Alan Lodge's Blog

From: Indymedia UK

Subject: question re civil cam cops

hi tash, quick question re police surveillance camera operatives:

Last night several police officers from the Public Order Intelligence Unit, Scotland Yard, mounted an hour+ surveillance and intimidation operation outside of LARC (the London Activist resource Centre) in whitechappel, London.

An extra individual wearing a “POLICE” jacket with standard issue police camera

(+large flash bowl) took tons of pictures of people arriving at LARC or just passing by, inc. local residents.

People noted down a couple of their numbers…

But when it came to the chap with the camera, he said “Unlucky!” when someone looked for his number on his shoulder, and another officer said he was “a civillain photographer employed by the police”. They refused to answer any other questions about him inc. the question of whether he was therefore entitled to wear a police uniform jacket with the word “POLICE” on it, and whether that might constitute impersonating a police officer or not.

So…

essentially the question is – d’you know if this is standard practice? were they telling lies? or is this something they do because of some kind of loophole in the law or something?

Any feedback or explanations you might have would be appreciated, since this is the first time I have heard this line from the police, while others tell me this is a response they get often in these situations.

I’m very curious about this. regards,

1 of imc uk volunteers

www.indymedia.org.uk

So, I said the following by reply …….

Hello mr subversive…..

Yep, sounds like a ‘civilian staff’ man. I see adverts and articles for these jobs from time to time in the British Journal of Photography and Police Review. You need less qualification that I have got. Have applied a couple of times for the giggle, but no, they don’t like my CV.

The job description is basically forensics, ‘scenes of crime’, press office stuff and surveillance in public places. Not the ‘secret squirrel’ stuff that might be dangerous and undercover. That is still done be Detective Constables. Or, in riot situations, there are insurance reasons why that I done by uniformed police in ‘protective clothing’.

You are right to equate ‘surveillance and intimidation operations’ since one does lead to the other, and when done overtly, they know it!

But this is the layout of the law. Free society etc ….. in that it is allowed to take photographs of people in a public place. It is the basis on how :

* they get to photograph people, just in case, without evidence of wrongdoing.

* How the press get to carry on. [within the codes]

* How I [and video type folks] get to photograph them on operations!

The police jacket is a little more problematic though. Generally, when I’ve seen these chaps gadding about at a scene, they have ‘Photographer’ in large white letters [capital, helvetica], over blue background rectangle, on the yellow jacket. Officers tend to have ‘Evidence Gatherer’ as their label.

Not likely to succeed with ‘impersonating a police officer’. Since in the company of police officers. It might be he’d left his ‘proper jacket’ at home, and had borrowed one! Or, that is just how its done in London now.

Anyway, if your into the trouble. I would do one of three things, or all.

* Take the photo or video you’ve got of the gezzer to solicitor on legal aid work, or even citizens advice for a bit of research around it. Then with a view to complaint. As I understand it you don’t have a complaint. It just that I takes a great deal of police time, exchange of papers etc., and sometimes things ‘bubble up’, while investigating the circumstances. See what I mean …

* Make a complaint directly to the police, quoting the numbers you do have for witnesses, and accuse the geezer you about here, of not identify himself after you’ve had ‘dealings’ with him, in the street. As I understand it, police ‘must’ identify themselves if asked to do so. His jacket says he was police … so there is trouble to be had there!

* AND get as many individuals from the event as you can to get £10 together, and apply for the video, photographs and CCTV? Under the Data Protection Act. [done this a few times now, and they hate it!]. Wont help you identify this chap, just winds them up and being on their case.

Oh, the other explanation is that he is a ‘real one’ from the intelligence services and that you really are suspected of some dark deeds. [you may feel honoured to attract such attention].

Hope some of this explains. Do cause time wasting trouble back. Makes all feel better, than just being victims eh?

Wot Free Festivals? A further rant, from Tash

Personally, I come from a free festivals and travelling background. New Age Travellers etc.

A number of sayings have helped guide my life over time. Like….

Bring what you expect to find?

If no you, who?

If not now, when?

If not here, where?

In sum, this means self-reliance. It means gigs are ALWAYS better, when people attending don’t just attend , but are a main part of the act. It is obvious to all those there, when this magic happens.

This is actually where I came in. 1972 Windsor, Stonehenge etc….. These were my motives then and remain so now.

