G20 Police Officer said he Wanted to 'Beat Up Hippies' on Facebook

[DIONYSUS]

Nice one dickhead! :you_crazy: :laugh_at:

PC Rob Ward wrote the comment just an hour after the death of Ian Tomlinson, the 47-year-old bystander who was struck by riot police on the day of the protests.

In a status update to friends at 8.17pm on April 1, the Metropolitan Police officer wrote: "Can't wait to bash some long haired hippys up @ the G20".Officer said he wanted to 'beat up hippies' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5212106/G20-police-officer-said-he-wanted-to-beat-up-hippies-on-Facebook.html)

[DJCliffy]

Haha yeah i read that, Probably not the best move he's ever done! :laugh_at:

[General Lighting]

you'd think they'd have more sense as facebook is crawling with coppers who use it to get intelligence on parties/squats/protests...

[damo666]

I read about this, not really a good thing to say.

[DIONYSUS]

I read about this, not really a good thing to say.

shows the attitude of the whole force imo.

[DaftFader]

who doesn't :laugh_at: :love:

[Tank Girl]

Twat

and not suspended...... ummmm :hopeless:

[MisterDuck]

we all know the problem

now the next stage is how we solve it

it's a collosal task, but never say never.

[DJCliffy]

I hope people realise that this cop doesn't speak for all coppers. I know and have met some truly sound OB before, Yeah some of em are c*nts but then so are alot of people. You would all soon miss the police if they weren't there. :wink:

[DaftFader]

yeah ... i think there should be some kind of personality check ... rather than just physical test to get into the po ... obviosly they arn't suposed to let in nutters ... but this still hapens ...

[General Lighting]

there's a much bleaker side to this - people say facebook is supposed to be a safe place where you can discuss your opinions (however distasteful) with friends... the cop was a twat; but just think if it was one of our mates saying "I'm looking forward to doing fuckloads of drugs this weekend at a rave" and one of his/her so-called friends dobbed them in? we might think this is impossible, but people do change their views about what they consider to be acceptable lifestyles, especially if something bad happens in their life or they discover stuff like religion..

[binge]

I hope people realise that this cop doesn't speak for all coppers. I know and have met some truly sound OB before, Yeah some of em are c*nts but then so are alot of people. You would all soon miss the police if they weren't there. :wink:

Yes. But you also have to remember that the 'beat a hippy' attitude was very prevelent through most of the coppers at the G20. It's funny because it's the same tactics they've been using for decades- we've all seen it at parties (especially if you've ben in Norfolk for the past few years!).

The difference this time was that every one had a camera and the police weren't expecting the mass trial by media that followed. The forward intelligence teams were filming all these protests yet somehow managed to miss all the shots that untrained people were catching!

Last weekend the Climate Camp legel team (yes-we have a legel team!) released this video (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6122785.ece)on the Sunday Times website. The reason for this was that there was a worry that the focus would be on 2 seperate incidents, rather than the prevailing attitude of the police that day.

This goes very deep- not only protecting our right to protest, but shining the spotlight on the police as servants (not masters) of the law. At the moment we can still challenge them to ensure they are accountable, in 10 years time- who knows?

As the video above says at the end- Climate Camp will be back- 'Until next time.....'

[DJCliffy]

Yes. But you also have to remember that the 'beat a hippy' attitude was very prevelent through most of the coppers at the G20. It's funny because it's the same tactics they've been using for decades- we've all seen it at parties (especially if you've ben in Norfolk for the past few years!).

The difference this time was that every one had a camera and the police weren't expecting the mass trial by media that followed. The forward intelligence teams were filming all these protests yet somehow managed to miss all the shots that untrained people were catching!

Last weekend the Climate Camp legel team (yes-we have a legel team!) released this video (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6122785.ece)on the Sunday Times website. The reason for this was that there was a worry that the focus would be on 2 seperate incidents, rather than the prevailing attitude of the police that day.

