Climate Camp to London cops: We won't tell you where the next camp is because you keep beating the crap out of us
GyroMagician sez, "After Kingsnorth and the G20 climate change protests in the UK (and subsequent police violence), the police are trying to present a new, kinder, fluffier image. A protest is due in London this week, and the police would like to know where it will be. Climate Camp reply, and I don't think they're buying it. Result is hilarious. Linking to Guardian because they have been big supporter of activists, publicising police abuse."
Context: Climate Camp is a lawful, peaceful gathering of people (old, young, men and women) to talk about alternatives to environmentally devastating ways of producing and consuming. Earlier Climate Camps have been met by unprovoked and savage police assaults and harassment.
Climate Camp's YouTube letter shows the police's charm offensive has failed (Thanks, GyroMagician!)
the latest
latest episodes
Cute. ^_^
Vry msng.
ctlly, ths s xctly why thr r gn rghts n th S: N, nt t gn dwn sm pr hmlss dd tht trd crss yr frnt lwn, bt t mk sr tht th pwrs-tht-b (cm t thnk f t, Brtsh pwrs-tht-b) ndrstnd tht nrml ctzns my jst strt frng bck f thr rghts r bng sgnfcntly mpngd.
That was genius, the tone of the whole video was absolutely perfect - not confrontational, just cheerful and mater-of-fact. I just hope this action doesn't make our normally brutal police force even more violent...
And please try to keep your gun control arguments out of this. W'r xcptnlly hppy wth th mch lwr hmcd nd gn dth rts w hv vr hr, thnk w'll rmn snsbl nd kp gns wy frm ppl.
Lovely :o)
The best way to deal with the kind of unreasonable violence they were subjected to is to be totally reasonable and peaceful, to through it into stark relief.
I especially love how the voice over is done by someone with the worlds most middle-class and reasonable sounding voice. You couldn't have got a voice that sounded less like the stereotypical eco-hippie/angry-class-warrior of the past (and of biased media portrayals).
I agree that #2's comments about Gun Control are stupid. Shows considerable ignorance about police and protestor interaction in the U.S.
I think there is a very telling theme in all these stories concerning the 'us and them' culture of police vs protestors. And in fact police versus non-police as quite often members of the public get caught up in quite unreasonable police behaviour.
Comments on the guardian site talked about the isolation of police from the community they actually do support and protect. I think this is one of the bigger problems facing communities today and no one knows what to do about it.
As someone who's always had a low opinion of eco-warriors, tree huggers, vegetarians and middle class people wearing birkenstocks, I feel oddly swayed by the video.
It's presented beautifully. The images, the music and the voice over who sounds very reasonable and just. A stark contrast to the grim faced images of policemen waving battons.
Perhaps G20 was a poor reference as the Ian Tomlinson fiasco was heavily edited by the media and he had been reported to have purposely antagonised police early. But that's by the by.
I'd be quite tempted to arrive at this camp for a friendly protest...were it not for fear of having my skull split open by the police.
But on the bright side, the British police aren't the French police. Otherwise all the hippies would be indiscriminately shot.
- Adam
As a lawyer, I occasionally handle clients' money as part of a transaction. The way I deal with that money is very tightly controlled, and if I misuse it or steal it, the sanctions I suffer are likely to be significantly greater than those of anyone not in a position of trust. That is right and proper. If I misuse my position of trust, I am likely to get a sentence which is at the draconian end of the scale, and I will lose my licence to practise law.
So surely, if the police, whose job is primarily to keep the peace - in other words, to protect us from violence - themselves start misusing violence, shouldn't they find themselves held to the highest standards possible? To find themselves punished all the more severely? If you believe, philosophically, that the state should have a monopoly on violence, then in a sense, the police (along with the armed forces) are the trustees to that violence, for the benefit of the people. If they misuse that violence against the people, they are in profound breach of trust, and should suffer the full consequences of that breach.
Police training should require the police to be aware of this trust relationship, and to permit the use of force, and violence, only when absolutely necessary. That there is a culture within the police that is entirely contrary to this, I find deeply troubling.
