The Real Reason Why Police Cage Peaceful Protestors

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Dan Hancox

The Real Reason Why Police Cage Peaceful Protestors
With Occupy Wall Street protesters kettled on the Brooklyn Bridge this weekend, we look at how kettling was used on protesters during the London riots earlier this year.

October 3, 2011 |


Editor's note: On Saturday, the Occupy Wall St. movement marched on the Brooklyn bridge in New York. Police officers cut the demonstrators off from the exits, entrapping them on the bridge, in the rain, before carting off as many as 700 to jail. In the story below, British journalist Dan Hancox writes about how corralling peaceful protestors, or "kettling," was used by Britain's conservative government to steamroll resistance to their drastic austerity agenda. As the Occupy Wall St. movement spreads to cities all over America, we may see much more of this type of policing of public space to quell protests.


Across the western world, the public is losing a battle for territory. In the UK, publically owned health care, housing, welfare and education are being cut, broken up and sold off for private profit by David Cameron's Conservative government with audacious speed. This has a very physical manifestation-- in the suffocating of peaceful protest through a technique that has become known as "kettling," in which protestors are contained for five, seven or 10 hours without food, water, toilets, or hope of release.

Kettling has become synonymous with the enforcement of the Conservative government's radical austerity and privatization program. In November and December 2010 a student uprising in Britain larger than that of May 1968 saw over 40,000 students take to the streets of London on four separate occasions to protest against the government. They occupied countless university buildings during this period, and linked up with the anti-cuts movement UK Uncut (which I've written about for AlterNet).

After those winter protests, the movement spread on March 26 to incorporate a 500,000 strong day of demonstration and action, and after a long summer beset by heavy policing and the set-backs of the August riots, the protest movement is gearing up once again. A public sector workers strike that could see as many as 4 million union members walking out has been called for November 30, and with the start of new university and school years, more large student protests have been planned for the autumn too. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/vision/152606/the_real_reason_why_police_cage_peaceful_protestors/

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[nashville_brook]

2. k and r

[nedbal]

3. In the UK, publically owned health care, housing, welfare and education are broken up and sold n/t

[Smilo]

4. What is n/t? .......

I have heard from relatives what the government is doing - most of the Brits have no idea what is happening to their beloved NHS. It is being so sneakily carried out.

As does everything, every country's governments seem to be doing currently.

[Dragonfli]

5. /nt is short for "no text in body of message" to let you know the entire msg. is the subject line

[Smilo]

6. Got it - thank you so much - n/t :)

[Dragonfli]

7. A word of advice, enable and say a bit about yourself in your "profile" it will

then appear to the right of your screen name along with the icon to "send a private message".

There is a pattern here that has been noticed, when a disruptor gains acces to the site, they oftimes leave blank their profile and because of this trend it is easier for some posters to trust you if it is not blank (I don't care much myself about that but others do)

It need not be too personal and certainly not something that gives up your address or private information, it is just well received by those that consider it a friendly way to allow them to know you a bit.

Welcome to DU by the way :toast:

[Kurovski]

8. K&R. (nt)

[Bloke 32]

9. Seconded.