Of course the authorities have difficulty with a system that means they are not in sole charge, hence all the law and violence since the Beanfield etc……

Over time, I have been involved I raising awareness about the law changes and their implications to us all.

· Public Order Act 1986

· Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994

· Noise Act

· Barry Legg MP: Places of Entertainments (Increased Penalty) Act

· Security Services Act

And now all the Acts that have been going through parliament – with the words

“conduct by a large number of persons in pursuit of a common purpose” being a new definition of serious crime!!!

With the new definition of serious crime, that enable the use of some ‘heavier’ police departments to be applied against us. And will be the end of all the RTS and similar gigs.

Shame eh?

Now, in ‘rave mode’, I have spent time with the Velvet Revolution and All Systems gigs, I had written ‘Sound Advice’ and the ‘Right to Party’ – to try and raise these matters in peoples minds.

Well, we have lost each of the matters I’m on about here. Whoever you vote for, the government gets in!

What I am absolutely positive about though, is that people involved in the scene,

DID NOT DO ENOUGH ABOUT ANY OF IT AS IT HAPPENED AND NOW IS STILL GOING ON.

People have to realise that self-interest and their own immediate happiness ( hedonism?), is not enough to make a festival, party rave, traveller site, gathering.

Important, but not enough.

Some folks on reading this will have been too young, to have had any objection to these changes as they have happened over recent years. But many others of you will have been.

The way parties are now organised, between those trying to conform with some pretty onerous conditions, (ie half to 2/3 of a ticket price to ‘self-police’ and pay for your own public order management and drug search.!) and those involved with the ‘free’ end of things but at continued ‘personal’ rather than ‘sheared’ risks.

This division is of course orchestrated by the other side.

This old hippy / raver? Is now of the opinion that folk have now got the party they deserve.

Discuss……..

Love. Tash

Wrote this a while ago now, and it has done the rounds, causing a little controversy 🙂

It has just been posted on the PartyVibe site at: http://www.partyvibe.com/articles/tash.htm

It is not just ‘parties’ of course, that i’m moaning about here, but festivals at large, and the ‘gathering’ at Stonehenge. Quite disappointed in the way, folks seem to have settled for the scene, as it now is … Ho Humm…..

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_10_13_tash_lodge_archive.html#83034092

http://www.partyvibe.com/articles/the_stonehenge_situation.htm

Very Windy

Am near River Trent at Clifton, Nottingham. Levels up, but not flooded. Very Windy. strong gusts. A few trees down. really overcast though, so no good pictures. Ordinance Survey reff: SK535345

There is a conservation project going on down here. Some work by BTCV.

Holme Pit Action Trust http://www.holmepit-sssi.org.uk

Graffiti

Have shot a lot of graffiti over the years, not much on my website, but will have to look into this. Anyway, was attracted to this piece. A few examples have just appeared in the Radford area of Nottingham

A fine sentiment, and thought it worth mentioning.

Kittens and ‘Scarey’ Flash animation

Do i recommend you check out this chaps work, such creativity …. !

Joel Veitch, 27, of rathergood.com is a freelance web maniac based in London. He gave the world the Frightened Boy animation, and the world was very scared.

“My mission is to destroy production values through swamping the online world with badly-polished graphics.” he says.

A Frightened Boy http://www.rathergood.com/vid

for those into to some rough music and like cats, this flash animation is for you ……

Show it to your kids, by all means, but NOT just before bedtime … !

http://www.rathergood.com/vines

These ones are rather good also …. [a little more ‘mild-mannered!]

http://www.rathergood.com/punk_kittens

http://www.rathergood.com/independent_woman

http://www.rathergood.com/kittens

http://www.rathergood.com/vikings

I fact, check out the whole of his blog at: http://www.rathergood.com You’ll be there for hours.

oh , and this one staring a pretty mad cow:

http://www.xtechnet.net/content/thunderriver/MadCow.swf

Clearly, skilled folks with nothing better to do.

Indymedia UK Wins New Media Award

http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=42918

In 1999 http://www.mcspotlight.org allegedly had their coverage of the J18 International Carnival Against Capital http://www.j18.org protests censored from the awards ceremony, as being unsuitable for the audience (see http://www.ntk.net /1999/07/02 ). Times seem to have changed with Indymedia now getting an award.