This goes very deep- not only protecting our right to protest, but shining the spotlight on the police as servants (not masters) of the law. At the moment we can still challenge them to ensure they are accountable, in 10 years time- who knows?

As the video above says at the end- Climate Camp will be back- 'Until next time.....'


Jesus man. That was well OTT on the part of the Fuzz, That bird who got a whack did nothing to provoke that, absolute bastards! :hopeless:

[Southcaver]

looks like you can get cash for telling them about protests now:you_crazy
Police caught on tape trying to recruit Plane Stupid protester as spy | UK news | guardian.co.uk (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/24/strathclyde-police-plane-stupid-recruit-spy)

might be worth doing and telling them a load of bullshit for cash:weee:

[General Lighting]

the cops been doing all of this for 30 years at least and aren't stupid, they can work out who the walts (liars) are

also there are plenty of smackheads what would join a protest group and give away secrets for a 10 bag, in the 90s loads of party drug dealers used to get dobbed in by them

the problem with protest groups is they are often too right on and non-judgemental and can get infiltrated by scum way worse than even coppers, saw this happen around the NEwbury protests time..

Yes. But you also have to remember that the 'beat a hippy' attitude was very prevelent through most of the coppers at the G20. It's funny because it's the same tactics they've been using for decades- we've all seen it at parties (especially if you've ben in Norfolk for the past few years!).

yeah and this is what fucking annoys me - none of them yoghurt weaver grauniad journos and middle class london "activist" types (many of whom have no real connections or empathy with the working class population of the capital that I originally come from) have ever stood up for activists outside Londonistan. they were all happy (along with some forum trolls) to talk up the "megarave" in 2006 but when it resulted in some of the most serious violence to occur in the East of England for years and injuries on both sides, it barely got two or three news articles , little condemnation of the Police and extensive reporting on the lads getting prison sentences.

neither is there much reporting if/when the cops [or even soldiers from a foreign military taking matters into their own hands!] get heavy at protests around Lakenheath or Mildenhall - or when TVP get heavy with the peace women at Aldermaston or Burghfield, which they still do now and then.

I bet the journos and "chattering classes" of Islington etc wouldn't even criticise if metpol went in heavy on the next squat party - although TBH the angry gangs do a far better job of fucking up these things..

OK some hippies might argue raves were losing their eco-awareness and are just hedonism but by not criticising cop tactics they are in effect supporting the tactics..

Also a good friend of mine from this way told me how in Colchester in 1990 when the poll tax riot happened there were supposed ot be activists from London backing up the locals when essex cops started getting rowdy but they all bottled it - that is why he doesn't go climate change marches / actions in London - I don't blame him, why forgive and forget betrayal like that? (he is however getting active in doing positive alternative things in this region)

[MisterDuck]

I hope people realise that this cop doesn't speak for all coppers. I know and have met some truly sound OB before, Yeah some of em are c*nts but then so are alot of people. You would all soon miss the police if they weren't there. :wink:

i'm sorry mate but i can't accept this.

i've known some very nice people who are policemen too, but have now kept my distance

i think you can accept their personality as being decent and a nice person

however if they make an informed decision to join an organisation that so oppressive and institutionally dictated to the point where it is a law untio itself and does disgusting and unforgivable things then in my opinion that invalidates them as decent people.

i equate it to somebody seeming a nice person and then joining combat 18 or the national front.

they sacrifice their respect as an individual when they join that organisation.

[binge]

the cops been doing all of this for 30 years at least and aren't stupid, they can work out who the walts (liars) are

the problem with protest groups is they are often too right on and non-judgemental and can get infiltrated by scum way worse than even coppers, saw this happen around the NEwbury protests time..

yeah and this is what fucking annoys me - none of them yoghurt weaver grauniad journos and middle class london "activist" types (many of whom have no real connections or empathy with the working class population of the capital that I originally come from) have ever stood up for activists outside Londonistan. they were all happy (along with some forum trolls) to talk up the "megarave" in 2006 but when it resulted in some of the most serious violence to occur in the East of England for years and injuries on both sides, it barely got two or three news articles , little condemnation of the Police and extensive reporting on the lads getting prison sentences.

neither is there much reporting if/when the cops [or even soldiers from a foreign military taking matters into their own hands!] get heavy at protests around Lakenheath or Mildenhall - or when TVP get heavy with the peace women at Aldermaston or Burghfield, which they still do now and then.

