Police make 630 arrests of #climate #protesters in #London in one month
Liberty condemns ‘staggering and shocking’ statistic as #AntiProtest legislation is enacted
by Sandra Laville and Damien Gayle, December 4, 2023
"Police have made at least 630 arrests of peaceful protesters campaigning against new #OilAndGas production in the past month, as the authorities exploit new powers under the government’s anti-protest legislation.
"The mass arrests of more than 470 people – some individuals were arrested more than once – was condemned by #CivilRights group #Liberty as 'staggering and shocking'.
"The protests involve slow marching along roads and are a form of peaceful civil resistance analogous to the 'freedom' rides in the US in 1961, when individuals protested against segregated public transport, says #JustStopOil.
"Evidence gathered by the Guardian over the last four weeks reveals some people have been held in police custody for long periods after arrest.
"A 23-year-old was arrested within five minutes of joining a demonstration on 13 November, and held for 56 hours in custody before being presented to court, according to his testimony to the Guardian.
"A 19-year-old student was held for three nights in a London prison despite being given bail by a magistrates court. The student is considering a case of false imprisonment.
"The protests over the past four weeks coincided with the British government confirming in the king’s speech its plans to grant new #NorthSea oil and gas licences every year.
"Police are using new powers to make the #MassArrests under section 7 of the Conservative government’s Public Order Act 2023, which bans any action that 'interferes with the use or operation of any key national infrastructure'.
"According to data gathered by Just Stop Oil and not disputed by the Metropolitan police, almost half of the arrests were carried out under #Section7. The offence carries a prison sentence of up to 12 months.
"The 19-year-old student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was held in a London prison for four nights after his arrest under section 7. After the first night in prison, he appeared by video link for a court appearance. He was bailed by the court, and should have been released. The student was held for a further three nights in a prison cell, according to testimony given to the Guardian.
"'I consider that I was illegally imprisoned over the three nights of that weekend and will be taking a case of wrongful imprisonment,' the student said.
"Another 19-year-old student who was arrested and also cannot be named for legal reasons, was held for 50 hours in a London police cell, from a Monday morning to Wednesday at 1pm.
"She was charged under section 7 of the act after 24 hours in custody, but held for another day-and-a-half in custody before being taken to court.
"'I remember asking for my medication, and I didn’t get it,' she said. 'I asked multiple times. One of the officers said: ‘Why didn’t you have it with you?’ I said: ‘I didn’t expect to be held for 50 hours in a cell.’ And the officer said: ‘What, after what you have done?’
"'Like I was a murderer or something, they just wanted me to feel bad.'
"Jun Pang, a policy and campaigns officer for Liberty, said: 'We all have the right to make our voices heard on the issues that matter to us. The staggering number of people arrested in recent weeks, many under this new legislation, shows just how sweeping and dangerous these powers are. It’s shocking to see hundreds of young protesters criminalised simply for standing up for what they believe in.'
"Scotland Yard said 630 arrests had been made of Just Stop Oil protesters since 30 October, and 328 people went on to be charged. The rest have been released on police bail.
"JSO data shows at least 276 people have been charged: at least 125 were charged with blocking key national infrastructure under section 7 and 125 with the lesser offence of wilful obstruction of the highway."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/04/police-arrest-climate-protesters-london
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