[kj] Blindness
Dave Axford
daxford at rogers.com
Sat Jun 16 15:21:00 EDT 2007
----- Original Message -----
From: GREG SLAWSON
To: gathering at misera.net
Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2007 2:33 PM
Subject: Re: [kj] Blindness
I agree except for one point: I don't think it's a case of the police "never learning" to not use violence. THeir main job is to protect property and control ethnic minorities, strikers, etc., often with violence. When did you ever hear of the cops entering a factory and beating up the boss for not paying enough wages? Or protecting anti-war demonstrators from hecklers?
Hey Greg,
(waddling into the fray here)
I guess it has a lot to do of where you live. Like ol' Death Wish, I live in Toronto, but I have rarely seen out and out violence against minorities or special interest groups. In just a short period of time we will have the annual 'Gay Pride Parade'... Just a few decades ago, the parade was attended by hecklers who would throw eggs and other such things at those marching. The police were brought in to curb the 'anti-demonstators' and now the gay pride parade goes off without a hitch (complete with floats, musicians, street performers etc). Hell, even politicians march in the Pride Parade as a symbol of solidarity for gay rights.
I also remember a Greenpeace demonstration where the protesters handcuffed themselves to fences and trucks. The chief of police simply said, "Look, its a really hot day and the protestors are going to want to go home and cool off and have a shower sooner or later. We're just going to stand by with the bolt cutters and release them from the fences and trucks when they've had enough" and that's pretty much what happened. I don't recall any arrests in this particular event either.
Dave
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From: Change <crackedmachine at yahoo.co.uk>
Reply-To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)"<gathering at misera.net>
To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)" <gathering at misera.net>
Subject: Re: [kj] Blindness
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 14:12:00 +0100 (BST)
>The police started every instanc of violence I have
>witnessed at protests over the years.
>
>They never learn.
>Quite often their tactics backfire in their faces,
>like the time Reclaim the Streets shut down a motorway
>for an afternoon instead of the planned backroad after
>the pigs tried to turn a van/soundsystem into a sty.
>
>--- death wish <dwish2000 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I don't remember "us" losing the right of protest.
> >
> > I've witnessed firsthand the agitation the police
> > themselves will use to
> > escalate a peaceful situation, so they can then
> > "respond" to
> > "troublemakers". It's an old, old tactic. There are
> > written rules of
> > engagement which are routinely ignored. That's not
> > to say all protesters are
> > angels, but please apportion blame where it's due.
> > Whoever was operating the
> > water cannon in question and whoever gave the order
> > to use the water cannon
> > should certainly have their feet held to the fire,
> > if not literally.
> >
> > T.
> >
> >
> >
> > >From: "Tim Bucknall" <tim.bucknall at googlemail.com>
> > >Reply-To: "A list about all things Killing Joke
> > (the
> > >band!)"<gathering at misera.net>
> > >To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the
> > band!)"
> > ><gathering at misera.net>
> > >Subject: Re: [kj] Blindness
> > >Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:13:28 +0100
> > >
> > >Don't Blame the cops, blame the troublemakers who's
> > stupid actions have
> > >lost
> > >us the right of protest
> > >
> > >On 15/06/07, Change <crackedmachine at yahoo.co.uk>
> > wrote:
> > >>
> > >>A LIVERPOOL man was blinded in one eye by a police
> > >>water cannon as he
> > >>staged a protest at the G8 summit in Germany.
> > >>
> > >>The 33-year-old from Aigburth spoke exclusively to
> > the
> > >>Daily Post of
> > >>the horror and pain of being directly hit in the
> > face
> > >>with the
> > >>powerful jets by officers he claimed were using
> > the
> > >>crowd control
> > >>devices as weapons.
> > >>
> > >>The protester, a member of Liverpool's Social
> > Forum,
> > >>is suffering
> > >>from shock and witnesses to the incident, which
> > >>occurred at the
> > >>protest in the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm
> > on
> > >>Thursday, said
> > >>they saw his eye come out of its socket.