"As someone who's always had a low opinion of eco-warriors, tree huggers, vegetarians and middle class people wearing birkenstocks, I feel oddly swayed by the video."
It's ok Adam, us "eco-warriors, tree huggers, vegetarians and middle class people wearing birkenstocks" have a fairly low opinion of you, so need to get all touchy-feely.
Massive lolz - ACAB.
Hi Larkin,
as a low born it comes naturally for me to envy those who spend their time protesting about political issues while the rest of us are busy working for a living.
But I feel that this is a class issue reserved for another time.
- Adam
Seeing the comments here about "eco-warriors, tree huggers, vegetarians and middle class people wearing birkenstocks" or, to put it in another and more accurate way, the media's stereotypical portrayal of protesters, reminded me of an article I read in a UK broadsheet a couple of years ago, during the protests at Heathrow, about tabloid journalists who'd been sent down to the camp to try and find these people to suitably illustrate the covers of their biased rags. Unfortunately they couldn't find any. It is just that ridiculous. When they turned up and discovered concerned respectable citizens of all ages and class (including many scientists in related fields) who'd specially taken time off work to protest they had little to write about. Unfortunately, I doubt they reported that. People just can't seem to get into their heads that protesters aren't all dirty unemployed hippies with too much time on their hands. Too many people just can't understand the concept of decent people being so concerned about something that they go out of their way to show this. (Probably should note that I don't know anything about the particular protests being discussed in the main article and I'm just commenting on general media attitudes. It's something that has irritated me for years. I remember being at a particularly large anti-war demonstration once and seeing media reports afterwards highlighting long-haired students and the few people who cause a scuffle. I found that remarkable considering the fact that I hadn't met anybody that day who was anything like that, mostly meeting ordinary people with genuine concern about the world, and the only trouble I saw was from the weekly and completely unreported fights caused by drunken football supporters. Funnily enough, as a football fan myself, this is anther unfortunate stereotype the media is keen on but I'm well aware is limited to a few bad eggs. Why am I still typing? Sorry got carried away. OT or what?)
One of my sons and his girlfriend are attending, all they know so far is a railway station that they'll be gathering at.
The UK police have done a great job of educating an entire generation!
"Perhaps G20 was a poor reference as the Ian Tomlinson fiasco was heavily edited by the media and he had been reported to have purposely antagonised police early. But that's by the by."
What? The Tomlinson affair was characterised by repeated lies by the police, with their story changing every time new witness, video and photo evidence was produced.
Heavily Edited by the media? Give us some evidence please. A guy who wasn't even involved in the protests was beaten to death by police, and you want us to believe that it was all a media conspiracy to confuse us. I call bullshit.
At which point I see that #9 proved my point.
"it comes naturally for me to envy those who spend their time protesting about political issues while the rest of us are busy working for a living."
It might shock you but there are people from all backgrounds who are so concerned that they sacrifice holidays and other free time for their causes. Class doesn't even come into it. There might not be many people doing it but they do exist.
Awesome. As one of the people who got smacked around that the G20 protest - i fully support this reply. I know there is a majority of very decent police in the met - but as long as the violent and vindictive individuals remain (still no one has been held to account and put on trial for the death of Ian Tomlinson), i say 'Thanks but no thanks rozzers'.
Kltrsr:
Wll, whl gr wth yr sntmnt bt kpng gns t f th K, y'r t f ln whn syng "kp yr gn cntrl rgmnts t f ths".
lv n th K, nd njy th (fr) lwr crm rt thn xprncd grwng n NYC.*
n th thr hnd, t's nt n rrlvnt qstn by ny mns: Hw d w kp gvrnmnts nd plc frm thnkng thy cn d whtvr thy wnt jst bcs thy cntrl mst f th gns? 'm nt cnvncd lgsltn s sffcnt bt thr r, f crs, thr wys t fght bck.
*: t shld b pntd t tht thr r plnty f scts, ncldng Cnd, whr gns r frly rdly vlbl nd yt hv fr lwr gn-rltd dth rts. S th prblm my nt b gns pr s.
