Saturday, April 4, 2009

The man who died during last week's G20 protests was "assaulted" by riot police shortly before he suffered a heart attack, according to witness statements received by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Investigators are examining a series of corroborative accounts that allege Ian Tomlinson, 47, was a victim of police violence in the moments before he collapsed near the Bank of England in the City of London last Wednesday evening. Three witnesses have told the Observer that Mr Tomlinson was attacked violently as he made his way home from work at a nearby newsagents. One claims he was struck on the head with a baton.

Photographer Anna Branthwaite said: "I can remember seeing Ian Tomlinson. He was rushed from behind by a riot officer with a helmet and shield two or three minutes before he collapsed." Branthwaite, an experienced press photographer, has made a statement to the IPCC.

Another independent statement supports allegations of police violence. Amiri Howe, 24, recalled seeing Mr Tomlinson being hit "near the head" with a police baton. Howe took one of a sequence of photographs that show a clearly dazed Mr Tomlinson being helped by a bystander.

A female protester, who does not want to be named but has given her testimony to the IPCC, said she saw a man she later recognised as Tomlinson being pushed aggressively from behind by officers. "I saw a man violently propelled forward, as though he'd been flung by the arm, and fall forward on his head.

"He hit the top front area of his head on the pavement. I noticed his fall particularly because it struck me as a horrifically forceful push by a policeman and an especially hard fall; it made me wince."

Mr Tomlinson, a married man who lived alone in a bail hostel, was not taking part in the protests. Initially, his death was attributed by a police post mortem to natural causes. A City of London police statement said: "[He] suffered a sudden heart attack while on his way home from work."

But this version of events was challenged after witnesses recognised the dead man from photographs that were published on Friday.

An IPCC statement was due to be released the same day and is understood to have portrayed the death as a tragic accident. However, the statement's release was postponed as the complaints body received information that police officers may have been more involved in events than previously thought. An IPCC spokesman said yesterday that in light of new statements it was "assessing" the information it had received before deciding whether to launch a full investigation.

Part of the commission's inquiries will involve the examination of CCTV footage from the area.

Liberal Democrat MP David Howarth said: "Eventually there will have to be a full inquest with a jury. It is a possibility this death was at police hands."

A police source told the Observer that Mr Tomlinson appears to have become caught between police lines and protesters, with officers chasing back demonstrators during skirmishes. He was seen stumbling before he collapsed and died on Cornhill Street, opposite St Michael's Alley, around 7.25pm.

At around 7.10pm, protesters had gathered outside the police cordon to call for those contained inside - some for hours - to be let out. Officers with batons and shields attempted to clear them from the road.

Around 7.20pm, five riot police, and a line of officers with dogs, emerged from Royal Exchange Square, a pedestrian side street. Three images taken around this time show Mr Tomlinson on the pavement, in front of five riot police, and in apparent distress. He had one arm in the air, and appeared to be in discussion with the officers.

Mr Tomlinson then appears to have been lifted to his feet by a bystander. Minutes later he fell to the ground. "We saw this guy staggering around," said Natalie Langford, 21, a student. "He looked disorientated. About five seconds later he fell, and I grabbed my friends to help him."

Police have claimed that when paramedics tried to move Mr Tomlinson away for urgent treatment, bottles were thrown at them by protesters. He was later pronounced dead at hospital.

Branthwaite added: "He [Mr Tomlinson] was not a mouthy kid or causing problems, but the police seemed to have lost control and were trying to push protesters back. The police had started to filter people into a side street off Cornhill. There were a few stragglers who were just walking through between the police and protesters. Mr Tomlinson was one of those."

The police tactics during the G20 protests were condemned in the aftermath of the demonstrations. The clearance of a climate camp along Bishopsgate by riot police with batons and dogs after nightfall on Wednesday came in for particular criticism.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/apr/02/g20-protest

Protesters marched to Bethnal Green police station in east London yesterday to demand a public inquiry into Mr Tomlinson's death.

In an obvious attempt to de-escalate the situation after the events of yesterday, police aggressively raided Rampart today.


How they got in
How they got in


Somebody being led away under arrest
Somebody being led away under arrest

"evidence"
“evidence”

The FIT doing research work
The FIT doing research work


Legal observer at work
Legal observer at work

People being searched outside
People being searched outside

The FIT having a good day...
The FIT having a good day..

Thursday, April 2, 2009

http://www.glasgowanarchists.org.uk/

Death At The Hands Of Capitalism

April 2, 2009 · No Comments

This is no appeal to calm.

