[ssf] G8 arrests in Derby

Fri Mar 18 18:49:24 GMT 2005

The City Council itself asking for bans on marches.
The force asking for a protesting "focus" and avoid mobile actions.
Twelve protestors arrested yesterday at Derby (from about 150, about 10%?)
No "legal observers" present.
Hello up there,
Looking at these facts, doesn't it seem as a bit more reasonable to call 
the g8 to disband (just to make things clear to the public), give some 
press-conferences before (as i keep suggesting ), a press conference can 
be made by two persons, and just forget about the whole b***dy thing.

(anyway, just keep reading:)

Don't know anything about arrests, but this report was in the Guardian.  
Looks like they were holding a practice run.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/green/story/0,9061,1440584,00.html

*2,000 police close school and throw five-mile ring of steel round 
village in £2m top security alert for environment meeting

*Paul Brown, environment correspondent
Friday March 18 2005
The Guardian

In what Derbyshire police called the biggest security operation since 
the miner's strike, 2,000 police from 10 forces sealed off Breadsall 
Priory hotel and country club yesterday so environment and development 
ministers from 20 countries could talk to each other.

A five-mile ring of steel fencing with a specially laid metal road 
capable of carrying fully laden riot vans on 24-hour patrol was one of 
five perimeters set up to protect the 30 ministers. The operation, 
costing at least £2m, included the closure of Breadsall village primary 
school for two days.

The venue, chosen because it is close to the constituency of Margaret 
Beckett, the environment secretary, and MP for Derby South, is normally 
a £110 a night golf and health hotel.

On the advice of Derbyshire police, following "intelligence reports", 
Mrs Beckett insisted that full security measures be taken. The number of 
police and sheer scale of the operation is in marked contrast to a 
meeting two days earlier, involving many of the same ministers, which 
was held at the Brewery Centre in Chiswell Street in central London.

There 25 police were deployed to keep in check a demonstration of around 
50 people while Gordon Brown, the chancellor, made his first speech 
about climate change.

Police from as far afield as Brighton and Durham were bussed in to 
protect the ministers who met for two hours yesterday afternoon before 
being taken in police convoys to Chatsworth House 10 miles away for 
dinner, where they were protected by another large police presence.

 >From Derby it took two hours for journalists to penetrate the police 
cordons, even though all had registered in advance. Some delegates, who 
had come by car and not taken advantage of the first-class train 
compartments from London used by ministers, were also caught in police 
cordons. Among them was Ian Johnson, vice-president for sustainability 
at the World Bank in Washington.

"I confess I have never seen anything on this scale before, this number 
of police and these steel perimeters," he said. "The police are only 
doing their job, however, and are all very good humoured about it."

He had to leave his car two miles away in Drum Hill Scout Camp and 
penetrate five roadblocks and security checks to reach Breadsall Priory. 
Police using dogs and explosive experts searched everyone entering the site.

A demonstration march from the centre of the city to the conference 
centre planned by environment groups including Friends of the Earth was 
banned by the home secretary, Charles Clarke. Instead around 150 
demonstrators were allowed to hold a rally outside the town hall. They 
were outnumbered five to one by police.

Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth, said: "While we welcome 
the first ever meeting of environment and development ministers to 
discuss critical issues like climate change and Africa we deeply regret 
the fact they feel they have to hide behind security shields and police 
cordons to avoid the very people they are supposed to represent. It is 
hardly surprising that if they only talk to each other and not to the 
people whose problems they are supposed to be solving they do not 
achieve very much."

Journalists from as far away as China were confined to the golf club 
house at the hotel and ministers, meeting 150 metres away in a hotel 
annexe, were invited to come and talk to them. In fact none did 
yesterday, although a press conference is due to be held today.

Officials said environment ministers were discussing the report of Tony 
Blair's Commission for Africa yesterday and the problems of species loss 
and maintaining biodiversity.

Today they will be discussing how to improve the delivery of 
international aid after the tsunami disaster on Boxing Day and climate 
change in Africa in the light of the Commission for Africa's report.

They will also hope to have a policy to prevent continuing trade in 
illegal logs to the developed world.

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited

At 15:22 18/03/2005 +0000, you wrote:

> I see from the Herald that the 5000 anarchist demonstraters who would 
> 'riot in the streets of Derby' turned out to be 150 people with a 
> 'peaceful and party-like' atmosphere.  But there were 10 arrests for 
> public order offences. Does anyone know anymore?
>
> Jane
>
>
>
> >From BBC DERBY 17 March
>
> Protestors arrested at G8 summit
>  
> Hundreds of police are on duty at the G8 summit
> *Twelve environmental protestors have been arrested for public order 
> offences on the first day of a G8 summit meeting in Derbyshire.*
>
> About 100 demonstrators gathered in Derby city centre to raise 
> awareness of Africa's need for water.
>
> Calle Lister from Friends of the Earth said police overreacted to what 
> was intended as a peaceful protest.
>
> Government ministers from around the world are meeting for an 
> environment summit at nearby Breadsall Priory.
>
> *'Water not oil'*
>
> Dozens of protestors staged a "go-slow" bike ride through the city 
> streets and some were arrested for ignoring orders against public 
> protests.
>
> A meeting later in the city's Market Square passed off peacefully.
>
> Campaigners sent an oil barrel containing hundreds of water bottles to 
> the G8 summit to raise awareness of drought conditions in some parts 
> of Africa.
>
> "People in Africa need clean water, not oil," Ms Lister said.
>
> Derbyshire Police said the summit is the biggest operation the force 
> has had to deal with since the miners' strike.
>
> The force successfully requested powers from the Home Office to ensure 
> protestors have to meet at an agreed central meeting place.
>
>
> *On 14 March BBC Derby said
>
> *A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Home Office has received two 
> applications from Derby City Council under the Public order Act 1986.
>
> "They are for a ban on marches through Derby city centre and for a ban 
> on trespassary assemblies in the parishes of Long Eaton, Breadsall and 
> Morley.
>
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ï»¿Please, never despise translators. They are the mailpersons of human civilisation.

Gift of Tongues
www.giftoftongues.co.uk

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