Climate Camp aren't impressed and have declined Plod's request for advance notice of the address of the new super-secret action base:
Monday, 24 August 2009
No thanks, Coppers
The police have been roundly criticised, including by their own investigations teams, for their handling of legal protests - they've beaten, harassed and maliciously arrested innocent people. So they're on a charm offensive, and are running a slick PR campaign which claims that all those nasty male coppers wading in boots-first are going to be replaced with nice mumsy officers bearing cups of tea for thirsty sloganeers.
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4 comments:
LMAO very very good response. Measured, calm and forthright. Love it.
Very funny indeed. My favourite line was "as for health and safety - there will be great food, water and organic compost" I'm sure that will all be very useful if a fire breaks out or if someone has a heart attack.
And yes they may liase with locals but they are also taking over their only green space. Whether Climate Camp like it or not many residents will be intimidated by the site and will be forced out of their own park.
Nice photos though. Smiley happy people. I'm not totally sure how being a smug middle class version of the Quakers is going to solve global warming mind you.
The tactics of the police and the actions of several officers were wrong at G20 and previous Climate Camps has been wrong but I have to admit that had I been at the recording of that self-satisfied voice over and had coincidentally been holding a metal baton...
Perhaps if all those people set up a company that helped create community based food and energy projects or promoted locally sourced foods and fabrics instead of sitting in a field listening to each others acoustic versions of Jamiroqai B-sides the world would be a better place.
Videos like this are pretty silly. Would it not be better to rise above such one-up-manship. Why try to claim the moral highground when you already have it? Why not try and cooperate with the police? (who have already said that they will police this Climate Camp differently)
I'm saying all this in the wrong place aren't I? Sorry. I just don't get the point of Climate Camp at all.
Oh Benjamin, it's just a little wind-up. You know how I feel about hippies, but you're being a teensy bit negative about this - demonstrations and public protest have their place: such as the Poll Tax riots. By the way, you seem to know where the camp will be - do you?
As to the police - I think they will tone down their approach, but they're also becoming skilled at PR, so I wouldn't take everything they say at face value.
Will the police help much with a heart attack or fire? Tomlinson wouldn't think so. The ambulance service and fire service will no doubt respond as promptly as they always do.
Doubtless the camp won't solve climate change - but nor will letting the issue slip from peoples' consciousnesses. Give the hippies a break!
No fuck the hippies. This is exactly my point. The issue isn't slipping from people's conciousnesses. EVERYONE knows that recycling is essential but there are no facilities to recycle the majority of plastic types. EVERYONE knows that oil is running out and we have no alternatives lined up behind it (not that they do no exist - they are just not ready). Awareness is no longer the issue.
If all you are doing is promoting something that people already know about then you have ceased to be a campaigner and you have become an advertiser.
Those people who climbed onto the power station chimney. They are real campaigners. They should be national heroes. These happy clappy campers are achieving nothing.
Oh and also... The fire brigade and ambulance crews - same response as to a house or a legally organised festival such as Glastonbury or Creamfields? How exactly will a paramedic team know where on the site they are going.
Admitedly they will probably be able to get a decent falafal while they look.
Please try to remember that hippies are tories.
Demonstation and protest are vital but I'm not sure this camp is either.
Finally-ish if I did know where the camp was I can guarantee the first person I would call would be her majestys constabulary.
We have only one planet and several million joss sticks. There is no reason in the universe why we should allow either to burn.
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