Yesterday through the actions of the Metropolitan Police a man died during the protests against the G2dog-attack0 in the City of London. How this man died, whether as a result of direct blows from police batons or from the effects of the police “kettling” tactic and their attempts to force people in a direction it was not possible move, his death is their responsibility. We have already seen the BBC, unsurprisingly, peddling the police’s line that his death was due to ‘natural causes’. When they mention it at all that is. Though how it is natural to be penned in by armed thugs like an animal before being beaten and attacked is a tribute to their warped logic.

What should not be forgotten in light of this murder is that this is not the first and nor shall it be the last death at the hands of capital.

Everyday people are murdered by states, police, armed forces and militias all over the world. Capital, and its agents, think nothing of human life and profit will always, always come before humanity. Capitalism is directly responsible for the deaths of millions upon millions of people all around the world. From the wars that are fought in pursuit of profit to famine and death through preventable disease to those murdered for resisting its impact upon their communities or for organising for better conditions at work.

defenders-of-capitalAs we see the economic situation decline for working people in this country we can expect to see this become starkly clear. As more and more are made homeless, jobless and see their living conditions reduced, the ruling class will continue to live in splendour and affluence upon our backs as their parasitical forebears have done for generations.

The rulers of this country, and indeed this world, live lifestyles of opulent luxury that is beyond the ken of the vast majority of us. These parasites shall not see their blood drenched splendour reduced in the slightest.

Unless that is that we, the honest, hard working people of this world tear their privilege asunder.back-now

These wealthy parasites live off our hard work and we suffer the consequences of the economic games they play in pursuit of ever greater profits for themselves and everyday we, the working class, suffer and die all over the world. This death through police actions yesterday is just one more death in the tragic blood stained history of capitalism.

This is no appeal to calm, rage today on the streets of London. Rage though not at this one death but at the horror and terror inflicted upon our class by the ruling 1% and their agents. Rage against the theft of our world by parasites who sponge off our labour. Rage at having to work your entire life through only to be denied the fruits of the world that is yours by right of birth.

This is no appeal to calm.

For more up to date information on what is happening in London today do not look to the BBC or other mainstream media outlets.. Look instead to the indymedia website which will carry updates as they come in from the streets.

There will be a demo today in solidarity with the guy killed last night.

Meet 1p.m. at the Bank if you are in London.

The aim of the assembly is to:

mark the death of the protestor,
call for an independent police inquiry
show solidarity against the enormous police repression that happened against protestors outside the Bank, the Climate Exchange and elsewhere in the City of London.
Any witnesses to this event or any other act of police violence against demonstrators is advised to write a full statement as soon as they possibly can, sign and date it, and give a copy it to a trusted other party. These statements should be given to Bindmans Solicitors (contactable on 020 7833 4433) and the Legal Monitoring groups present at the demonstrations. Information can also be sent to Indymedia London:

Solidarity Poster for Polykarpos Georgiadis and Vaggelis Chrisohoidis (greece)



POSTER SAYS:
did anyone speak of a
KIDNAPPING?
“…A handful of capitalists
have organized a criminal gang
and have kidnapped the proletarians,
demanding for ransom
their labor force,
merchandising their human activity,
their time (which is turned into money),
their own being itself…”
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
to vaggelis Chrisohoidis and Polykarpos Georgiadis
who the persecuting authorities, exactly because they denied to betray values and people,
accuse them as participators in the kidnapping of industrialist Milonas
anarchists from Serres from north-greece


Anarchists solidarity protest outside Korydallos prison, the main prison in Athens, at the time of the change of the year. This protest happens every New Year's Eve for the past six years. This year more than 400 people took part in the protest that interacted with the prisoners inside through shouting mutual slogans and fireworks. The main slogan was "The passion for freedom is stronger that your prisons".
NEW YEAR OUTSIDE IN KORRIDALOS PRISON 2011
Watch live streaming video from agitprop at livestream.com
FIRE TO ALL PRISONS

A society that punishes/the condition of incarceration/the prison of the mind/the prison as punishment/the rage of the damned will sound on the ruins of prisons/those denying obedience and misery of our era even within its hellholes/will dance together on the ruins of every last prison/with the flame of rebellion avenging whatever creates prisons.

To the prisoners struggle already counting one dead and thousands in hunger strike across greece, we stand in solidarity and anger until the destruction of every last prison.


ARSON AND WILDFIRE FOR EVERY PRISON

SOLIDARITY TO ALL PRISONERS IN GREECE


Keny Arkana - La Rage English Subtitles

1976 - 2000 Greek Anarchists Fight for Freedom

(December Riots in Greece)