"and he had been reported to have purposely antagonised police early. But that's by the by."
Just also thought I'd mention that it was reported he died of a heart-attack, despite the fact that he died from a bludgeoning. The police made up lies, the press repeated it until it was proved blatantly false.
Hunter1, I'm sure Ian Tomlinson was no angel, but one of the really worrying aspects was the police 'management' of information given to the media. The initial story was that police 'assisted a member of the public while being bombarded by bottles from protesters' (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/02/g20-protests-man-dies-london). As I hope everyone now knows, the story was pure fabrication, the post-mortem was a cover up (ignoring internal bleeding and a dog bite), the family were prevented from seeing Mr Tomlinsons's body, all while maintaining that the police had no previous contact with the man. Did he antagonize the police, or was that also part of the press release from the Met? (I don't know)
Whatever you may feel about G20 and/or climate change protest, the right to free protest is important. Your (reasonable) fear of having your skull split is exactly the problem. Moderate protesters stop showing up, leaving the extremists who obviously (in the eyes of the mainstream press, at least) incite violence and deserve what they get. It's all very wrong.
@17 wtf? The character of Ian Tomlinson is completely irrelevant to the fact that he died after a beating by the police.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Tomlinson
Lntrn kpr: n Cnd, ll rvlvrs nd pstls nd t nd sm-t wpns r llgl tpssss, nvr mnd s, nlss y frst tk xtnsv (plc-prvdd) crss, nd rgstr yrslf nd yr wpns wth th plc.
Wht wpns r sd n crms r smggld n frm th S.
Whr n hs th rght t br rms....bt zr, bt zr, nn, nd, rght t S thm, nlss n cmplnc wth th dly-pssd lws: whch r lft t b ...nfrcd by th Plc.
Why nt jst mnd yr Cnstttn, nd jn th mdrn wrld? r wll y'll b "brng' b-rms sn? r nn-rms? Y knw, rmv tht rght t br rms, nstd f nggng n n rms rc wth yr wn lw nfrcmnt gncs?
h gt t, y cnnt trst yr fllw ctzns. Nc rrngmnt...fr vlblty f gns mks y trst ch thr mr, h? Knd f M..D., f y sk m.
@18 - yes, I agree. I think you've missed my point - nobody should be beaten to death by the police. All sorts of claims have been made about Ian Tomlinson's character (good and bad), all of which are irrelevant.
That was a great video: the cheeriest "fuck you" I've ever seen! Laurels to my transatlantic brothers and sisters.
Link to the text of the open letter, on the Climate Camp website:
http://climatecamp.org.uk/blog/2009/08/20/open-letter-to-the-met
I saw it yesterday, and yep, I lol'd. Have to agree with TDAWWG at #21.
"Lntrn kpr: n Cnd, ll rvlvrs nd pstls nd t nd sm-t wpns r llgl tpssss, nvr mnd s, nlss y frst tk xtnsv (plc-prvdd) crss, nd rgstr yrslf nd yr wpns wth th plc."
T #19: Jst sm mnr nts t pck. CRFSCs (Cndn Rstrctd Frrms Sfty Crss) r nt prvdd by th plc bt by Prvncl Chf Frrms ffcr crtfd nstrctrs slly ttchd t shtng clb bt smtms ndpndnt. Frrms, nt wpns, r nt rgstrd wth th plc bt r rgstrd wth th CFC (Cndn Frrms Cntr), n ffc f th RCMP.
And RCMP stands for...
I have no sympathy whatever with the UK filth, and I thoroughly enjoyed this slickly-made video. However, think about the effect this will have on all the cops who will doubtless watch it. They'll be treated to two-and-three-quarter minutes of a smug, middle class narrator telling them to piss off.
