MET cavalry charge of schoolchildren

[Lozzer]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgxwTF-q ... r_embedded[/youtube]

Words simply leave me This supposedly occurred three times, this one being the least aggressive. It's fucking disgusting.

[PsychoSerenity]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/nov/2 ... ses-charge

Video footage has emerged showing mounted police charging a crowd of protesters during this week's tuition fees demonstrations, the day after the Metropolitan police said tactics "did not involve charging the crowd".

Tens of thousands of school and college pupils and university students demonstrated in largely peaceful protests across the country against government plans to increase tuition fees and scrap the education maintenance allowance, but there were violent scenes at the central London protests. Hundreds of protesters were corralled or "kettled" by police, and later advanced upon by mounted officers.

Many who were in the crowd complained of being charged by police on horseback.

Police have denied that mounted officers charged at protesters; however, a five-minute video posted on YouTube last night shows a number of officers on horseback advancing at speed through a crowd of people.

Jenny Love, 22, who graduated from Bath University in July, said mounted officers "charged without warning".

"When the horses charged I was fairly near the front of the demo, where we were very tightly packed in, and found myself very quickly on the floor where I assumed the foetal position and covered my head while people simply ran over me," she said.

I don't understand how they think they can get away with something like this. I know for the most part they're just doing their jobs, but at some point someone must have given an order for this to happen. It's just disgraceful.

[Feck]

The MET love It , Rent a thug ! on their days off they are football Casuals . I've met them before (I've also seen them lose ) add that to the fact that there will have been undercover police Trying to make it all kick off and that photographing policemen is an arrestable 'terrorist' offence .
We live in a police state

[Rum]

The MET love It , Rent a thug ! on their days off they are football Casuals . I've met them before (I've also seen them lose ) add that to the fact that there will have been undercover police Trying to make it all kick off and that photographing policemen is an arrestable 'terrorist' offence .
We live in a police state

East Germany was a police state. The UK is a democracy under economic pressure and as the pressure builds so will unrest and so will the police tactics. Some of them are and will be nasty no doubt.

[Eriku]

Nah nah nah, that's legitimising it too much Rum... I mean, the way the police have done things, what with the biased and crooked autopsy after that man died passing by the G10 demonstration (I forget the number, G20? whatever) and the litany of other dodgy dealings... Trying to make things kick off through undercover cops so that they have an excuse to exert force just doesn't add up to legitimate, IMVHO.

Chuffed to see that people aren't just taking it.

[Feck]

The MET love It , Rent a thug ! on their days off they are football Casuals . I've met them before (I've also seen them lose ) add that to the fact that there will have been undercover police Trying to make it all kick off and that photographing policemen is an arrestable 'terrorist' offence .
We live in a police state

East Germany was a police state. The UK is a democracy under economic pressure and as the pressure builds so will unrest and so will the police tactics. Some of them are and will be nasty no doubt.

I remember when the wall fell ,I remember the outrage that East Germany authorities recorded all phone conversations what a terrible terrible terrible place that was . :sighsm:

[Pensioner]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgxwTF-q ... r_embedded[/youtube]

Words simply leave me This supposedly occurred three times, this one being the least aggressive. It's fucking disgusting.

Fucking disgraceful actions by the police the bastards. Next demo I hope the unions and the students join together and defend themselves against the bully's.

[Pappa]

I was almost killed by a charging Mounted Policeman in London on June 18th 1999. I was 500 meters away from any disturbance, and this lone copper just started charging towards me. I was looking in the other direction, and I'm partially deaf, so I didn't hear the clippety-clop until he was 2-3 meters behind me. I turned, saw him and dived sideways. If I hadn't, I would likely have been trampled. Weirdly, between him and the rioting that had started 500 metres away, there were several hundred people having a sit-down, peaceful protest in the road. So I'm not sure what he expected to do when he reached them.

[charlou]

Fucking appalling.

Nah nah nah, that's legitimising it too much Rum... I mean, the way the police have done things, what with the biased and crooked autopsy after that man died passing by the G10 demonstration (I forget the number, G20? whatever) and the litany of other dodgy dealings... Trying to make things kick off through undercover cops so that they have an excuse to exert force just doesn't add up to legitimate, IMVHO.

Chuffed to see that people aren't just taking it.

This.

[JimC]

I experienced mounted charges by police at anti-apartheid demos in Melboune (when the Spingboks rugby team came over...)

Not nice...

However, perhaps some balance is needed. There are times when the police in various western countries behave violently and inappropriately, and a free press should expose this, and consequences apply to police and their leaders. The OP of this thread seems to fall into this category; one hopes that heads will roll.

However, there have also been times of decidedly non-peaceful protest, where groups of rather thuggish anarchist hoons have gone on rampages of mindless destruction in city centres. Not a good look when shown clearly by the world's media, not a good way to persuade a populace that your protest is just...

[Trolldor]

And, not to mention, people like to lump "police" under one category and wail on them without ever thinking about it.

[Feck]

And, not to mention, people like to lump "police" under one category and wail on them without ever thinking about it.

not always, at the Edinburgh G8 the local police were actually doing their job and policing the demonstrations in proper uniforms talking to people being helpful that is when they were allowed , I took a picture of one and commented that he was smiling and happy to the photographed and HIS comment was 'That's because I'm not rent a thug !'

[Trolldor]

It happens all too frequently, particularly from students.

[JimC]

It happens all too frequently, particularly from students.

Actually, TMH, I think you will find that:

a) A lot of students (here and in the UK) are politically inactive in any case, and

b) for those that are active, the majority are into peaceful protest, civil disobedience at the most.

The majority of the violent crazies at demos are not current students.

However, violent police baton charges or mounted charges against peaceful protestors (perhaps they are illegally blocking traffic at the worst) do happen from time to time, and are counter-productive for the police, and the authorities for several reasons:

1. It gives ammunition to the anarchist steet fighters: "we were only responding to violence from the pigs"
2. It will stimulate media interest, which for (cynical) reasons they do not want
3. It has the strong potential to radicalise the non-violent protestors, increasing the future pool of those likely to smash windows, trash cars and send flaming missiles hurtling at police lines...