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Posted By fotdmike on September 19, 2009

It remains to be seen whether this new-style policing was a one-off occurrence, specific to the Climate Camp and Camp-related protests, or if it will be adopted for other protests too.

Concluding the present series of observations on the 2009 Climate Camp at Blackheath, London, 26th August to 2nd September

“Cops on site!”

Such was the cry that became oh so familiar at last year’s Climate Camp at Kingsnorth in Kent.
Much has since been written about that, and the policing thereof featured in a review by HMIC (Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary), with the cops coming in for some long-overdue and totally merited criticism.
None of which would have occurred (probably) had it not been for the unfortunate tragedy that marred the G20 protests earlier this year (the tragedy that placed one more needless death at the cops’ door), triggering a much-needed debate on the policing of protest as a whole.

So have the police taken all the criticisms to heart? Have they fully embraced all the recommendations and decided to try to regain the trust of the community at large? Have they really learned the lesson that their credibility as impartial upholders of law & order has been shot to hell?

Well, judging by their behaviour at the Blackheath Climate Camp one could be forgiven for thinking so.

But they have so often abused the authority of their office that I suspect it’ll take a lot more than the “friendly policing” of one Climate Camp to persuade us, and more particularly protesters, that this isn’t just one more cynical ruse on their part.

In fact it came as little surprise to me to discover the low-profile approach being adopted by the cops at Climate Camp. What truly did surprise me though was the degree to which that approach had been implemented.

Following the widespread public debate on the policing of protest (prompted in no small part, though it galls me to admit it, by The Guardian… though not overlooking the stirling efforts of the Climate Camp legal team either) it would have been rather surprising had the police not implemented some sort of “softly softly” approach.

If nothing else its an indication of their acknowledgement that public perception of their role is important insofar as it can impact their ability to “do the job”.
In this context I found it most telling that the HMIC review into public order policing observed:

“We are in an age where consent cannot be assumed and policing, including public order policing, should be designed to win the consent of the public”

p42 ch4 “Police Preparation and Planning for G20″ from the HMIC Review into Policing Protest pub. 7 July 2009

As far as I can determine this is the first real indication there’s been that folk in the mainstream are finally waking up to the fact that the so-often used excuse rolled out by the police to justify their excesses (acting “by public consent”) is of course a complete nonsense… as I first observed in an article way back in October 2006.

Consequently I was fully anticipating a much reduced police presence at Climate Camp.
Something along the lines of maybe 50-100 cops, possibly in hiviz jackets and wearing the traditional bobby helmets, maintaining perhaps a fairly relaxed loose cordon around the site. (And minus the blanket stops & searches of course!)

What I wasn’t expecting was an almost complete absence of visible police presence… though no doubt they were all there, waiting in the wings, just out of sight somewhere.
What I actually saw were a couple of police vans (one of which, so I was informed, was a mobile police station… that was apparently withdrawn at some stage as “not being needed”!) a cop car or two floating by occasionally, and a CCTV-bearing cherrypicker overlooking the campsite from a local TA centre (I think).

An occasional and very casual two-officer patrol outside the Camp’s perimeter, and periodic visits from the cops’ Silver Commander and entourage.

And that was about it for the campsite itself, for the entire duration of its stay.

An off-site protest at Barclays Bank, Canary Wharf on Friday 28th was unusual in experiencing a similar lack of the boys in blue (as I’ve described in Part III of this little series).

The march from Trafalgar Square to BP and thence onward to the Shell Centre (on Tuesday 1st September) saw a rather heightened police presence, but still not to the excessive level that previous Camps have experienced. And no riot cops in evidence… or none that I saw at least!

Moreover, wherever interactions between cops and protesters occurred it appeared they were conducted in a far more civilised manner than has become the norm in recent years.

My understanding is that there were some scuffles at the RBS protest. I don’t know. I wasn’t there. Nor do I have any knowledge of incidents that may have occurred elsewhere.
Certainly as far as the events I attended were concerned (Barclays Bank, BP, and Shell etc) nothing really untoward occurred. A bit of graffiti at Barclays, a letter “S” removed from the fascia at Shell.
And I doubt any of the incidents (even at RBS) would have merited any higher level of policing than was actually deployed.

In fact, according to Chief Superintendant Helen Ball, there had been only one arrest in seven days, and police were hailing their approach a “success”… as though it were some sort of victory.