It may be good propaganda for the converted, but it's hard not to see this as a blatant -- and intentional -- act of provocation. Come on, rozzers, we dare you.
nd n Cnd, crssbw s ls rstrctd wpn, s r mny knvs, nmchks, thrwng strs,tc tc...sm f s trly nd w r lng gns: bt shsh! f y'r hv n nstrmnt f ddly frc n yr hnds, nlss y'v gt lcns r prmt, r ft thr lgl "lphl", ts llgl.
Thr s n rght t br rms, f ny typ, ndr Cndn Lw. t's cntrry t r dls f pc, rdr, nd gd gvrnmnt.
ngh: ths mrcn "gn-nts(tstcls?)" hjck vry thrd bt prtst hrbts, t sms: nly vlnc, r th thrt thrf, s thght f s "wrkng", fr ths fntcs.
plgz t ll fr fdng th trll....
Fr ngh, y gt m thr, *grn* rlzd shld hv pt "pr s" ftr "rgstrd wth th plc" ftr ht th sbmt bttn. thr wy, t's nt lk hv t g t my lcl cp shp t rgstr my frrms wth ffcr Bb.
T #2's cmcl frdm fghtng fntsy:
gt nws fr y, th gvrnmnt hs y bt whn t cms t gns. f rglr ctzns vr tk p rms, th gvrnmnt wll swftly rdct thm lk thy dd vry sngl tm ths hppnd bcs thy hv mny ppl wh r wll trnd nd wll rmd nd thy gt bggr nd bddr gns thn y wll vr s, nd thy gt tnks nd thy'v gt jts nd thy cn fry yr ss wtht swt.
Srry t bg y gn gly Cnck, bt nrml crssbws r nt cnsdrd rstrctd (rstrctd lcnc rqrd) r vn nn-rstrctd (nn-rstrctd lcnc rqrd) n Cnd. N lcnc f ny knd fr thr psssn s rqrd t ll, thgh hntng lcnc s rqrd fr thr s whl hntng f crs. n hndd crssbws r dfntly prhbtd hwvr.
Srry t b pn n ll ths. d rspct yr rgmnts nd 'm nt shtng thm dwn, bt s fllw Cndn myslf dn't lk t s rrns fcts thrwn t thr tht nly nd p bng tkn s gspl trth bt s nd r cntry by thr ppl.
Chrs!
Trnt Hwkns @28 - Yh, srsly. Wy bck whn thy wrt "Rght t kp nd br rms" nt th cnsttn, cvlns hd th sm clss f wpn s gvrnmnt sldrs. t ws ctlly fsbl fr stndrd cvlns t pt p fr fght gnst sldrs (nd t ctlly hppnd!).
Bth sds hd hrss nd rfls, nd tht's t.
Bt jst try tkng yr rvlvr r vn sm-tmtc pstl p gnst dds wth M16s nd bdy rmr... lt ln tnks... Th S pplc cn n lngr mnt srs rsstnc gnst th S mltry. rg fr r gnst th 2nd mndmnt f y wnt, bt dn't prtnd tht t's n ffctv wy t stp th gvrnmnt.
r bst dfns gnst sldrs, s t mk sr tht r mltry cntns t cnsst f wll-dctd rspnsbl ctzns frm ll wlks f lf, frm vry stt n th nn, s tht w cn rly n thm t dsby rdrs tht r sffcntly vl.
nd th sm gs fr th bys n bl. f ppl frm mr wlks f lf jnd th plc, w wldn't hv th wdsprd crrptn nd hypr-vlnc, r t lst t wld b grtly rdcd.
Good video, and I think people are making too much of the guy's "middle-class" accent. Someone had to narrate the video, but I don't see anyone complaining that it's a male voice not a female one.
To be honest, if they had narrated it with a heavily regional accent, people would be complaining about the message that that sent as well. The guy speaks clearly and patently with his tongue in his cheek.
I'll be spreading this around a lot.
Lastly, I noticed that the last person pictured in the video is Leila Deen of Plane Stupid, who was in the media last year for throwing green slime over Peter Mandelson. A subtle, final "fuck you" to the police?
