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Police attempt raid of Camp for Climate Action
DATELINE: 15/8/07
Thanks to the Climate Camp people for supplying this press release, concerning an attempted raid on the camp at Heathrow on 14 August. The release has been widely ignored by most of the British media.
Around 7.30pm on Tuesday, after a peaceful opening day to the Camp for Climate Action, approximately thirty police, backed by officers in riot gear, attempted to raid the Camp. They entered the camp without warning, carrying cans of what appeared to be CS gas.
With their hands in the air, protesters formed a human barrier and blocked the police, before peacefully escorting them off the site.
This raid was completely unannounced, and no reason has been given as to why it occurred. It was clearly planned in advance. Riot vans assembled in the hour leading up, and ambulances were called to be on standby. The police waited until all the media had left, and then blocked journalists from returning to cover the stand-off.
Police then prevented people, including local residents wanting to show support, from coming to the site.
"There is no reason for so many officers to come on site when things are completely calm and peaceful. This was a clear attempt to provoke us. Yet not one of us rose to the bait. This is a peaceful protest. We are not and we will not be the people that the police and the Evening Standard say we are" said Alice Coterley.
Police had previously claimed that they only wanted and needed a patrol of four community police officers, which protesters had allowed on site without incident.
During the attempted raid, an officer, (UC3666) completely unprovoked, punched one of the people forming the human barrier. The officer was immediately removed from the site by a senior colleague.
One police officer was heard to say that the raid had been carried out by the Forward Intelligence Team, without prior consultation with senior command.
Police have currently pulled their forces away from the camp, and everything is now peaceful. Protesters are nevertheless worried that this was an attempt to scare people from coming to the camp.
The calm atmosphere at the camp has now resumed and the programme of workshops will continue as planned.
Last modified: Wednesday, August 15, 2007
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Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Papers from the Media for All Conference
MEDIA MANIFESTO
DATELINE: 26/3/10
The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
Free Speech & Censorship
Only slightly Kafkaesque
Signs of cabinet u-turn on FOI
Swiss trio cleared by military court
The battle goes on
State interest v public interest
Review: The Truth is Out There
A very British coup
50 years of censorship
Trial Exposes Bush-Blair Secrets
FoI rethink
Downing St will throw aide to the wolves
Galloway accuses BBC over Blair disc 'ban'
Secrets, lies and diplomats
MPs seek special exemption from FoI laws
Fighting back for freedom
Access all areas?
Secrets trial to be secret
Libel ruling is victory for British journalism
Memoirs and Whistleblowers
Shayler Silenced
Official Secrets Act: Where are we now?
The Price of Freedom
Another success for British justice
MI5 whistleblower back in court
The Danish cartoon controversy and World Press Freedom Day
Improving Cultural Communication
The Need for Context
The Danish Cartoon Controversy
IFEX conference highlights freedom of expression
Statement of Media Professionals Meeting to Discuss the Danish Cartoons Controversy