This year however the New Statesman mistakenly published the URL of Indymedia UK as http://www.indymedia.org – the address of the global IMC portal – in both their magazine and website, proving their expert grasp of new media. In the same week that the magazine’s awards were being announced Indymedia was being branded as a terrorist organisation by another magazine in Italy.

The presentation of the awards took place on October 1st at a fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference just days after the news that a police minister is taking steps to try and close down Melbourne Indymedia ahead of anti-WTO protests in November. Two Indymedia volunteers accepted the award and used the opportunity to highlight the increasing threats to free press and civil liberties and increasing political repression post September 11.

Detailing some of the attacks on Indymedia from around the world over the last year they wondered whether the support shown for Indymedia by Stephen Timms (E-commerce Minister) who presented the awards, and judges like Bill Edwards, the Director of the government’s e-Communications office, could be counted on if Indymedia UK is attacked by the police or state in the future. Observers said the politicians were very uncomfortable indeed not knowing where to look, and the speech received an enthusiastic response.

After the speech a number of trade union workers pledged their support for Indymedia and many others commended the project.

The occasion was also used to highlight Media Democracy Day on the 18th October and the growing mobilisations for the UN World Summit on Information Society in Geveva, Dec 2003.

Don’t Hate The Media – Be The Media! Reclaim Your Media!

Indymedia UK was Winner of the Advocacy Award, and was commended in the Online Communities Award, see:

http://www.newstatesman.co.uk/nma2002winners.htm

Media Democracy Day: http://www.mediademocracyday.org and in the UK http://www.mediademocracyday.org.uk

NEW MEDIA AWARDS 2002

WINNERS

from the New Statesman at:

http://www.newstatesman.co.uk/nma2002winners.htm

Another excellent list of high-quality finalists meant that choosing the 2002 winners was difficult, with very little in terms of quality between the top placings in many categories. Each of the finalists, websites, and especially the winners, deserves a visit if you would like get a taste of what is successful today in new media.

Overall Merit Award

Winner: www.ninelives.tv

Elected Representative Award

Winner: www.edwarddavey.co.uk

Commended: www.stevewebb.org.uk

Advocacy Award

Winner: http://uk.indymedia.org

Commendations: http://www.passport.panda.org

www.justgiving.com

Education Award

Winner: www.historyworld.net

Commendations: www.cheslynhay.org.uk

http://debatabase.org

Online Communities Award

Winner: www.friendsreunited.co.uk

Commendations: http://brookmans.com

http://uk.indymedia.org

e-Government Award

Winner: www.cheltenham.gov.uk

Commended: www.food.gov.uk

Established more than five years ago, New Media Awards continues to set the standards in new media. NMA 2003 plans to attract more new ideas, solutions and excellence in new media. If you would like to receive news of NMA 2003, please email newmedia@newstatesman.co.uk

Counter cultures

Have recommended Laurie Taylor to you, several times before, dear readers. This weeks show is another gem, and I thoughly commend it to you.

You can hear the show again, for the next 7 days at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/rams/thinkingallowed.ram

[Real Player needed]

Laurie Taylor talks to Barry Miles, a veteran of the era when students around the world really believed that all you needed was love to change the world. Miles founded the Indica Gallery where John Lennon met Yoko Ono, he saw the Albert Hall filled with Beat poets and wrote down his memories of the Sixties because Allen Ginsberg told him too.

They’ll be joined by cultural commentator Professor George McKay to discuss why, like the Cheshire cat, counter-culture comes and goes but never quite disappears.

Additional information

Professor George McKay

Cultural Studies Dept

University of Central Lancashire

Preston PR1 2HE

Tel: 01772 201201

George McKay

Senseless Acts of Beauty: Cultures of Resistance since the Sixties

Verso Books (1996)

ISBN: 1859840280

George McKay

DiY Culture: Party & Protest in Nineties Britain

Verso Books (1998)

ISBN: 1859842607

Social Movement Studies: Journal of Social, Cultural and Political Protest (Carfax)

Barry Miles

In the Sixties

Jonathan Cape

ISBN: 0224062409

Arthur Marwick

The Sixties

Oxford Paperbacks

ISBN: 0192881000

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/thinkingallowed.shtml?focuswin

I have supplied pictures for a couple of George McKay’s books.

‘Senseless Acts of Beauty: Cultures of Resistance since the Sixties’ has some of my work from Castlemorton. Also ‘Glastonbury: A Very English Fair’ has work of mine from over ten years of the festival.

