A-Infos (en) Britain, Anarchist Federation, Resistance #112 - Page 3 - “G20 TERRORISTS” RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGE - QUELLE SURPRISE

The arrest of five people in Plymouth under terrorism legislation in the runup to the G20 
summit in London received blanket media coverage, and was much hyped by the police as an 
example of the kind of violence that could be expected at the protests. The release of the 
five without charge should come as no surprise, and neither should the fact that this 
happened without a peep from the national media. ---- It turns out the supposed 
“terrorists” were a 16 year old lad nicked for spraying “Antifa”, the name of a militant 
anti-fascist organisation, on a wall, and his housemates. And the reason for the belief 
that the cops had uncovered a nest of terrorists? Fireworks, toy guns, and worst of all, 
“material related to political ideology”! It now seems official that having political 
books can get you rounded up and held under terrorism legislation.

The police and media milked the story
for all it was worth, as showing the kind
of violent extremists that would flood the
capital during the summit. It added to the
paranoia which had seen political stuntist
and anthropology professor Chris Knight
suspended over his role in the G20 melt-
down protests, and the British Transport
Police issue instructions to Arriva Trains
staff to be on the look-out for protestors
travelling to London. The police brutal-
ity this was all supposed to justify is now
well known; the indiscriminate attacks on
protestors, journalists and passersby, and
the apparent manslaughter of Ian Tom-
linson, a man returning home from work
unfortunate enough to encounter the boys
in blue.
The state is flexing its muscles at a time
when the economic crisis is causing
people to think about the way the world
works, and whose interests it runs in.
These arrests were followed by the round-
up of Islamic terrorism suspects and the
unprecedented mass arrest of 114 climate
activists in Nottingham for ‘conspiracy’ to
engage in environmental direct action. The
wave of direct action by ordinary people
looking to defend themselves against
the crisis – such as those occupying the
schools and Visteon factories covered in
this paper – could well be next in line for
such treatment.

------------------------------------------------

BEAT THE SQUEEZE!

Unemployment benefits used to be a right – a social wage given to us for not hav-
ing a job. But Thatcher and Tebbit put an end to all that during the 1980s. Today,
Labour are still squeezing the life out of anyone on benefits. Even now politicians
Ed Balls and James Purnell are trying to convince us that nobody will be left out
of the labour market if they want a job, which is obvious nonsense. So if you are
chucked out of work or your house and can’t get another one, what are you to do?
Here are some ideas for stretching the pound.

The Mass Haggle-In

One step down from mass-shoplifting it’s actually legal to negotiate prices with
shopkeepers. This is because the advertised price of goods under UK law is only
an offer - called an ‘invitation to treat’. The idea is to get them to hand out free
goods on some days, or at least very low prices on stuff we need. On your own
you’ll probably get told where to go, but how about getting down to your local
supermarket in a large group and work out what’s ‘fair’? A mass event could be
advertised by putting posters around town. If that fails there’s always the mass
shop-lifting.

Squat the High-Street

There are loads of shops and estate agents going out of business. Like haggling,
squatting is perfectly legal and it’s a good way to get a communal base in the city
centre. Set up a kitchen and cook up the cheap or free goods you have collected.
As well as this there are lots of empty houses around. The Advisory Service for
Squatters have lots of tips to make this work.

Claimants’ Action Groups

Visit the Job Centre or local council offices in a group and demand immediate
‘emergency’ benefits payments. This is best done by forming a claimants’ action
group first. In the 1980s Islington Action Group of the Unwaged managed to
get such payments from the council, and the Groundswell network of claimants
action groups successfully campaigned against ‘over-zealous’ application of Job
Seekers Allowance rules in the 1990s. Organisations like London (and Edin-
burgh) Coalition Against Poverty are reviving this kind of activity today.

Resisting Bailiffs

Take collective action against bailiffs and utilities companies. Prevent them col-
lecting debts or cutting people off in your neighbourhood. This may mean a bit of
intelligence gathering to get the number plates of bailiff and company vans, plus
a decent crowd in case they get violent or bring the police with them. Make sure
they get a good reception when they arrive, refuse to let them enter and sent them
packing. The government tried last year to give bailiffs powers to break in to
homes but this didn’t get passed so they still can’t come in if you don’t let them.
‘Bailiff buster’ groups were used successfully against Poll Tax arrears collection
in the 1980s and 90s.
In short, it’s a great idea to get together, force shopkeepers and local authorities
to give you want you need, and gain confidence to resist debt collectors of all
kinds.

----------------------------------

More info online:
Advisory Service for Squatters:
www.squatter.org.uk
Edinburgh Coalition Against Povertyhttp://edinburghcoalitionagainstpovertyorg.uk
London Coalition Against Poverty:
www.lcap.org.uk

Fair Price Campaign:
http://ianbone.wordpress.
com/2008/09/07/shopping-without-
money/
Find out about claimants groups:
www.geocities.com/ncajsa
http://libcom.org/tags/unpaid
-----------------------------
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://ainfos.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en