protest?? If you break these bail conditions then you could face remand. At Twyford, the courts started putting bail conditions on protesters in March 1993. At that time if you refused to leave the Down when a copper asked you to then you were arrested and we are now suing the police for false arrest etc. Some people from Reclaim the Streets Action Network in London decided to break their bail conditions and they were put virtually under house arrest having to sign on at a police station twice a day. This was appealed at the High Court and the bail conditions were removed. The ball conditions were really taking people out of action and so a number of us decided to do something about it. One Saturday morning, when asked to leave the site, we refused and were arrested. We were refused bail and held for 49 hours for no reason other than the police wanted us in court on Monday morning and bail conditions slapped on us. We made their lives hell over the whole weekend - demanding every "right", going on hunger strike and making representations at every bail review. On Monday we went to the court and told them that we would accept no bail conditions. If they put us on bail not to protest we would break them again and again until they had to imprison us. The magistrates granted unconditional bail and after that no-one else was given bail conditions. At the No M11 Link Road Campaign the magistrates were putting everyone on appalling bail conditions right from the start of the campaign. This was after being arrested for such things as "criminal damage to a piece of string"! Again this was taking a lot of people out of action so the Campaigns solicitor took about 20 cases to the High Court. The Judge, and even the Prosecution to some extent, agreed that it was an infringement on the right to protest and the conditions of banning us from protesting were lifted. It can be dangerous however, as it could go horribly wrong if the judgement goes against you. love Rebecca RoadAlert SAINTS ON NUKE SHIP...On Wednesday a group of protesters climbed onto the ship the Pacific Sandpiper to protest about the international transport of nuclear waste. They were on board an hour and a half and climbed up masts and flagpoles, unfurling banners that said "Keep the sea Nuclear Free:" The ship was waiting for a refit before going to pick up waste from Cap La Hague, to be transported to Japan. According to SAINTS, the organisation behind the demo, the safety provisions for transporting waste are not adequate, and they are backed by several leading scientists. SAINTS spokesperson Lucy Macleod said, "Each shipment of this waste contains 10 times the radioactivity released by the Chernobyl explosion in 1986.... Safety has been compromised to cut costs and such transport is a recipe for disaster." THE BATTLE FOR HYDE PARKRuffians, radicals and ravers 1855 - 1994. Accounts of the recent anti CJA demo in the Park as well as other confrontations in the past 140 years, showing that the CJA is not the first attempt to stop people coming together to enjoy themselves or protest. Free/Donation 121 Railton Road, London SE24. There are plans for more Practical History publications, including one on the history of dancing and its enemies. Drop them a line. Please send late Valentines
cards to: Diary DatesFRI 17/18/19 DIY CONFERENCE in Rugby. Bring banners, paint, music, energy, ideas, vision, computer kit, information and yourself! Remember - it's DIY 071 738 6721 FRI 17 Mother Earth Walk For A Nuclear Free World 071 738 6721 SAT 18th ISLE OF WIGHT ANTI CJA DEMO 01983 565 280 SUN 19th MASS TRESPASS WINDSOR CASTLE Meet Windsor BR 12 noon (coaches from Brighton St. Peters Church 9.30 am. Tickets available from Peace Centre) WED 22nd Demo for Pancho N 'Debele, President of Brighton SU who was forcibly repatriated to Zimbabwe three weeks ago because he did not have a work permit for his elected post! Karim or Kirstie 0273 678152 FRI 24 Hunt Ball Demo. (0273) 564746. SAT 25 GLASGOW DEFY THE CJA DEMO 12pm George Sq. Glasgow 041 946 2700 SAT 25 SHOREHAM DEFENCE CAMPAIGN Benefit gig, Southwick Barn Theatre - featuring Jo Brand, Attilla the Stockbroker and many more. Crap Arrest of the WeekA woman, previously arrested at Shoreham, was arrested again on Friday. Protesters told the police she was dying of cancer, but they were assured that she would be released at the station. She was -16 and a half hours later!!! She had no medication, but the police surgeon declared her fit for detention and gave her two paracetamol!!! Crap Threat of the WeekSomeone at Shoreham was told that he could get his daughter put on an "at risk" register (or something similar) and be classed as an unfit father for taking her to the Shoreham protest. Land rights - Watch this Space!
For further copies of
the SchNEWS send stamps/donations to SchNEWS c/o on-the-fiddle PD
Box 2 600 Brighton East Sussex Tel: (01273) 685913. Knock knock - who's there? - Michael Howard - Fuck Off!
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