CS Gas on UKuncut !!!!!http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/30/police-cs-spray-tax-p

[Red Future]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/30/police-cs-spray-tax-protesters

So now extreme tactics are normalized ???

[Widerstand]

CS spray isn't extreme by any means, at least not to anyone with even a bit of experience in political protests. We can only hope that this doesn't have the intended effect of intimidation.

[Red Future]

CS spray isn't extreme by any means, at least not to anyone with even a bit of experience in political protests. We can only hope that this doesn't have the intended effect of intimidation.

Against Anarchist or other leftist groups i can understand that the police would do this, but against UK uncut it seems bizarre

[bricolage]

CS spray isn't extreme by any means, at least not to anyone with even a bit of experience in political protests. We can only hope that this doesn't have the intended effect of intimidation.
Comparatively it's more extreme in the UK than in Germany. It's much less common here.

[ed miliband]

Against Anarchist groups i can understand but against UK uncut seems bizzare

The people who make up UKUncut would probably be more intimidated by the use of CS gas than any anarchist group.

[Widerstand]

Against Anarchist or other leftist groups i can understand that the police would do this, but against UK uncut it seems bizarre


Comparatively it's more extreme in the UK than in Germany. It's much less common here.

Ah. Well from what I know of Germany (and also of France and other West European countries), CS Gas is pretty much widely used against everything including "harmless" stuff such as environmental protests and peace protests.

[bricolage]

I think it's been the case that British policing tactics have been, with notable exceptions, less heavy handed in the past than those 'on the continent'. For example talk of water cannons here raised all kinds of commotion but it's my understanding that they are pretty regularly used in Germany. Obviously

[Stranger Than Paradise]

Against Anarchist or other leftist groups i can understand that the police would do this, but against UK uncut it seems bizarre

Why do you think the police would discriminate against one group of protestors and not against another. As rubbish as the message of UkUncut is they're still causing disruption.

[TC]

Eh,

Really its more that in continental europe and america, the police have a spectrum of 'modes': intimidation, mass detention, c.s. gas, sonic weapons, pepper spray, baton rounds, and breaking bones with steel batons.

By comparison, UK police have just three settings: intimidation, mass detention and breaking bones with steel batons.

The brit cops are probably actually more brutal because they go straight for horse charges and brutal beatings - they don't have other ways of 'fighting' the crowds that americans and continental europeans do, but those other ways are typically less severe.

[Sasha]

Eh,

Really its more that in continental europe and america, the police have a spectrum of 'modes': intimidation, mass detention, c.s. gas, sonic weapons, pepper spray, baton rounds, and breaking bones with steel batons.

well in the netherlands that would be: intimidation, mass detention, c.s. gas, pepper spray and breaking bones with long rubber batons with an fiberglass core.
and not to mention police dogs, plainclothed snatch squads (those are the worst) and reguarly atempting to run over protesters with their police vans.

[Widerstand]

I think it's been the case that British policing tactics have been, with notable exceptions, less heavy handed in the past than those 'on the continent'. For example talk of water cannons here raised all kinds of commotion but it's my understanding that they are pretty regularly used in Germany. Obviously

Lol you don't have water tanks? Fucking awesome, I'm moving to Britain! And yeah, I haven't been at many demos without water tanks.


Eh,

Really its more that in continental europe and america, the police have a spectrum of 'modes': intimidation, mass detention, c.s. gas, sonic weapons, pepper spray, baton rounds, and breaking bones with steel batons.

By comparison, UK police have just three settings: intimidation, mass detention and breaking bones with steel batons.

The brit cops are probably actually more brutal because they go straight for horse charges and brutal beatings - they don't have other ways of 'fighting' the crowds that americans and continental europeans do, but those other ways are typically less severe.

I'm not sure about the "more brutal" part (especially not when I think of big riot-like events on the continent), but that would definitely explain why CS gas is being considered "extreme."

[Widerstand]

well in the netherlands that would be: intimidation, mass detention, c.s. gas, pepper spray and breaking bones with long rubber batons with an fiberglass core.
and not to mention police dogs, plainclothed snatch squads (those are the worst) and reguarly atempting to run over protesters with their police vans.

you also have these water tanks where CS gas can be mixed into the stream, no? (I mean we have them in Germany, so I guess you have them too :p). We also have special snatch squads in addition to plainclothed ones, with extra surveillance (hand cameras, vehicles, helicopters and unmanned drones like they use in Afghanistan) who do beating as well as detention.

and of course the loved tactic of kettling and letting ppl sit there for 6 hours or longer.

[Sasha]

you also have these water tanks where CS gas can be mixed into the stream, no? (I mean we have them in Germany, so I guess you have them too :p). We also have special snatch squads in addition to plainclothed ones, with extra surveillance (hand cameras, vehicles, helicopters and unmanned drones like they use in Afghanistan) who do beating as well as detention.

and of course the loved tactic of kettling and letting ppl sit there for 6 hours or longer.

we do have watercannons (german ones i think) but they are not allowed to mix them with CS (not to say they dont do it never but its not allowed). we only have plainclothed snatchsquads, dutch riot police ALWAYS hold line/stay in formation/move as an line, the snatchsquads tactics are actually based on squatter affintygroup tactics they copied in the 90's, these guys are something else than the properly undercover observation teams, the snatch squads are more bulky hooligan types you can smell an mile away (but sadly often an milisecond to late)
further we have an special riot police unit that fires the teargass and is specialised in clearing squatter baricades and enviromentalists/no-border actvists lock-ons, the so called BRATRA (fire and teargass) team, only they can fire teargass but all cops cary pepperspray (but its not used that much yet, at least not in riot situations)
we do have helicopters but only for surveillance.
ketteling isnt used much here anymore since they got into legal problems over it after an EU summit, but mass arests are making an comeback