Jail for PC filmed kicking and punching man being arrested

Martin Wainwright Saturday October 19, 2002 The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,814970,00.html

A police officer caught on video as he kicked and punched a man was jailed for two months yesterday, but left court on bail pending an appeal.

Members of PC Keith Empsall’s family burst into tears at Leeds magistrates court as a security guard prepared to handcuff the 42-year-old and take him down to the cells.

The warder stepped back when Empsall’s counsel, Paul Greaney, asked for bail for the officer, who has no previous convictions or disciplinary record during 24 years’ service. Empsall was convicted of common assault by Leeds magistrates last month.

District judge Christopher Darnton told the officer, who has been suspended from duty since the incident in June last year, that he had “wrestled” over four weeks to choose a sentence.

Empsall was filmed by a student in Wakefield, who heard a fracas in the street outside his flat. An earlier, three-day trial was shown footage of him laying into an apparently unresisting neighbour, Christopher Wilson, 27, and dragging him to a police van.

The court heard that the incident followed an attack by untraced men on the car of a man who had called to collect the belongings of Mr Wilson’s girlfriend, who had ended their relationship. Mr Wilson admitted spending the evening drinking, but denied being violent when the police arrived.

Judge Darnton said: “I accept that day in, day out, police officers have difficult tasks to perform – it is often a thin dividing line between what is and what is not unlawful. But in this case you have unlawfully transcended that line.

“This was an assault committed in a position of trust and I believe the public deserves more from a police officer.”

In mitigation, Greaney told Judge Darnton that Empsall had an “exemplary character”. A probation service report on him accepted he had been dealing with an “obstreperous and obstructive” person.

West Yorkshire police, who will dismiss Empsall if his appeal against conviction fails, said: “It is a matter of regret when one of its officers is held to have fallen below the high standards expected of them.”

Here is the collected info about the backgroud to this story.

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_09_15_tash_lodge_archive.html#81869164

I go into all this, since I think this and the american cases, described, show the value of getting ‘proper evidence’, and how hard it is for courts to ignore. Again, a main reason for my interest in photography.

BBC report on the students video

“Student’s video ‘catches police attack'”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,526978,00.html

Photographic technique Red Filter 25A

As you can see from some of these entries, I like walking in wild places, and taking landscape photographs …… another means of expression, of who I am, I suppose.

Mostly, I do colour transparency, wide angle [20mm] with a polarizer filter. My treatment of Black and white landscape technique though, is different to every other subject I’m interested in.

I shoot almost exclusively with a red 25A filter, to add a shovel-load of drama to a photograph. At least a third and sometimes two thirds of an image, is of the sky. Without adjustment, this ends up over-exposed, resulting in a huge white space. And leads to quite uninteresting work really!

A red filter, darkens blue considerably, and hence adds contrast to the scene, accentuating the clouds, beautifully. With traditional printing technique [ie: in the darkroom], it means a print is a lot easier to make, without excessive need for the dodging in of the sky.

Now, with digital photography, there is a convergence between these techniques and materials.

This picture here was shot on colour slide. Fuji Provia 100asa 35mm. You can see the full colour version, in the previous blog entry, below. However, have just learned this technique. After scanning image in the usual way. Can now make a black and white image as if shot using a 25A red filter, derived from a colour transparency.

Open in PhotoShop. Go to Image > Adjust > Channel Mixer.

Channel Mixer dialog box opens, sliders add or subtract colour from each colour channel. Click the monochrome option.

Then, adjust slider to the following values:

Red +200

Green 000

Blue -100

Exposure can then be lightly adjusted using the ‘Constant’ Slider. Contrast can be tweaked, in the brightness & contrast slider dialogue as usual.

So long as ‘all’ the values add up to 100, image will be adjusted without any loss of highlight or shadow detail.

Earlier examples of the technique, with some pictures of Snowdinia last month.

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_09_15_tash_lodge_archive.html#81683594

A wander around Mam Tor – Derbyshire Peak District.

This post, via my WAP phone

Now at OS map SK112833 [sheet 110]. On the ridge 3miles south of Edale. Started walking from the odin mine road SK135834, via Mam Tor and on the the Rushup Edge Ridge. Blight blue sky 5 mins ago. Then a black cloud just went over and quite windy, so now horizontal rain. Now progressed to sleet and hail. This is not so nice, now ….. !