Nothing of the sort!

If anything, whatever lack of conflict situations and incidents may be attributable to the de-escalation of the police stance simply serves to underline how entirely disproportionate previous protest policing has been.
It also lends considerable weight to the claim often put forward by protesters, and indeed that I’ve witnessed myself, that many “incidents” are directly attributable to police provocation in one form or another.

One fairly predictable consequence of the lack of confrontation between protesters and police was an increasing loss of interest in the Camp by the mainstream media.
This is something of a mixed blessing. Whilst on the one hand “negative” press coverage of the Camp and related events is obviously not welcomed, on the other hand media attention is of course necessary if the real message of the Camp is to reach a wider audience.

It remains to be seen whether this new-style policing was a one-off occurrence, specific to the Climate Camp and Camp-related protests, or whether it will be adopted for other protests too.

Nor am I persuaded that this change in approach has been adopted for the right reasons. I suspect it derives more from a concern about image and public relations than it does from a recognition that the way in which protests such as G20 and Kingsnorth were policed was, quite simply, fundamentally wrong… far more suited to some petty dictatorship or fascist regime than a supposedly “free and democratic” society.

Which, in the longer term, suggests there may well be a sneaky return to violent and repressive-style policing once the dust from G20 etc has finally settled.

I hope I’m wrong.

Part I | Part II | Part III

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Posted By fotdmike on September 17, 2009

Whatever happened to our cherished Police State dammit? Carry on like this and we won’t have anything to complain about.

Continuing with observations on this year’s Climate Camp at Blackheath, London, 26th August to 2nd September

Actions

Although Tuesday (1st September) was being generally regarded as the principal day of action it wasn’t really a case of there being a single major action in which everyone could participate (unlike previous Camps), but rather a number of smaller actions all on the same day.

The Climate Camp website has details of what seem to have been the principal ones that occurred on the Tuesday, with photos of the action at RBS on London Indymedia.

I was up bright and early that morning (well, not so sure about the “bright” bit, but earlyish certainly) to accompany a group to the demo outside BP protesting against the mining for oil contained in tar sands at Alberta in Canada.
Three busloads of us left the Camp to reassemble at Trafalgar Square some 40 minutes later, which is where we encountered first indications that the cops may have been slightly interested in us… though still nowhere near the presence that customarily marks such protests.

And of course there were the inevitable FIT (police Forward Intelligence Teams).

Onward then to BP, via a couple of stops en route.

After a few speeches, some rousing music, and a photo-op laid on for the sudden appearance of a tv crew, the protesters slowly organised themselves and moved off once more. Destination… Shell!

A march marked by one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve ever had in this sort of situation. Bizarre not just in what happened, but also in the fact that it happened several times!
At a number of road junctions where it seemed there was some uncertainty about which way the protesters should proceed, I overheard the senior cop asking of one of the protesters in the lead “Which way would you like to go?”
At one point I was sorely tempted to point out to him that he was supposed to be a nasty brutal bully dictating what the marchers couldn’t do, not politely asking them what they’d like to do.
Whatever happened to our cherished Police State dammit? Carry on like this and we won’t have anything to complain about.

Finally arrive at Shell then, for a demo in support of the Shell to Sea and Rossport campaigners.
And with Shell Centre becoming rapidly transformed, courtesy of the efforts of one intrepid protester, into Hell Centre.

There were of course other actions and events occurring throughout the week.

The one that I found the most inspiring was a very minor action in the grand scheme of things but, to my mind, huge in symbolic significance.

Apparently some of the campers had discovered a “litter trove” in nearby heath- and woodland… empty beer cans, bottles, sundry trash and even more unmentionable stuff. Discarded by who knows whom, but almost certainly none of the campers.
So someone had the bright idea of trekking out to clean up this mess (or some of it at least) as a sort of service to the local community. A small party’s hastily assembled then, just before setting off, someone has another bright idea: “Let’s take some Camp photographers along with us.” So a couple of us photographer types are invited to document the expedition.

Recovering our host community’s detritus for recycling has gotta be worth a couple of pics at least. So that’s what we did.