I bet the journos and "chattering classes" of Islington etc wouldn't even criticise if metpol went in heavy on the next squat party - although TBH the angry gangs do a far better job of fucking up these things..

OK some hippies might argue raves were losing their eco-awareness and are just hedonism but by not criticising cop tactics they are in effect supporting the tactics..

Also a good friend of mine from this way told me how in Colchester in 1990 when the poll tax riot happened there were supposed ot be activists from London backing up the locals when essex cops started getting rowdy but they all bottled it - that is why he doesn't go climate change marches / actions in London - I don't blame him, why forgive and forget betrayal like that? (he is however getting active in doing positive alternative things in this region)

Ok. I can kinda understand your frustration but the reason that the media has turned so much on the coppers is that we have volunteer legal and media teams that keep pushing it into the media.

At the end of the day parties nowadays are just about hedonism- the selfish desire to get fucked and dance (or stumble around K-d up). This is why no one bothers to have a go at the police after they get heavy because no one really gives a fuck and is quite happy to let the systems take all the shit. This is what all my friends (and many old timers on here) started to realise and why they don't bother with parties anymore. Even when people do care enough about the particular system/ party to actively work on it outside of the weekends (in the case of BK in 2004/5) there is no understanding about how the system works and the do get shot down as silly hippies.

I certainly don't count party goers as activists, although many of the activists I know are party goers (or ex ones). So if ravers want to complain about the way they are treated they should actively learn how the system works, get organised and stand up for their rights. Why get pissed off when no help comes from other areas of society when they have done such a good job of cutting all ties with those areas.

Also- you are comparing activists from almost 20 years ago with ones today. I think you would see a huge difference in the connectedness and support that occurs throughout the movement. On the other hand there's also an ingrained non violent dogma throughtout and I doubt many would go to support a riot nowadays.

[DJCliffy]

i'm sorry mate but i can't accept this.

i've known some very nice people who are policemen too, but have now kept my distance

i think you can accept their personality as being decent and a nice person

however if they make an informed decision to join an organisation that so oppressive and institutionally dictated to the point where it is a law untio itself and does disgusting and unforgivable things then in my opinion that invalidates them as decent people.

i equate it to somebody seeming a nice person and then joining combat 18 or the national front.

they sacrifice their respect as an individual when they join that organisation.

I'm not saying the police are saints, far from it. All i'm saying is people bitch and moan about em but they'd soon miss em if they weren't here anymore!! So i take it then Boothy you'd like to see the end of British policing then? :wink:

[MisterDuck]

I'm not saying the police are saints, far from it. All i'm saying is people bitch and moan about em but they'd soon miss em if they weren't here anymore!! So i take it then Boothy you'd like to see the end of British policing then? :wink:

ok that was a bit ott, i was twatted when i wrote that

i don't know, i'd like to see society progress to a stage when no policing is needed, this won't happen in my life time but i dont believe in "never"

as for now i think something needs to be done to stop certain attitudes developing within the police force, i havent got all the answers but i'd suggest a more open approach to communication from all angles.

[DJCliffy]

ok that was a bit ott, i was twatted when i wrote that

i don't know, i'd like to see society progress to a stage when no policing is needed, this won't happen in my life time but i dont believe in "never"

as for now i think something needs to be done to stop certain attitudes developing within the police force, i havent got all the answers but i'd suggest a more open approach to communication from all angles.

Yeah man i'm with you on the last bit, :love: