UK 'kettling' tactic sparks anger - 4 May 09

[victorbarovsky]

"It could reduce people's right to demonstrate, but that's a price the authorities are prepared to pay"

[painsey]

petrol bomb the cunts

[bonesstorage]

Police kills an innocent man and no justice. Student almost hits a copper when throwing a fire extinguisher and get locked up within weeks. Go figure.

[painsey]

@bonesstorage police state

[litlemadguitarist]

Could I just say that polcieman arnt security to people but to PROPERTY. PRoperty has becoming more valuable then a human beings.

[sedgambit]

Power crazed police officers are little more than little boys with more issues than a magazine rack.

If I saw this type of brutality whether on riot control or every day patrols from a colleague I would immediately take it up with the chief inspector. We're there to serve, not bully and/or intimidate.

[YUSKHAN]

I wish ENGLAND had the Right to bear arms

[balaclavabloke]

Haha. Noob got owned with shield.

[AntiTerrorForce]

Al Jazeera with its mickey mouse journalism. it always loves to take a pop at the west always steering clear of attrocities by muslims on christians in the sudan and reorting crap like kettling. I bet the recent shooting of an iranian girl got less coverage than anything western. These protesters have a problem with everything which makes you wonder, are they an organised bunch who turn up at every event and the answer to that is yes. get a life you lowlife bums.

[bstopard]

Yes Al Jazeera is clearly biased. But they covered this story fairly. There were actually very few disruptive protesters there. Many observers, peaceniks, and even kids and suits were detained or bashed around that day. ONLY flirty girls were allowed to leave the protest area.

I went to film and ask questions to unravel these vague, lazy anarchist types but was assaulted by police instead. I was detained for hours with thousands of others. Police action that day was clearly criminal.

[Downfacingdog]

These people are not human. They have no rights. Teabagging is worse than "kettling".

[WellIAMScottish]

Britons should be deeply concerned about that changes currently happening in their country. It is becoming a violent police state. People are being killed and abused left and right by authorities. I won't visit again until there's a 180.

[workingclasssociety]

Let's call this what it is. They (the rich, owning class) have the police to protect them and the military to fight it's wars. It's as simple as that.

Police protect the rich and the government, they are a buffer to the two class have's and have nots.

It's that simple

[preludedriver226]

cops everywhere are being more brutal.

[FRTothus]

Kettling creates the need for escalation on both sides, protestors defensively, the kings guards aggressively, pretending they are protecting rights that only belong to those with property and wealth. from people whose only defense is words on paper and the promises of others. Police invite and incite violence.

[DasBus2002]

What little is shown on this video, only shows what police are trained to do, and they are following orders. Now whether or not those orders should have been given is another debate.

IMHO the crowd control tactics used in this video are mild in comparison to others.

[waltermh111]

you cant judge something like this by its comparison to other tactics. Thats a terrible response.

It should be judged on its own merits.

Either way, the point of the complaints is that police training is wrong, so the other debate is happening.

And if this is their training, to harm the public its supposed to be protecting, then yes, these tactics are wrong no matter how they compare to worse countries tactics

[DasBus2002]

The tactics are used to prevent people from going ballistic, damaging property, looting and radomly killing innocent people.

You would feel diferently if it was a group you disagreed with, like the KKK. You would then say that any force is justified. It's all a matter of perspective.

[waltermh111]

i wouldnt be for any force necessary to stop the KKK or any group whatsoever from protesting peacefully

Its the cost of freedom that you get to protest without being beat over the head for speaking out against the government or society

All the reasons you cited for the police being so brutal are so rare in these protests that its not worth causing so much damage to the citizenry. To hundreds or thousands just on the off chance that they might prevent a few people from doing something bad

[waltermh111]

also, I am willing to bet that protesters dying from police brutality is higher in peaceful protests then from protesters through the last 100 years in US and likely britain too.

[seraph101]

Fuckin pigs

[VictimOfBoredom]

Protests like these are stupid and pointless.

[seraph101]

Oh yeah, it's better to sit around and leave comments on youtube. Wtf do you do_?

[VictimOfBoredom]

Take legislative action. If you want to change policy, you do it with POLITICS, not meaningless "symbolic" posturing.

[waltermh111]

but its the politics they are against and politicians not listening so this is what happens after they have tried to change policy.

you really think none of these people are voters because in your mind voters are people that should sit back and do nothing when policy change doesnt happen?

[VictimOfBoredom]

Voting isn't the only way to influence legislation.

And being "against politics" is just about the stupidest thing I've heard all day.

[rentedhalo]

lots of these protests are not symbolic only - they create media coverage of active revolt... no one has ever won independence via legislation... if the oppressor doesn't wish to let go and they aren't forced to, unless they are absolute saints (which is sad) they won't let go without force... protests like this show the higher ups that people are pissed off and that they should watch their step and their backs... working within the system can work, but only so far...

[VictimOfBoredom]

It also makes them look like barbaric simpletons.

Protests marked by populist chants and sensationalistic signs do nothing but strip the cause, however noble it may be, of its respectability, dignity, and intellectual leverage.

It's just one more reason to keep the masses under containment. If this is their way of getting things done, clearly our oligarchical ways are morally superior and politically justified.