Hunter1,
Perhaps as you read up on the Ian Tomlinson incident, you might also want to read up on the history of working class protest in the UK. That is, the history of working people fighting for their rights and the rights of others. You might start with the Chartist movement, the National Hunger March or the Jarrow March, and then work your way up to the Miner's Strike of 1984.
#19: t s M..D. Tht's th pnt. t's th crzy rst bttn tht w nly hv t s vry fw hndrd yrs.
Thngs hv bn grt snc th Cvl Wr, bt thr's n grnt tht t wll sty tht wy. t'd b wllflly blnd t ssm thrws. s t tht hrd t mgn trrrst dng smthng RLLY bd, fllwd by hg crckdwn n cvl rghts, fllwd by n dmnstrtn rfsng t lv ffc drng tm f crss, fllwd by sm srt f xnphb-fld nsnty?
t's nlkly, bt smlrly fr-ftchd thngs hv hppnd n thr cvl scts. 'll prbbly nvr b bl t sy "s, tld y s!" bt tht's bcs t's nlkly tht ny n prsn wll lv t s t. Bt smn wll.
Tns f thsnds d vry yr bcs w hv s mny fckng gns. Tht's n trgs prmm t py fr r lttl nsrnc plcy. Tht dsn't mn t's nt wrth hvng th cvrg, jst tht w nd t fnd wys t lwr ts cst.
@#28: ntrnd ctzns wth fwr lght rms thn w hv LRDY dftd r rmd frcs n mr thn n ccsn. W cld d t, t.
Knd @30: D y hnstly thnk tht mltry/plc frc md p f "wll-dctd rspnsbl ctzns" wld dsby njst rdrs? t's nc t thnk tht thy wld, bt dn't thnk tht tht's mprclly tr. Rmmbr th Stnfrd Prsn xprmnt? bnch f "wll-dctd, rspnsbl" cllg stdnts bcm sdst mnstrs ftr fw hrs prtndng t b prsn grd. r, th Hlcst: n 1932, vry fw f th Grmn ppl, nd fwr f th "wll-dctd nd rspnsbl" ns, wld hv bn wllng t shv Jws nt vns. (Hll, Hdggr ws vry wll dctd nd h ws qt th Nz.) Hwvr, 10 yrs ltr, thy wr ll dng t. Hnnh rndt clld ths th Bnlty f vl.
wld lv t thnk tht mjrty f prfct mltry wld rfs t crry t llgl rdrs, bt thnk tht th rlty f hmn psychlgy prclds sch rfsl. n sttn whr t's yr jb t fllw rdrs, lmst vryn wll fllw rdrs. Whl t my b scry s fck t hv nghbrs wth gns, prfr th 2nd mndmnt nd ts rslts t th ltrntv.
gly Cnck:
Wll, thnk y md my pnt fr m. n Cnd s ndrstnd thngs gns r frly cmmn.
N, 'm nt gn nt nd nt trllng. Nr ws tryng t sggst tht thr b sm nvrsl rght t br rms. n th thr hnd, plcs lk Cnd nd Swtzrlnd (whr ctzns r rqrd t wn gn) prv tht th prblm sn't wth gns pr s.
BT, s n ss pprssv rgms (r lclly pprssv frcs), y wndr whthr t mks sns t sk whthr lvllng th plyng fld s pprprt, t lst t th xtnt tht ths frcs fr fr thr wn sfty f thy mpng n hmn rghts sch s fr spch (, th -pssblty- f prtstrs tht cn fght bck my prvnt lt f bs).
Thr r, f crs, thr mthds tht r pssbl, sch s strng crypt nd t-pldng f vd nd phts. Bt cntn t wndr whtr wld hppn f th gd gys hd (t lst) tsrs nd smk grnds. Hw wllng wld ths ppl b t try t "crck dwn"? Mthnks th cwrdc wld kck n fst.
@#21 posted by Tdawwg
"That was a great video: the cheeriest "fuck you" I've ever seen! Laurels to my transatlantic brothers and sisters."
Allow me to offer you a cheerier "Fuck You" video. .. .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmlbfyptLOM&feature=related
Now, with karaoke-style lyrics so that you can sing along w. her!!!
