road protests 1998
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Date: Sun, 06 Sep 1998 17:11:57 +0100
From: Cornerstone Resource Centre
Subject: EF!NE-ACTION UPDATE NO.51 SEPTEMBER '98
THE REVOLUTION IS BEING TELEVISED....
ALF activists heard that police wanted to search a property. As they made sure there was always someone at home, one day a Housing Benefit officer arrived, with plain clothes copper in tow, who was introduced as her boss.
As he had no ID, and gave the name 'Mr Smith', he was not allowed entry.
The HB officer didn't stay long, as Mr Smith was busy taking down a vehicle number plate outside. The benefit office was instructed to confirm Mr Smith worked there, but was 'unavailable' when phoned. By chance, the plucky house-dwellers found out they were under further surveillance, when their neighbours told them that they could faintly make out their house on their TVs, in place of soon-to-be-received Channel 5. From the image, it was worked out roughly where the camera was, but this was inside a house.
However, in a nearby local water authority outhouse a 12 metre-high tripod with microwave receiver pointed at the camera a mile away was found. The gizmo was connected to a TV monitor and slow record video machine. Over the next few weeks, each day, a plainclothed copper turned up to change the cassette. One day, all the equipment was liberated, and is now in a safe and loving home. This kind of surveillance is used before a more intensive (& expensive) operation can be sanctioned.
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Meanwhile, at Hillgrove, 20 agents provocateurs with fake ear and nose rings shouted abuse at their copper-colleagues before changing openly (accountably?) into their police overalls...
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A "longsuffering" Undercurrents journalist, who made the feature on coppers' harassment of journalists, was arrested again whilst filming police violence at Bristol RTS.
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A Bristol-based documentary maker was arrested while reporting on an anti-GE protest in Totnes, his house raided with video tapes, computer hard drive, and various written materials seized.
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Someone who recently videotaped inside Cornyhaugh mink farm, Northumberland, to highlight the conditions, was injuncted under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (to protect women from being stalked), then arrested and given a nightime house curfew.
road protests 1998
| road protests (current)
| movement links