So, am hiding behind this rock, blogging via WAP, till all this weather, finishes ……!

http://www.streetmap.co.uk

Some earlier wanderings in the Peaks:

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_09_22_tash_lodge_archive.html#82233320

The Observer – Drugs Uncovered Series:

Money Problems:

“Wendy buys a gram of coke for £60.

She splits it into four equal piles.

Later, she sells each wrap to her ‘friends’ for £20 each.

How much does she make from the deal?”

Relating fractions to division:

“Peter invites two friends over to snort some speed.

He chops the powder into eight lines.

Each of them snorts two lines each.

They each get ______ of the speed.

How can Peter split what’s left so everybody gets

one more line?”

Observer ad, for series:

Drugs and the under14’s

Blimey, whatever next?

“In the terror trap” – What are we doing?

A couple of quotes from Timothy Garton Ash article in the Guardian this thursday…… “In the terror trap” Think it very informative, and I commend it to you.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,813115,00.html

“We’ve given up far to many freedoms

in order to be free”.

John le Carre

[a last epiphany of spymaster George Smiley]

&

“To make this choice is to accept a risk: more liberty, less security. But the balance in this case is clear.

Erring on the other side, we would sacrifice too much liberty for too little added security.

Put it like this: I would rather take a one in 10,000 chance of being blown up by a terrorist than a one in 10 chance of having my emails read by a spook”.

Timothy Garton Ash

Thursday October 17, 2002

Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,813115,00.html

TEST from Nottingham Central library. I am browsing in the computer section with a view for networking information. What I’m also interested in is the abilty to get information, via my WAP phone from the library catalogue and Dewey Decimal numbers for ‘navigation’ purposes. Then, to record my ‘finds’ and useful info to this blog, for later retrieval and access. Cool eh?

This .pdf from Hampshire Library Service, gives you an idea of my meaning:

http://website.lineone.net/~literary/epi%20aug%202000.pdf

all discussed earlier at:

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_09_29_tash_lodge_archive.html#82535131

Wapblogger

Wapblogger: a service that allows me to post to my blog, Via my WAP phone. I like to do this from out and about, walking over mountains. I find it an aid, to corolate my landscape photography, when I get home.

I can do this, because of this service,

web : http://www.ubique.ch/wapblogger/

wap : http://wap.ubique.ch/wapblogger/ [in a WAP emulator]

I include these piccys of my phone to explain further: Dialing up the service at http://wap.ubique.ch/wapblogger, I then enter user and password, same as if adding to blog on computer. Then presented with a box, similar to making an SMS text message. Don’t have to keep a ‘live connection’ [to expensive!] while entering text. When finished, dial-up again, log and send, Then a confirmation message appears, confirming the upload.

Here is a message, I’ve just uploaded: “This message is to show how to upload from a WAP phone to my blog.” You can see the begining of the entry, on the WAP phone here.

* * * * *

WAP to Blogger interfacing.

wapblogger is a WAP interface to popular weblog tools Blogger, LiveJournal and any other weblog-style tool supporting the XML-RPC Blogger API.

To post to a weblog with a WAP enabled cell phone!

This is the URL ‘form’ as a guide :>

http://wap.ubique.ch/wapblogger/wb.pl?u=USER&p=PASS&b=BLOGID&a=post

blog info :>

USER username

PASS password

BLOGID blog number [7 digit]

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_tash_lodge_archive.html#79474162

* * * * *

Further help on all this, from:

Wapblogger FAQ

http://www.ubique.ch/wapblogger/faq.htm

This is the very first message, by these means, back in July:

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_tash_lodge_archive.html#79474778

Snowdonia:

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_09_08_tash_lodge_archive.html#81468145

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_09_15_tash_lodge_archive.html#81683594

Peak District – Derwent Valley District:

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_09_22_tash_lodge_archive.html#82233320

Announcing the new website of the travellers / techno community in Orgiva, Granada Province, Southern Spain

http://partyvibe.com/conspiracy/

I did this website for my son, Sam, and hosted it on Fortunecity for the last few months to get it all, of the ground. However, the advertising winds a user up!!

So, I hassled the Partyvibe / Network 23 folks for space and have just transfered the pages.

Sam is a man working with the likes of Total Resistance and Desert Storm etc. So is in good company on the ISP have moved him to.