-abs is totally in love with this song even if he's not a Lily Allen fan in general, the cheery up-beat "Fuck You" is just too damn sweet for him not to fall in love with the song
Lntrn: Th rnn Rvltn f th lt 1970s ws chvd by mssv mrchs f nrmd prtstrs wllng t fc - nd b gnnd dwn, n thr hndrds, by - th hvly rmd (by whm?) frcs f th Shh.
n th nd, th vry vlnss f gnnng dwn thr nrmd fllw ctzns d-mrlzd th Stt "Scrty" frcs.
Cn mrcns n lngr xrcs yr frdms, xcpt wth thr fngrs n th trggrs?
By sng gns "n prtst", y mrly strt bldy cvl wr...nd mddy th wtrs, s t "wh's t blm" fr th vlnc.
r r y nw frd t d fr yr frdms, s th rnns dd, wh ppsd th Shh?
Hv y rplcd yr crg, wth gns?
Gns r nly sfl, r vld, gnst th gns f frgn nmy. Thr s gnst yr fllw-ctzns n pltcl cntxt, s smply crmnl. Dn't gt sckd dwn t thr lvl...
Kpr f th Lntrn: n rlty, gns r NT ll tht cmmn n Cnd- smlr t gls, dgslds, nd gys wrng rd-chqrd shrts. Whl mny f s wh lv n th vst, sprsly-ppltd nrthrn rs f th cntry d ndd pssss rfls, nd fw f s vn hv rstrctd frrms lk hndgns, t's nt lk Txs r Grg, whr y cn prtty mch cnt n fndng 9mm n vry glvbx n th mll prkng lt. t's vry, vry dffclt t gt prmt t crry cncld wpn, nd f y'r sprt shtr, y nd mr prmts yt, t llw y t trnsprt yr frrms t th rng.
mrcns sm t b smg n thr blf tht bcs thy ll hv gns, thr gvrnmnt wn't b bl t pll fst n n thm fr fr f ctzn rvlt; n rlty, nbdy wh stnds p t th gvrnmnt wth 'rms brn' lsts vry lng- cs n pnt: Wc, Txs. n th mntm, rdy ccss t lght rms hs md t pssbl fr vry strt pnk t pck ht, mkng lf bt mr dngrs fr bth cvlns nd plc.
'm nt syng tht strct gn cntrl wll slv vlnt crm- crmnls wll lwys fnd wys t gt gns, nd s thm fr nfrs prpss. dn't vn thnk tht r lws n Cnd ncssrly rflct th rl nds f r scty- bt lt's fc t, dn't fl thrtnd ngh n my cntry t thnk tht nd hndgn n m t ll tms t prvnt hrm t my prsn. f m llwd t kp th frrms ncssry t prtct my lvstck frm brs nd cgrs (nt th hmn knd!), tht's ll tht's rlly ndd.
ntrstngly ngh, vn thgh mrc lds th wrld n pr-cpt gn wnrshp, t's clsly fllwd by svrl cntrs wth qt strct gn cntrl lws, ths prvng tht tght rstrctns dn't lwys mn lss gns, bt gnrlly mn lss gn-rltd njrs r dths. Th ntd Stts hs lmst fv tms th nmbr f gn-rltd hmcds pr cpt thn Cnd ds.
Nw, f crs, 'm glty f hjckng ths thrd s wll, fr whch plgs. Kds t th Clmt Cmp flks fr gvng th brd t th Lndn cpprs.
@38 "Hv y rplcd yr crg, wth gns?"
N. f ll ths prtstrs hd bn rmd wth sslt rfls, th rnn Rvltn wld hv bn rslvd mch qckr wth mch lss bldshd n th sd f th rvltnrs.
