Tagged: police
Bristol Police’s consent failure – and an alternative
A failure to understand consent and rape culture is nothing new when it comes to police forces around the world. Even by these less than stellar standards handing out a pamphlet entitled ‘R U asking 4 it’ marks a low point. Especially when you consider the recipients were a group of Bristol teenagers attending an educational session on consent.
This was apparently the result of a ‘blunder’ on the part of the police, but it is telling none of the professionals handing the leaflets out realised anything was wrong. It was up to the teenagers present to point out how fucked up it was. Continue reading
13 Contributions to the #hipstercop Meme from Some Anarchists
Serious blog posts will resume tomorrow, but for now we think we could all do with a laugh so we made these…
Solidarity with Anarchists Imprisoned by the Spanish State!
¡Solidaridad con los presos anarquistas! from members of Bristol Anarchist Federation (IFA), Bristol Solidarity Federation (IWA) and friends
In December the claws of the Spanish state came out, dropping all pretence of presiding over a fair & free society they launched an attack on everyone resisting capitalism & fighting for the working class, specifically targeting organised anarchists as the biggest threat to the power of the elites.
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So, We Were On Channel 4 News Tonight
Loving this footage of someone trying to fight a police car by kicking it with their trainers
Rather briefly! It’s the first TV news interview Bristol AFed has agreed to, perhaps we felt more optimistic about the chances of some good coverage after a relatively successful summer interview with BBC Radio Bristol. You can watch the segment that was broadcast today here, and a longer version of the interview on Channel 4’s website. Sadly we didn’t get as much on air time as DCI Andy Bevan, who they emotively interviewed at the site of a recent incident of arson.
The footage was taken from a much longer interview (about three quarters of an hour – not that we expected it would get shown in full!). We’re glad they kept in part of our definition of anarchism but perhaps the world would have been a better place if channel 4’s viewers weren’t subjected to our awful singing at a recent anti-workfare protest.
Predictably the rest of the segment, focuses on a series of acts of criminal damage carried out in the West Country over the past few years, including the destruction of a multi-million pound police fire arms training centre. Sadly there wasn’t much focus on the political policing and harassment of activists that followed, or local anarchists resistance to it. The cops still seem obsessed with tracking down Continue reading
Anarchists start investigation into dangerous police extremists
Around 20 local anarchists, friends & badgers visited the HQ of the Bristol CID & Special Investigations at Sir Kenneth Steele House on Feeder Road in Bristol last Saturday 15th November. Officers operating from there have recently been visiting people’s homes and workplaces, harassing and putting pressure on local activists, musicians and their friends to become informants for the police. As a response, it was decided to turn the tables and start asking some questions of our own.
Armed with police style spotter cards displaying some of the ugly faces of Big Brother, our investigations began in the car park as decidedly nervous looking CID operatives arrived for their dirty work. Our unannounced presence seemed to produce a sort of mild panic for the first officer on the scene. Continue reading
Some Bristol Anarchists Response To The Police
Anarchists wield flaming torches outside Trinity Police Station (click for more info)
Following on from our statement last year on police harassment of activists, and the subsequent march on a police sation brandishing flaming torches, and our more recent demo in solidarity with Furguson, Mo, we are pleased to put our name to the recent Bristol Defendant Solidarity statement. The latest wave of police harassment and the history behind it is detailed by the anarchist bookfair collective, and the statement itself is signed and supported by numerous anarchist groups in and around Bristol. Here is the statement in full:
Police in Bristol appear to be stepping up their so far fruitless efforts to find individual anarchists and those that they think are responsible for property destruction actions over the last few years in Bristol. One year after their firearms training centre at Portishead was burnt down, they have turned to desperate measures to try and get any scrap of useful information. Continue reading
Solidarity from Bristol to Ferguson – Fight police repression everywhere
On Saturday some Bristol AFed members and friends took the streets to express our Solidarity with the Ferguson, Mo. Since their community rose up to protest the police murder of an unarmed teenager, Mike Brown and the racist harassment they have suffered for years, they face near total repression at the hands of a militarised police force. We came out to add our voice in solidarity, and to amplify their views and their voice. The strength shown in resisting both the crack down and the attempts at pacification from politicians and self declared leaders has been inspiring. Continue reading