[rentedhalo]

VictimOfBoredom: 1st - I apologize for not giving you enough credit - sorry. Seems that most commenters are the barbaric simpletons. :P The protests do serve a purpose, however, but I feel that it is the authorities that are escalating things (hence kettling) and have been guilty of doing so in many situations. While some protesters do indeed suck credibility from the movement w/outlandish attitudes or signage I feel that every aspect of the movement has purpose.

[scorpiooooooh]

VoB...Why do people come out en masse to protest one thing or another? they expose themselvs to potential harm or death. Could it be that when enough people have been subjected to intollerable conditions that they will organize and want to be heard? One problem with protests is that angry mobs are usually not well behaved. How well behaved would one be if a legitimate gripe is not fairly recognized. Who do the people turn to when they cant trust their own corrupt government? Other people maybe?

[rentedhalo]

VictimOfBoredom - these protesters are some of the only people acting on behalf of the subjected masses around the world! they deserve praise, not snide comments from people surfing youtube... what the hell have you been doing that's so poignant and meaningful???

[VictimOfBoredom]

These protests aren't the least bit "poignant" or "meaningful".

If anything, they're a waste of effort and a waste of time.

You really think anyone's going to change his or her mind just because a bunch of kids are throwing a temper tantrum outside?

[waltermh111]

maybe your just an old fart but its not all kids, and it may well be wasteful to their time and effort, but thats their choice and doesnt harm others so the deal with free countries is you have a right to protest publicly when you feel slighted.

Mock freedom all you want, but you wont be happy in non-free countries i bet unless you care about nothing

[rentedhalo]

many people don't consider the protests legitimate or meaningful, & their effectiveness may be questioned, but they do introduce the public to collective action & to the possibility of a different way of interacting w/each other besides monetary exchanges based on exploitation. the G20 delegates came in early & used alternate routes b/c they knew angry people were waiting for them...

[waltermh111]

they may be pointless but they are generally harmless and let people get off some steam. They should be monitored but not harmed as long as they stay peaceful, which most do.

[DrBuggernuts]

The police should do whatever they need to do to protect the public and public property from anarchist THUGS.

[auamoti]

right, while the governments force poverty and tyrannical rule on the public and their property.

[waltermh111]

luckily the protesters werent anarchist thugs and sadly the police were hurting the public and property and not protecting i

[sugarpuddin88]

From the day the US Constitution was adopted, right up to Geithner today, the people who profit from privately owned Central Banks, (Madison called them The Money Changers), have fought a running battle for control over who gets to print Americas money

(Laws matter not; when you print the countries money you enslave them)

The War of 1812 was the Wrath of Rothschild for revoking the Charter of the Federal Reserve Bank

But later the FED Reserve came back bigger & stronger than ever before!

[reginaron]

yes the police are really tough hiding behind thier facemasks and shields.

knocking down old men shame on you cop

turn in your badge fuckwad

[sendmeonmyway7]

do any of them have jobs becuase i was at work?

[elinglestxiki]

"There's no distinction between protester and innocent bystander" - what, and protesters aren't themselves innocent? They deserve to be hit in the face, struck from behind for exercising their right to protest?

[bbnemesis123]

Police "kettling" and police provocateurs are caught on tape for a reason. The police wants to show people that protesting is violent, so people will be scared to come out and protest due to violence. The police bring the most violence to protesting. Police provoking violence and under-cover police provocateurs starting violence in crowds are just unnecessary, because it goes against a person's right to protest.

[ogapadoga]

wtf the policeman killed a innocent old man... this is unacceptable...

[NekroStevo]

I have been at many protests. I am a peaceful protester, but I believe that when you are hemmed in by the police for example, it is often difficult to resist reacting without the use of physical force. This kettling practice is actually counter-productive from a policing point of view as I believe that one's natural instinct is to protect oneself is an apparently dangerous situation.

[98nafets]

In videos of European protests, I get the feeling that people are protesting for attention, and if you were to actually interview one about the subject they were protesting, they would come off as very stupid and ignorant.

[galaxydreams]

wow, that's awfully judgmental sir. Have you asked one? I know someone who went, would u like his contact information?

[ArtypNk]

Stupid protesters  don't know bout organized charge.

[galaxydreams]

What would be your idea of a perfect protest?

[ArtypNk]

Well, at first, it would be like "RAW RAW RAW!!" and the cops would be like advancing and shit, and protesters would be like "Oh no, shit, lets, like, retreat and shit." But then a hero would jump out, and give inspiring speech, and we would go like "AAAAAAAAAAA!!!" and we would run and smash into them like a wave, and there would be punching and smashing, and like BOMM tau bash! piau piau!! Wiieeeeeeerr booom! Sroooooeeeeew! Tadam da boom boom. And fire and dead bodies and all that goodness.

[galaxydreams]

and u had the nerve to call someone else stupid? wow

[ArtypNk]

Meh... At least I don't believe in mysterious sky overlord who gets mad when I touch my dick.

[R3dp055um]

Spoken like a true anarchist!

[galaxydreams]

point proven. Thanks for playing :)

~Tonya