> > >>
> > >>Speaking last night from the Eye Unit at the Royal
> > >>Liverpool
> > >>Hospital, the victim, who wishes only to be called
> > >>Matt, said a CAT
> > >>scan had revealed he had sustained internal
> > bleeding,
> > >>extensive
> > >>damage to his Iris and possible damage to his
> > retina.
> > >>
> > >>Doctors have now told the keen reader, cyclist and
> > >>amateur
> > >>photographer, that he will face future operations,
> > >>cataracts, and
> > >>glaucoma.
> > >>
> > >>They told him that because of the internal
> > bleeding it
> > >>would be
> > >>between six to eight weeks before they could
> > assess
> > >>the damage to his
> > >>retina but warned that permanent harm had been
> > caused
> > >>and that he
> > >>will never fully regain the vision in that eye.
> > >>
> > >>Matt said: "I went to Germany to take part in a
> > >>peaceful protest and
> > >>to be honest at the start of the day there was a
> > very
> > >>jolly, almost
> > >>carnival, atmosphere.
> > >>
> > >>"There were three lines of police and all of a
> > sudden
> > >>things got more
> > >>aggressive.
> > >>
> > >>"There were a few baton charges so all the
> > protesters
> > >>just linked
> > >>arms and stood firm. It was all still very
> > peaceful.
> > >>
> > >>"I have never seen water cannons before and all of
> > a
> > >>sudden there
> > >>were eight or nine of them. The police made an
> > >>announcement in German
> > >>but none of us understood it and then we were
> > fired
> > >>at.
> > >>
> > >>"I was knocked to the floor at first and then when
> > I
> > >>got up I was hit
> > >>right in the face.
> > >>
> > >>"The pain was incredible. My eye had come out and
> > I
> > >>just ran off
> > >>holding it to find an ambulance."
> > >>
> > >>Matt was one of seven protesters and a German
> > >>journalist who were
> > >>taken to Rostock University Hospital with eye
> > >>injuries.
> > >>
> > >>He said one protester had also been knocked
> > >>unconscious by the water
> > >>cannons and another suffered a perforated ear
> > drum.
> > >>
> > >>Matt added: "They were using water cannons as
> > weapons,
> > >>which they are
> > >>not supposed to do.
> > >>
> > >>"Their actions were deliberate and vindictive and
> > >>completely
> > >>unnecessary.
> > >>
> > >>"I went there to express my feelings peacefully as
> > I
> > >>am entitled to
> > >>do. What they did to me was absolutely dis-
> > graceful.
> > >>Doctors can't
> > >>believe what they have done to me.
> > >>
> > >>"The German activists we spoke to said they have
> > never
> > >>before seen
> > >>the police use this type of water cannon or fire
> > at
> > >>people heads."
> > >>
> > >>Matt added that he was going to take advice about
> > >>suing the German
> > >>police and will campaign for a stop to water
> > cannons
> > >>being fired at
> > >>protesters' heads.
> > >>
> > >>Liverpool Daily Post - June 11th
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>INTERZONE
> > >>http://www.augustineleudar.110mb.com/Interzone.htm
> > >>
> > >>RTX, Kristin Hersh, Githead, Shellac, Michael Gira
> > & the Dirty Three
> > >>interviewed here:
> > >>www.perfectsoundforever.com
> > >>
> > >>Polysics interviewed here:
> > >>www.cultcargo.net
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> >
>___________________________________________________________
> > >>Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there
> > knows the answer. Try
> > >>it
> > >>now.
> > >>http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/
> > >>_______________________________________________
> > >>Gathering mailing list
> > >>Gathering at misera.net
> >
> >>http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering
> > >>
> >
> >
> >
>=== message truncated ===
>
>
>INTERZONE
>http://www.augustineleudar.110mb.com/Interzone.htm
>
>RTX, Kristin Hersh, Githead, Shellac, Michael Gira & the Dirty Three interviewed here:
>www.perfectsoundforever.com
>
>Polysics interviewed here:
>www.cultcargo.net
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________
>Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try it
>now.
>http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/
>_______________________________________________
>Gathering mailing list
>Gathering at misera.net
>http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering
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