His Mobile : 0034 (0)617 903586 & E-mail: samconspiracy@hotmail.com

Network 23: http://www.network23.org

Partyvibe: http://partyvibe.com

Just to show you some of my family snaps, These piccys are from the site I made for my DJ-type son, he hangs out with ‘Total Resistance, Desert Storm etc, in the South of Spain. Orgiva in fact……

http://partyvibe.com/conspiracy

Anyway, his name is Sam, and i love him …….

The other one, my daughter, is called Siri, she did live in Spain, where she meet her boyfriend, Geoff. Now moved to England, and living in Bath. Guess what? I love her to.

This is what we now have for Peace and Reconcilliation for the Stonehenge situation !!

Stonehenge Peace and Reconciliation Process http://www.greenleaf.demon.co.uk/padras.htm

Now, just how is it exectly, that I am being reconcilled ??

* * * * *

From: George Firsoff george@greenleaf.demon.co.uk

Date: Tue Oct 15, 2002 5:51 pm

Subject: Re: [stonehengepeace] Re: Stonehenge Solstice Festival Revival.

Yahoo! Groups : stonehengepeace Messages : Message 2217 of 2226

QUOTE:

What I was trying to get across was not that I am against the Free Festival so much as that I consider it such a waste of time and energy thinking about and discussing it beceause it does not have a bat in hell’s chance of coming off!

Like those SILLY people who ended up in the Beanfield thought they couldtake on what they called “The State” and they could win!

That was not true. Now since then there are even more laws and rules that will be enforced to stop you doing what you want.

Every year the police have prevented sound systems coming to Stonehenge and setting up in different parts of Wiltshire. You might have scored one night of activity in 2001? before being shut down.

I think there is a dividing point, which is, are you more interested in making things unpleasant for the authorities, or are you more interested in enjoying your music, legally?

* * * * *

This is my account of what actually happened during this period.

http://tash.gn.apc.org/sh_bean.htm

and, my ‘cell notes’, written while locked up after ther attack

http://tash.gn.apc.org/sh_bean-notes1.htm

Also, Operation Solstice

http://tash.gn.apc.org/op_solstice.htm

I minority group containing many families, attacked, while trying to stand up for their civil rights “SILLY”. Blast his eyes and a curse on his ……. AHHHH!

I didn’t know, of this Yahoo group: Yahoo! Groups : stonehengepeace

But I did know of the Stonehenge peace and reconciliation commission, George Firsoff, and Tim Ingle-Abbot etc.

I am not with them. I disagree quite fundamentally what is going on there.

I am for peace, as well as the next man. The Beanfield was horrible, and I don’t wish a re-run on anyone. BUT, what the outcome of their meetings appears to be, is a complete acquiescence to the police and authorities ideas, on how to run a managed event. It seem so long as they get to be all pagan, and wave an oak leaf at each other, in the stones in the middle of the night, it is considered progress.

Well this anarchist is not religious, Christian, Moslem or Pagan. Never was. But I do claim a right to gather, with me and mine, that goes back to the stone age, right there as we have always done.. Really, why should I put that on hold, because of a temporary bit of law, which, when viewed from that length of history, doesn’t seen to stand up. For such attitudes, you may know that I’m still an ‘injuncted person’ and can be arrested for being in an area, ‘delineated on a map therein between dates around the solstice.’ This order by Lord Justice Morland, has never been rescinded.

My interest is, and always was the gathering of the tribes, to follow this tradition. If you look at some of the photos I put there especially the aerial shots, you’ll see 20,000, on one side of the road at a festival on the solstice, many listening to Hawkwind etc, with a couple of hundred of us, going over the road for a celebration of a few hours, to return back to the festival, before it got dark.

Recent years, after all the nonsense, the focus has shifted to the stones.

This is a shame, THEY should have left it all alone! The whole issue, would not now be under such great pressure.

The legal justification, for putting us down, was damage. It informed the injunctions. But, I’ve always thought that there is a difference between ‘damage’ and ‘wear and tear’, like what you get during its ‘use’. Left to the authorities, it would be put in a glass case and air-conditioned as a museum piece, rather than ‘living history’. Do you see, we come from different planets 🙂

Because of the way, this has all panned-out. I did not go to the event this year, have been every year since 1972! But am so disappointed by the way stuff is turning out. The temporary gathering in the middle of the night under rules, is not what this old foggy thought we were doing. I find it hard to account for what is going on, and why folks have put up with it!