Y dn't sm t ndrstnd th pwr f gn. t s n qlzr, frc mltplr. t mks n rmd mn cpbl f fcng dwn 10 nrmd mn. Syng tht rvltn wll b mr ffctv wth mssv mnts f nrmd sldrs (tht's hw th Rssn's fght WW. Ntc hw mny f thm dd?) s clssc gn-htr rspns.
f y wr ctlly ttmptng t mk yr lf's scrfc wrth smthng, wldn't y wnt t t b spnt ctlly chngng smthng?
"Gns r nly sfl, r vld, gnst th gns f frgn nmy. Thr s gnst yr fllw-ctzns n pltcl cntxt, s smply crmnl."
Th knd f dsrmmnt thnkng lk yrs s prcsly wht's strts thngs lk Hlcst nd th rnn Rvltn n th frst plc. Dn't tk t frm m, lstn t sm f th bggst prps n hstry.
"Pltcl pwr grws t f th brrl f gn."
-M Ts Tng
"Ths yr wll g dwn n hstry. Fr th frst tm, cvlzd ntn hs fll gn rgstrtn! r strts wll b sfr, r plc mr ffctv, nd th wrld wll fllw r ld nt th ftr!"
-dlph Htlr
Yh, lt's d wht ths gys sd t d.
Godwin in 40.
Not bad for a post on peaceful civil disobedience.
Congratulations to everyone who managed to stay on topic. The rest of you - what on earth were you thinking?
Absimiliard, I stand happily corrected. The Lily Allen video is way cheerier, eerily.
Congrats to the peaceful protesters. Any way not to get beaten is a good way!
On another note, that was a whole hell of a lot of devoweled posts to scroll through! There must be a point where its just easier to delete them?
I don't know what I was thinking Antinous. I know it was wayyyy off-topic. But I just can't read someone talking about a cheery "Fuck You" video without going down the road that leads to Lily Allen.
Shame on me.
Glad you liked it too TDawwg. It's a serious ear-virus. Just so damn chipper and innocent in sound, but not in content. I'm glad to have pointed you at it since you seem to have enjoyed it.
-abs has to admit he really isn't terribly ashamed, okay . . . he's not ashamed at all, that song is just damn catchy, in fact he's been humming it all afternoon since thinking about it again
I'm surprised at the poor quality of reporting on this story out there. The story pretty much writes itself - you just have to post the video, it's brilliant, it's an open letter so you needn't worry about clearing rights.
Instead, the BBC and other news outlets are running silly stories in which they quote semi-grammatical police representatives, and avoid so much as mentioning the fact that the climate camp response was presented in the form of a publicly accessible video on youtube, let alone linking to it or embedding it.
I don't get it - why put so much work into writing a boring, crappy article, when the interesting, good one writes itself?
I love the way that these protestors think that they can keep this location secret.
It's as if none of them have heard of police intelligence...
Mdrtr:
Cn w pssbly d-dsmvwl th psts bv?
s fr s 'm cncrnd, ths sn't bt gns. Ths s bt whthr rmd dsbdnc s vr pprprt. wnt t rd th thr psts nt t knck thm dwn, bt t b nstrctd by thr Bngng pstrs wh pprntly ls fnd th ss wrth dbtng (gv s sm crdt hr).
nw hr's whr gt hnst.
m knd f lpsd Chrstn, bt cm t f th tchng f "trnng th thr chk" l Ghnd, MLK nd thrs.
Bt m ls wr f th rlty f hstry: t's sy t blv tht pssv rsstnc lwys wrks whn th vctms dn't srvv t tll thr stry.
s t pprprt r ffctv fr ppl t rm thmslvs (wth gns r wth crypt r tsrs r cmrs r mxtr)? Wld thngs gt drmtclly bttr f th "tr hggrs" wr knwn t b mrtl rts xprts?
Ths r dp sss nd thnk th dsmvwlng hs dn s dssrvc n ths cs.
Keeper,
Since my warning to stop hijacking the thread was insufficient, why don't you take the rest of the day off.
Aeia nds i u, a ou ae e.
Dammit. Left "nds" in there instead of "ee." I have the shame of FAIL. I will sulk now.
The only way this could be better is if the voice over had been performed by Peter Jones (most famous voice of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for those wondering).
misterfricative nailed it in his post.
