Climate Camp - Cyclists

To demonstrate their commitment to renewable energy etc. many hundreds
of supporters are cycling from all over the UK to the Climate Camp at
Heathrow.

See: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/bikeride.php

Just now I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in
Harlington the nearest village. They looked like a bunch of normal
cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4
uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police
minibuses full of uniformed police.

Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's
money?

CJB

On 14 Aug, 19:29, CJB wrote:
To demonstrate their commitment to renewable energy etc. many hundreds
of supporters are cycling from all over the UK to the Climate Camp at
Heathrow.

See:http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/bikeride.php

Just now I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in
Harlington the nearest village. They looked like a bunch of normal
cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4
uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police
minibuses full of uniformed police.

Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's
money?

Typical of the over policing we are all subjected to. Of course, those
who stay meekly in their homes or just travel during rush hours never
see this sort of thing and imagine we live in a crime plagued country
full of terrorists which requires the protection of vast numbers of
police. This situation has not been helped by the mass of
criminalising legislation instigated by Blair's government, which far
exceeds anything that has ever gone before. Is it any wonder that our
prisons are full to overlowing?

--
UK Radical Campaigns
www.zing.icom43.net
One man's democracy is another man's regime.

Doug wrote:
On 14 Aug, 19:29, CJB wrote:
To demonstrate their commitment to renewable energy etc. many hundreds
of supporters are cycling from all over the UK to the Climate Camp at
Heathrow.

See:http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/bikeride.php

Just now I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in
Harlington the nearest village. They looked like a bunch of normal
cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4
uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police
minibuses full of uniformed police.

Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's
money?

Typical of the over policing we are all subjected to. Of course, those
who stay meekly in their homes or just travel during rush hours never
see this sort of thing and imagine we live in a crime plagued country
full of terrorists which requires the protection of vast numbers of
police. This situation has not been helped by the mass of
criminalising legislation instigated by Blair's government, which far
exceeds anything that has ever gone before. Is it any wonder that our
prisons are full to overlowing?

Bring back the death penalty then, that'd free up a few spaces...

--
Abo

"CJB" wrote in message
oups.com...
To demonstrate their commitment to renewable energy etc. many hundreds
of supporters are cycling from all over the UK to the Climate Camp at
Heathrow.
....
Just now I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in
Harlington the nearest village. They looked like a bunch of normal
cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4
uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police
minibuses full of uniformed police.

Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's
money?

Absolutely. There should be a way to charge the people at the camp for the
extra money they have caused to be spent on policing. Of course, there was a
time when a copper could just keep whacking demonstrators until they were
quiet enough to drag away, but these days, they have to make sure there are
enough around to subdue them without too much injury, which needs several
coppers for every demonstrator taken away.

Colin Bignell

"nightjar" nightjar@insert my surname here.uk.com wrote:
Absolutely. There should be a way to charge the people at the camp for the
extra money they have caused to be spent on policing. [...]

It's not the campers who have caused the money to be spent on policing. I've
been told that the staffing levels are the decision of the police. So, we
should charge the police for the costs of overpolicing these camps!

Now, can we get some police to crack down on the bad driving around here?

It was hilarious to hear BAA warning that some of those tourists may
'disguise' themselves as tourists and enter the airport to leaflet other
tourists.

Regards,
--
MJ Ray - see/vidu http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html
Experienced webmaster-developers for hire http://www.ttllp.co.uk/
Also: statistician, sysadmin, online shop builder, workers co-op.
Writing on koha, debian, sat TV, Kewstoke http://mjr.towers.org.uk/

On 2007-08-14 19:29:05 +0100, CJB said:



Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's
money?

The camp at Drax power station in North Yorkshire last year is
estimated to have cost £3.8 - £4 million to police, JOOI.

--
Tony

It's a delicate balance I think. On one hand I think there should be
more policing as long as there is a need for it. But the judgment on
what needs to be policed is seriously off balance. I mean families on
a field making a peaceful point about where they think BAA are going
wrong is probably not a priority threat.
Knee-jerk and reactionary policing is not the way forward, but sadly
it seems that nowadays opinions are increasingly replacing fact. Not
helped by the media or the governments that (mis) use them.

Thank you, that is all

p

On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:39:33 -0000 someone who may be Pete
wrote this:-

But the judgment on
what needs to be policed is seriously off balance. I mean families on
a field making a peaceful point about where they think BAA are going
wrong is probably not a priority threat.

People can see what appears to be a deliberate attempt by the police
to provoke trouble by downloading the video from
http://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/08/378267.html

There is coverage of the camp at
http://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/a...7/climatecamp/ which
also includes other articles on the police attempt to provoke
trouble.

Not content with attempting to intimidate people as they arrive,
they are now trying to cause trouble on the site. I wonder what they
will try next, perhaps sending one of their death squads to shoot
someone seven times in the head on a whim.




--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

"Doug" wrote in message
ups.com...
. Of course, those
who stay meekly in their homes


Like you do ... leaching off the back of real protesters.

On 15 Aug, 11:09, "Gizmo." wrote:
"Doug" wrote in message

ups.com...

. Of course, those
who stay meekly in their homes

Like you do ... leaching off the back of real protesters.

Liar! I was at the camp on Sunday and Monday facing off the police
intimidaters. And what have you been doing, hypocrite?

--
UK Radical Campaigns
www.zing.icom43.net
Travel broadens the damage.