The Metropolitan Police have closed
Fitwatch:
Here's their last post:
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Resisting the Forward Intelligence Teams – the cops who harass protesters
Fitwatch website has been suspended for “attempting to pervert the course of justice” after host were contacted by the Met. Pass On PLEASE This is all we know at this time.. If you saved know any one who saved any content please please get in touch..
The Blog was suspended on request of Acting Detective Inspector Will Hodgeson from CO11 as part of Op Malone.
The cops always give fucking stupid names to their operations to find rioters so in the tradition of OPERATION CARNABY to find the poll tax rioters the hunt for the Millbank rioters is named OPERATION MALONE. Private Eye had it right in the 80s when they named the police operation that led to the Brixton riots OPERATION WOGSMASHER.
More information and new web address to follow soon.
Fitwatch – e-mail: info@fitwatch.org
http://webcache.googleusercontent.co…client=mozilla
After last weeks events at Millbank during the student demonstrations fitwatch.com published some advice for those worried they had appeared in the press and may face arrest. The piece called Beating police repression after the student occupation can be read on this blog http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com and now, thanks to the bungling Met a growing number of sites across the internet.
The piece has been removed and the fitwatch site closed down on request of Acting Detective Inspector Will Hodgeson from http://twitter.com/#!/CO11MetPolice. Early reports suggest that this was happened due to a request from the police to the site’s host complaining the site by be involved in perverting the cause of justice. This is a worrying development. Whilst we will doubtless know more tomorrow, as yet it does not seem a Court Order had been issued which means the filth are now bullying internet hosting companies into removing material which upsets them. The Police say they requested #fitwatch domain hosts – JustHost.com you mean intimidated them to take it down.
The good news is that the offending piece can be found at:
http://dirt.thevacuumcleaner.co.uk/2010/11/beating-police-repression-after-student.html
http://norfolknonaligned.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/beating-police-repression-after-the-student-occupation/
http://bryanspygar.blogspot.com/2010/11/beating-police-repression-after-student.html
http://truth-reason-liberty.blogspot.com/2010/11/police-take-fitwatch-down-as-they-go-on.html
http://barnsdale.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/fitwatch-suspended-time-for-solidarity-make-sure-the-students-are-well-advised
http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/sussex-university-occupied/
The remarkable and brilliant student action at Millbank has produced some predictable frothing at the mouth from the establishment and right wing press. Cameron has called for the ‘full weight of the law’ to fall on those who had caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage to the expensive decor at Tory party HQ. Responsibility is being placed on ‘a violent faction’, after the march was ‘infiltrated’ by anarchists.
There are an encouraging number of intiatives to show solidarity with the arrested students – something that is vital if they are to avoid the sort of punitive ‘deterrent’ sentences handed out to the Gaza demonstrators. A legal support group has been established and the National Campaign against Cuts and Fees has started a support campaign. Goldsmiths lecturers union has publicly commended the students for a ‘magnificent demonstration’ .
This is all much needed, as the establishment is clearly on the march with this one. The Torygraph has published an irresponsible and frenzied ‘shop-a-student’ piece and the Met are clearly under pressure to produce ‘results’ after what they have admitted was a policing ‘embarrassment’.
51 people have been arrested so far, and the police have claimed they took the details of a further 250 people in the kettle using powers under the Police Reform Act. There may be more arrests to come.
Students who are worried should consider taking the following actions:
If you have been arrested, or had your details taken – contact the legal support campaign. As a group you can support each other, and mount a coherent campaign.
If you fear you may be arrested as a result of identification by CCTV, FIT or press photography;
DONT panic. Press photos are not necessarily conclusive evidence, and just because the police have a photo of you doesn’t mean they know who you are.
DONT hand yourself in. The police often use the psychological pressure of knowing they have your picture to persuade you to ‘come forward’. Unless you have a very pressing reason to do otherwise, let them come and find you, if they know who you are.