I'd give climate camp a miss this year: right now every cop in the UK is stewing in quiet rage at the cheek of all those climate-hippies. Twenty quid says they'll be equipping rapid response units to race to the site and set up checkpoints where every single attendee is going to be subjected to invasive and abusive searches.
The police hate you to begin with, and you've just gone and insulted them. If you do manage to make it onto the site before they do, prepare to be totally surrounded by the time you want to leave. I predict this will be ugly.
good. If the police have degenerated to the point that they think they are prison guards in one vast national jail, time to pop the pustule and let out the blue pus. Appeasement and hiding just leads to North Korea. Yeah, they are going to hurt some people. Better a few now than who knows how many later behind closed doors in what has become a gulag.
"I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone.
At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty's Government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation.
The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength.
Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail.
We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France,
we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."
hey Doctorow! that "swoop" thing sound familiar? bite bite bite!
so many disemvowels... give em hell, anti.
Disemvowling is even more obnoxious than the posts you're protecting us from, IMHO. I don't know about you, but two lines of trying to read that stuff starts to give me a headache. Perhaps I want to read the inflammatory content... there should maybe be some reemvoweling button for logged in users that want to risk it.
What's so hard about implementing a community weighted moderation system, a la /.? Something like this, I would think would be more in-line with C.D.'s apparent interests.
Anyway, the irony of BB having censorship for our own good isn't lost on me.
Sorry for the OT post, but it's getting ridiculous. Can we get some sort of poll to attempt to gauge user response to the issue? Or have those in power simply decided that this is the way it shall be, forever and ever, amen?
I secretly hope for a serious look at the subject in the future. The cynic in me, however, expects nothing...
Good day.
jungletek,
If you have off-topic concerns, you can take them to the moderation thread.
jungletek, if you are as committed to your viewpoint as you wish us to believe, rather than just another blowhard who like to hear his own voice, then please read the moderation thread and find your answers there.
also, run your blog however you wish. Good night.
larkin at 8 ftw!
Such a warm and fuzzy video about police abuse of power and the value of protest. It's like its own unicorn chaser.
As for police intelligence (and probably infiltration) is a near certainty. The UK is a first-rate surveillance state.
Here's how I would get around it:
1. They don't have any real secrets. Their agenda and (general) tactics are already known. The date of the event is already published. The people involved are also already known to the police from past protests. So just don't worry about that stuff.
2. Don't decide on the location in advance. Make the decision at the last minute.
"As a lawyer, I occasionally handle clients' money as part of a transaction. The way I deal with that money is very tightly controlled, and if I misuse it or steal it, the sanctions I suffer are likely to be significantly greater than those of anyone not in a position of trust. That is right and proper. If I misuse my position of trust, I am likely to get a sentence which is at the draconian end of the scale, and I will lose my licence to practise law.
So surely, if the police, whose job is primarily to keep the peace - in other words, to protect us from violence - themselves start misusing violence, shouldn't they find themselves held to the highest standards possible? To find themselves punished all the more severely? If you believe, philosophically, that the state should have a monopoly on violence, then in a sense, the police (along with the armed forces) are the trustees to that violence, for the benefit of the people. If they misuse that violence against the people, they are in profound breach of trust, and should suffer the full consequences of that breach.
Police training should require the police to be aware of this trust relationship, and to permit the use of force, and violence, only when absolutely necessary. That there is a culture within the police that is entirely contrary to this, I find deeply troubling."
That is beautiful. Seriously, that is one of the best articulations of those concepts I have ever encountered.
Spot on.
I have always felt that police should enjoy a special place in society. Assault on a policeman should warrant death, killing a policeman should merit the worst, slowest death possible. PROVIDED: that any cop caught taking a bribe, abusing his authority or in any way not upholding the most stringent and highest standards in every aspect of their life at all times be put to death by torture.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/26/london-police-steal-from-_n_269856.html
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/aug/30/troubling-bubbles/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/aug/30/climate-change-police-direct-action