You might also be interested to know, that I’ve not been to a Glastonbury for years either, last 1992. I think that there is a difference between a ‘festival’ and an ‘outside concert’. Just not what I thought we were doing, when I set out on all this.

Others however, understand the significance of this action. Am helping making a Radio4 documentary for transmission on the 27th November, describing some of this, called : In Living Memory”

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_tash_lodge_archive.html#79296253

Jolyon Jenkins

BBC Bristol

Fri 19/07/02 14:19

Hello

I’m making part of a series for Radio 4 called “In Living Memory” in which we revisit events of the not-too-distant past which have been half forgotten, and ask what the aftermath was. I’ve been wondering about doing something on the travellers’ convoys of 1985-7 and maybe the Battle of the Beanfield in particular. I came across your excellent website.

Could I have a chat with you about it?

Jolyon Jenkins: Producer, network features

* * * * *

This is what we now have for Peace and Reconcilliation for the Stonehenge situation !!

Stonehenge Peace and Reconciliation Process http://www.greenleaf.demon.co.uk/padras.htm

Now, just how is it exectly, that I am being reconcilled ??

* * * * *

From: George Firsoff george@greenleaf.demon.co.uk

Date: Tue Oct 15, 2002 5:51 pm

Subject: Re: [stonehengepeace] Re: Stonehenge Solstice Festival Revival.

Yahoo! Groups : stonehengepeace Messages : Message 2217 of 2226

QUOTE:

What I was trying to get across was not that I am against the Free Festival so much as that I consider it such a waste of time and energy thinking about and discussing it beceause it does not have a bat in hell’s chance of coming off!

Like those SILLY people who ended up in the Beanfield thought they couldtake on what they called “The State” and they could win!

That was not true. Now since then there are even more laws and rules that will be enforced to stop you doing what you want.

Every year the police have prevented sound systems coming to Stonehenge and setting up in different parts of Wiltshire. You might have scored one night of activity in 2001? before being shut down.

I think there is a dividing point, which is, are you more interested in making things unpleasant for the authorities, or are you more interested in enjoying your music, legally?

* * * * *

Oh and this: for peace, more and more angry at me and mine:

From: stonehengepeace@yahoogroups.com

To: stonehengepeace@yahoogroups.com

Subject: [stonehengepeace] anarchists

I find it hard to believe, that the anarchists really believe there can be a free festival, or an event, at Stonehenge. After all they must know the history and they just can’t be that dumb.

This leads me to the conclusion that they are being devious. They just want to make people believe there can be a festival, to passionately desire it, so thousands can come to Stonehenge to act as cannon fodder for the confrontation they are planning with the authorities, you know “the revolution goes on” somebody said – yeah? Some silly 19th century ideological delusion, which is sad if you really look deeply into it! It will not happen!

But what they would achieve is good enough for them, because they might force the authorities to clamp down, to cause another atrocity, so they can say “we told you so, the state always operates like that” they’d have gained converts for their brainwashing, which is at the end of the day what they want.

Because to be really cruel, and I don’t care about that, because I’ve had enough stick from these peddlers of unreality, they are in truth but a small group of extremists who naturally feel lonely, they need more people who think the same as them, and can feed their illusions back at them to make them feel powerful.

If there is a Peace Process it’s job is to defuse this one!

Don’t let the agitators get to you!

The agitators want to provoke a confrontation!

For their own pathetic ends!

If they succeed Stonehenge will be closed up again, for years.

So, there you have it. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my account of what actually happened during this period.

http://tash.gn.apc.org/sh_bean.htm

and, my ‘cell notes’, written while locked up after ther attack

http://tash.gn.apc.org/sh_bean-notes1.htm

Also, Operation Solstice

http://tash.gn.apc.org/op_solstice.htm

I minority group containing many families, attacked, while trying to stand up for their civil rights “SILLY”. Blast his eyes and a curse on his ……. AHHHH!

I didn’t know, of this Yahoo group: Yahoo! Groups : stonehengepeace

But I did know of the Stonehenge peace and reconciliation commission, George Firsoff, and Tim Ingle-Abbot etc.

I am not with them. I disagree quite fundamentally what is going on there.

