[dissent-tech] Re: [media_strategy_against_g8] Re: [resistg82005] scottish tv news report on F of D

[Dragondynamics20 at aol.com]

We're on TV, and it's a good one!
Send your postive comments to Scot TV here:
http://scotlandtoday.scottishtv.co.uk/content/default.asp?page=s1_7

Read the text and see the TV here:
http://scotlandtoday.scottishtv.co.uk/content/default.asp?page=s1_1_1&newsid=7278

Also, you can help us get more press by faxing or emailing out our press release on the top right of the dissent.org.uk web-site. Please disseminate this as widely as possible and post to all Indymedia sites to help us promote the mobilisation.
Thanks!
your "Media Response Team", at the Fest of Dissent!


G8 protestors hold five-day event in Lanarkshire  
 
 
   06 April 2005 17:58    
 
   A five day event for protestors planning to disrupt the G8 summit at Gleneagles began today in the Lanarkshire countryside. People attending the Festival of Dissent will attend workshops on civil disobedience and receive advice on what to do if they are arrested. The festival is taking place just 13 miles from a disused hospital, where Scottish police are receiving training on how to deal with riots at the summit. 



Training for a riot at the G8 - Scottish police officers have been practicing what they call public order techniques in advance of the summit this July. They would not let Scotland Today in to the old Law Hospital near Carluke but pictures were filmed from an overlooking hill.

Thirteen miles away in a windswept field the Festival of Dissent was getting underway. Several hundred people from a loose network of anti-capitalist protestors, environmental and peace campaigners will gather there to plan protests against the G8. They believe that civil disobedience is the only way to challenge the might of the eight world leaders - and they say have no plans to use violence. The organisers would not let Scotland Todays on to the site to film, but two agreed to talk to us nearby.

Community activist Alice said: "There's often references to violent protestors although it's not something we're expecting and I've not heard anyone planning anything violent in any of the Dissent network."

Street medic Lesley said: "It seems like there's some sort of hysteria being whipped up in the media, saying we're going to be violent. There's no-one on site at the moment planning anything like that. It may well happen, we can only speak as individuals, but we're not planning to."

They are planning what they call non-violent direct action. The police say they have no firm intelligence of widespread disorder. The training at Law Hospital is a precaution. But the officer in charge warns that anyone breaking the law can expect to end up in court.


Chief Constable John Vine from Tayside Police said: "Obviously if groups want to take part in any sort of protests they can talk to us about it. But I would emphasis that if any of the protestors break the law, as the police service we will be arresting them and putting them before the courts."

In Derby a recent anti-G8 demo attracted just 150 people - making the presence of 1000 police officers look a little heavy handed.

With exactly three months to go the protestors and the police are finalising their tactics for the G8. The plans for non-violent direct action means some kind of confrontation is inevitable. But no-one yet knows how serious it will be.