Paperwork

Years ago I think in 2002 I went to the May Day protests. It was the year the police closed in a group of people, some tourist even at the crossroads of Regent and Oxford street. I was about 100 yards from where that happened. I was there to video document, not to protest or riot. I shot the riot police standing in a row and was right in front. Everytime there was a little thing thrown or a slight disturbance the riot police, like a wall would barge forward with their shields with force. I got caught in the line a few times and bolted it like everyone else. The clothing store, C&A used to have a little ‘roof’ protruding from it’s store front to around the corner and quite a few people had gotten up there. I thought to get a better view and to avoid more pushing so I went up via the lamp post. There were quite a lot of riot police there and some police on horses. They were pushing the crowd towards Tottenham court road and it was quite rough at times. I recorded groups of people suddenly knocked over by horses and some people who were sitting peacefully, dragged along the road. When the riot police pushed the crown back, we had to get down. They took my video camera- and put it on the ground hard- in the process almost breaking it. I was heavy handily searched and told to ‘fuck off home’.

The next day I went back to Oxford/ Bond street (as I worked there at the time) and everything was back to normal like nothing had happened. Shoppers were going about their lives exactly where just the day before people were dragged and hit by other people with batons and shields. It was quite disconcerting.

I went the year after too. It was a much more festive protest this time. Almost boring. A friend who came with me had intentions to protest and maintained that all police had violent personalities and all had intentions of exacting authority and violence against citizens. I disagreed.

The recent G20 summit was hyped by the media and the police with aims to deter protestors turning up at all. Due to the heavy handedness at which the police had dealt with the May Day protests in the past, there has been an almost equal amount people with video cameras and press at the protests as protestors. The G20 protest, despite being threateningly ‘dangerous’, turned out to mild. There is the current investigation over the death of Ian Tomlinson who after police struck him- without provocation- to the floor- from behind- and later collapse down the street and died. Due to this case, there has been in the past weeks, a look into riot police practice and the unnecessary violence they exact upon an unarmed people.

The Guardian has this article with a number of videos illustrating this, including the one with the late Ian Tomlinson.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/15/g20-protest-police-videos-catalogue

When I get around to it, I will post a short video of the footage I took at the May Day protests I spoke of.

A number of years later I found out my best friend from primary school became a police officer. He was and still is a softly spoken, gentle person. Last time I saw him about 2 years ago, he had said that many people in the force, like, using force- they want to see and be in, some action. My friend said, he hated violence and preferred be doing the paperwork in the office and helping people.

- J