And as for events being worth a couple of pics, let’s not forget the Kids’ Picnic, held in Greenwich Park on Monday afternoon.
It made a refreshing and enjoyable change to have the freedom to photograph kids without being regarded as some sort of perv (such is the sorry state of photography in this country; or, more accurately perhaps, the paranoia cultivated by the mainstream media).

The good spirits of all were buoyed by the brilliant weather, possibly the best day weather-wise of the entire week. And no-one was in the least put out by a sneaky police presence (car pulls up, three photographers instantly start to snap it from three different positions, car pulls away!).

And the event was rounded off nicely when a local resident collars us to explain how impressed she is with the Camp and the vitally important message its trying so hard to communicate.

No talk of this year’s Camp actions would of course be complete without mentioning the march to, and demonstration outside, Barclays Bank at Canary Wharf.
Yet another event rendered surreal by the almost complete absence (well, visibly at least) of police.

Party sets off from Camp and marches down a hill toward Greenwich station. I’m at the front along with a lot of other photographer-types (where we all seem to spend much more time obscuring each others’ shots than achieving anything more constructive).

First indication I get that the police may be mildly interested consists of a sighting of a cop 4×4 (or something along those lines) parked across from the bottom of the hill.

But no sooner had the bulk of the marchers emerged into view than, lo and behold, the police vehicle moves off. Unbelievable!

A quick train ride to Canary Wharf then, where everyone piles out and heads toward the buildings complex.
Access to one of the buildings (don’t ask me which… by this time I was completely clueless as to whereabouts and was just following everyone else) was intially denied by plain-clothes security types then, seemingly for no apparent reason, they backed off and the marchers crowded into, and through, the building to finally emerge at another exit.

I’m not entirely certain of the intention behind this manoeuvre, or what it actually achieved, but for me it was a clear pointer that both police and other security people had received instructions to “lay off” and to maintain a very low profile.

This impression was confirmed once the marchers reached Barclays Bank where a lively demonstration proceeded unhindered… and, it has to be said, not resulting in any broken windows, thrown bottles, bloodied noses, or even frayed tempers.
About the “worst” that happened was a little bit of (easily removed) graffiti.

The marchers finally set off for a tour around Canary Wharf, ending up… well, I’m not entirely sure where precisely.

And the totally unreal absence of massed cops was maintained throughout.

To be continued

Part I | Part II | Part IV

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Posted By fotdmike on September 5, 2009

Climate Camp welcomes sincere enquirers. Folk that genuinely want to learn about the issues involved, to understand them, and to play their part in actually doing something positive instead of just disparaging those who care enough to make the effort.

Continuing with observations on this year’s Climate Camp at Blackheath, London, 26th August to 2nd September

Setup

To work then. In my case (being part of the Camp Documentation Team; in theory at least, given that we didn’t seem to have fully got our act together. Not knocking that though as my involvement in the preliminary group planning had been practically non-existent) entailing wandering around a bit and grabbing a few pics of the site being set up.

At this stage, notwithstanding the Camp’s pre-announced media policy (an extremely contentious topic about which I have no intention of commenting… not yet at least) there were masses of mainstream media types milling about, such that there were probably more photographers, videographers, and other press people than there were campers!

That’s all right then. Let’s all just take photographs of each other shall we?

One little bit of excitement was the arrival on-site of the cops! Well, two actually. The “Silver Commander” Superintendent Julia Pendry (she of Heathrow Camp fame) and… er… sidekick.

Quickly secreted away in a tent for a sociable chat (complete with cup of tea) with (I presume) the Camp’s Police Liaison Team, said tent had to be guarded by a number of volunteers lest some of the more voluble campers invaded the space and forcibly ejected even this significantly scaled down police presence.
And of course to keep the gathered media types at bay.

Although it was only a handful of campers that were expressing their resentment of “cops on site” in rather colourful language they were undoubtedly giving voice to feelings shared to a greater or lesser extent by many of the folk involved with the Camp.

However, despite the noisy complaints, the meeting passed without incident and the pair left the site, joining a few of their colleagues waiting beyond the now fully erected fencing.

To avoid future unpleasant situations subsequent meetings with Pendry & Co were held in a little area specially set up for such sociable occasions, just outside the Camp’s perimeter.

Come evening and I attend my first Camp meeting.

These Camps are notorious for their meetings; I’m convinced they even have meetings about whether or not to have a meeting.
Meetings, meetings, and yet more meetings. This year though I’ve managed to avoid most of them by virtue of being too busy trying to earn a living.

