Sign the petition calling for justice for the Critical Mass 182.
On Friday 27th July, 182 cyclists were held in a police kettle for two hours, handcuffed in buses for three hours, and held in a police cell from six hours to two days. These included a 13 year old boy. Police also confirmed the cyclists reports that CS gas was used during these arrests. Out of 182 cyclists, only 3 have been charged with any offence. However, ALL have bail conditions imposed on them until September 18th 2012 restricting their freedom to move, assemble, associate and live their lives.
We have the following demands:
1. All bail conditions should be discharged
2. All data including DNA, fingerprint, addresses etc taken from those cyclists should be removed from all paper and comupter records of police & other agencies.
3. An independent review of the police behaviour on Friday 27th July should be conducted as a matter of urgency.
All this for continuing the 18 year tradition of a bike ride through the streets of London on the last Friday of every month.
This political policing to crush dissent and restrict peoples rights without charge must be stoppped. Help us stand for a police and legal system which we can believe in, sign our petition today.
N.B : See one eyewitness account of the harrowing experience here
You can sign this petition here
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Ed Greens, arrested protester on Critical Mass cycle ride is now speaking at our forum on thursday 2nd August, 7pm: “policing on trial: how do we get justice?”. For more information see here and the facebook event.
This footage shows a woman trying to offer Ed water to break his fast, after police refused Ed access to his own food and water:
See also ‘8 quick notes on CRITICAL MASS & POLICING’ here.
This is a disgrace!
Sad to say, standard performance by the authorities attempting to establish case law in their favour.
There was no need at all to stop the cycle ride. The fact that the olympics is on was irrelevant-traffic in central London has in fact been down and all the police action has achieved is to give the police and indeed London a poor reputation.
The use of CS gas is a very indiscriminate weapon that punishes the innocent on a protest as well as passers-by and worse of all puts people with breathing problems at risk.
The bail conditions ought to be dropped on the grounds that people ought to have the right to protest and those on bail are most probably co-workers, partners and friends who may have to work together even as volunteers or even live together and as such they are not even practical.
The use of kettling can only be described as false imprisonment. If a protestor has committed no offence then it is wrong to hold them. Kettling only succeeds in frustrating protestors and as such can lead to violent disorder. As well, protestors have a life to lead and may have to return from a protest to care for a child to give one example.
Kettling puts a particular risk on disabled people with the extra stress that can make illness worse or the fact they may have to return home to take medication of have other care needs that are impossible to attend to whilst they are kettled.