I am for peace, as well as the next man. The Beanfield was horrible, and I don’t wish a re-run on anyone. BUT, what the outcome of their meetings appears to be, is a complete acquiescence to the police and authorities ideas, on how to run a managed event. It seem so long as they get to be all pagan, and wave an oak leaf at each other, in the stones in the middle of the night, it is considered progress.

Well this anarchist is not religious, Christian, Moslem or Pagan. Never was. But I do claim a right to gather, with me and mine, that goes back to the stone age, right there as we have always done.. Really, why should I put that on hold, because of a temporary bit of law, which, when viewed from that length of history, doesn’t seen to stand up. For such attitudes, you may know that I’m still an ‘injuncted person’ and can be arrested for being in an area, ‘delineated on a map therein between dates around the solstice.’ This order by Lord Justice Morland, has never been rescinded.

My interest is, and always was the gathering of the tribes, to follow this tradition. If you look at some of the photos I put there especially the aerial shots, you’ll see 20,000, on one side of the road at a festival on the solstice, many listening to Hawkwind etc, with a couple of hundred of us, going over the road for a celebration of a few hours, to return back to the festival, before it got dark.

Recent years, after all the nonsense, the focus has shifted to the stones.

This is a shame, THEY should have left it all alone! The whole issue, would not now be under such great pressure.

The legal justification, for putting us down, was damage. It informed the injunctions. But, I’ve always thought that there is a difference between ‘damage’ and ‘wear and tear’, like what you get during its ‘use’. Left to the authorities, it would be put in a glass case and air-conditioned as a museum piece, rather than ‘living history’. Do you see, we come from different planets 🙂

Because of the way, this has all panned-out. I did not go to the event this year, have been every year since 1972! But am so disappointed by the way stuff is turning out. The temporary gathering in the middle of the night under rules, is not what this old foggy thought we were doing. I find it hard to account for what is going on, and why folks have put up with it!

You might also be interested to know, that I’ve not been to a Glastonbury for years either, last 1992. I think that there is a difference between a ‘festival’ and an ‘outside concert’. Just not what I thought we were doing, when I set out on all this.

Others however, understand the significance of this action. Am helping making a Radio4 documentary for transmission on the 27th November, describing some of this, called : In Living Memory”

http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_tash_lodge_archive.html#79296253

Jolyon Jenkins

BBC Bristol

Fri 19/07/02 14:19

Hello

I’m making part of a series for Radio 4 called “In Living Memory” in which we revisit events of the not-too-distant past which have been half forgotten, and ask what the aftermath was. I’ve been wondering about doing something on the travellers’ convoys of 1985-7 and maybe the Battle of the Beanfield in particular. I came across your excellent website.

Could I have a chat with you about it?

Jolyon Jenkins: Producer, network features

* * * * *

West Yorkshire Police:

CARLING WEEKEND – LEEDS FESTIVAL DISORDER APPEAL

Tuesday, October 15, 2002

http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/Press%20Releases/july-nov/popconcert/popappeal.htm

* * * * *

Killingbeck police today (Tues) appealed for the public’s help identifying 24 men in relation to an outbreak of disorder at the Carling Weekend, Leeds Festival music event at Temple Newsam, Leeds, over the August Bank Holiday.

At 11pm on Sunday August 25, following the final act at the weekend music event, a number of people in the red campsite began pulling lighting down.

* * * * *

General trouble and lunch-outs, by all accounts.

All very young, some still at school perhaps.

Thought you all might like to know …!

As an expert in surveillance though, me thinks these are some of the best police snaps I’ve seen. So they’re clearly getting better at this sort of thing.

http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/Press%20Releases/july-nov/popconcert/popappeal.htm

and their ‘ Wanted Poster ‘

http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/Press%20Releases/july-nov/popconcert/poster1.gif

Tash at home!

Just messin’ with the webcam. Normally I use it for continuous video. But interested now and again, to see what a cheppo, can achive, set at highest res for a still photo. Here’s me at home, computing …..

Camera on this shot, set for ‘millions of colours’, outside dimensions of 640 x 480. Auto leveled and ‘unsharp’ mask in Photoshop. Then resaved at 500 across. 72dpi.

This is all quite a novel way for me to proceed, since almost all my pictures are on b&w negative, or, colour transparency film. Which is then scanned. Prefer this way, since no one knows how long a digital image will last. Either on hard disc or CD, and it bothers archivist and historians a little. Where as, I KNOW photographic materials can last [so far] up to 160 years.!

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