But this one (fortunately not as large as the one pictured above) was a meeting of the Media Team, of which Camp Documentation was a part (at least, I guessed it was) so no choice really.
Just as well I did for it seemed I was the only photographer present and there were a couple of minor matters re the Documentation Team specifically that needed clarifying.

After that, and with the weather not being especially pleasant (chilly, windy, drizzly), I decided I’d best take myself off into the village to visit the local hostelries.
(Ulterior motives: (a) check out the locals to assess their reaction to our presence, and (b) hunt for food! As regards the latter, found a local chippie whose fare was quite amazingly expensive… but also amazingly tasty!)

Camp Life

As in previous Camps there was no shortage of activities with which folk could engage.

Climate Camps, for the length of their stay, become practically a village in their own right. Definitely a community, and moreover a community that is almost self-sufficient.

Virtually all the infrastructure and services that one would expect to find in a community are there, although obviously there are some that depend upon “the outside”… but that’s simply because the Camps (so far at least) don’t last much longer than a week or so.
Thus they can’t, for example, start growing their own crops for food, or provide their own water, or set up any serious manufacturing etc. But most else (power, communications, communal areas, cinema, kitchens, toilets, legal or medical assistance, and of course site security) is soon established and functioning.

None of this relies upon some hidden or employed workforce but is entirely dependent upon the voluntary involvement of the campers themselves.
Participating in this is a tremendously empowering experience, and a true testament to the ability of folk to work together, side by side very often with complete strangers, in pursuit of a shared objective.
A super lesson also in self-responsibility. Taking responsibility for one’s own actions and environment and not just relying upon someone else for things to simply “get done”. Awesome!

Then there are the workshops. The chance to acquire new skills, or learn about the issues relating to, and the science behind, climate change.

Having returned home, I discovered some of the comments that had been posted on a local (local to Blackheath that is) news website following the setting up of the Camp.

Here’s a few typical examples:

“And will these environmental warriors have the decency to clean up the environment when they leave?….and pigs will fly too!”

and

“Climate change is crap, it isn’t happening. And contary to popular (?) belief the polar ice cap is prety much the same as it was 50 years ago. Some times it melts a bit then it re freezes as its always done. This camp is just another excuse to protest and look ‘cool’ go and do something that will really help your country……..GET A JOB!”

and again

“They probably couldn’t afford to pay for a camping site holiday and thought ‘lets camp on Blackheath Common’. Are toilets going to be set up for them??? or did they bring their buckets?
They probably won’t clean up the rubbish after they have used the area, but whoose [sic] going to clean up the ‘toilet’ remains?? the rats??”

and finally

“Another bunch of middle class gap year students who fancy doing something a bit craaaaazy This is exciting, isn’t it? NOT”

Talk of ill-informed stereotyping and just plain ignorance. Perhaps if such commenters spent less time parading their personal prejudices and utter lack of understanding, making instead some effort to visit a Climate Camp, engage with the campers, and actually learn something about the issues involved they wouldn’t be quite so hasty in making complete fools of themselves by publishing their laughably ridiculous comments.

For that’s the thing y’see.

Climate Camp welcomes sincere enquirers. Folk that genuinely want to learn about the issues involved, to understand them, and to play their part in actually doing something positive instead of just disparaging those who care enough to make the effort.

“Doing something positive”. That’s the other dimension to Climate Camp activities.
Camp life isn’t just about attending to the multitude of practical day-to-day jobs. Its also an opportunity to learn about, and participate in, “direct action”.
Ways to raise awareness of the issues, and ways to put pressure on politicians and corporations.

Campers want to share their skills, their knowledge, their experiences. This sharing is one of the true hallmarks of a Climate Camp, and has been so noticeable at every one I’ve attended. And this most recent, at Blackheath, was no exception.

On top of all that Climate Camp’s also a fun place to be. Generally folk are good-humoured, more open, friendlier. Its an introduction to a different, less oppressive, and probably healthier, lifestyle with a far stronger sense of community and “belonging”.
And, I have to say, despite the many irritations and stresses that can accompany Camp life so too are there highly humourous moments, sprinkled throughout like currants in a bun.

To be continued

Part I | Part III | Part IV

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