DO get rid of your clothes. There is no chance of suggesting the bloke in the video is not you if the clothes he is wearing have been found in your wardrobe. Get rid of ALL clothes you were wearing at the demo, including YOUR SHOES, your bag, and any distinctive jewellery you were wearing at the time. Yes, this is difficult, especially if it is your only warm coat or decent pair of boots. But it will be harder still if finding these clothes in your flat gets you convicted of violent disorder.
DONT assume that because you can identify yourself in a video, a judge will be able to as well. ‘That isn’t me’ has got many a person off before now.
DO keep away from other demos for a while. The police will be on the look-out at other demos, especially student ones, for people they have put on their ‘wanted’ list. Keep a low profile.
DO think about changing your appearance. Perhaps now is a good time for a make-over. Get a haircut and colour, grow a beard, wear glasses. It isn’t a guarantee, but may help throw them off the scent.
DO keep your house clean. Get rid of spray cans, demo related stuff, and dodgy texts / photos on your phone. Don’t make life easy for them by having drugs, weapons or anything illegal in the house.
DO get the name and number of a good lawyer you can call if things go badly. The support group has the names of recommended lawyers on their site. Take a bit of time to read up on your rights in custody, especially the benefits of not commenting in interview.
DO be careful who you speak about this to. Admit your involvement in criminal damage / disorder ONLY to people you really trust.
DO try and control the nerves and panic. Waiting for a knock on the door is stressful in the extreme, but you need to find a way to get on with business as normal.
Otherwise you’ll be serving the sentence before you are even arrested.
The role of the police is not to “keep the peace,” or even to “uphold the law.” It is to ensure that the balance of power is maintained and that dissent remains containable and controllable. If our goal is to resist the attacks upon our class, rather than simply appear to do so, then we must also resist police repression and show solidarity with all who suffer it.
As well as UK indymedia, Bristol indymedia and Scotland indymedia as well as being linked to on facebook pages, republished in forums etc.
And of course google.
All in just two hours, please join in, republish and show the Met the internet will not be censored. Add links to anywhere else you’ve spotted it in the comments below.
Fitwatch have said they ain’t going fucking anywhere and will be back online soon, in the meantime you can catch them on facebook
this post can also be found here:
The article that apparently disturbed the cops so much can now be found on the following sites…
projectsheffield.wordpress.com
dirt.thevacuumcleaner.co.uk
norfolknonaligned.wordpress.com
bryanspygar.blogspot.com
truth-reason-liberty.blogspot.com
barnsdale.wordpress.com
johhnyvoid.wordpress.com
policestate.co.uk
libcom.org
permanentrevolution.net
urban75.net
bristle.wordpress.com
cambridgeanarchists.wordpress.com
edinburghanarchists.noflag.org.uk
isle-of-avalon.co.uk
blog.voyou.org
thanks to http://fitwatch.tiltingatwindmills.org.uk/2010/11/16/more-on-the-fitwatch-website-closure/
here's one of the images that was widely used: as you can see, it looks like a bunch of masked hoodlums out for a bit of 'bovver'. however, i think things are not what they seem. it may be that some young people smashed up a police vehicle: but why was it left there? where are the other vans? why was it left unattended right in the path of a demo?
in the Guardian, this was originally captioned something like "Protesters try to stop a ploice van from moving", since changed to the more accurate "Students in London try to stop a police van from being attacked". the young people in this picture probably know what any sensible activist knows: that violence tends to alienate the very people you've got common ground with. that's why the road protestors in the mid-90s were almost never violent: they stood their ground, often with a struggle, but didn't use violence in the process. eventually, even the right-wing the press couldn't keep printing crap about them - the lies didn't work, and the protestors gained widespread sympathy, including in arch-Tory organs like the Telegraph and, believe it or not, Country Life.
five pretty young women pose for the camera with their fashion accessories in perfect order. what was the demo to them? did it turn into their chance for catwalk fame? they're not exactly dressed for a demo on what was a chilly day - and i wonder if they've brought their make-up with them?