Statement

Right To Resist

• For the right to organise and protest

• Defend those arrested in the recent student protests

• Stop police brutality and intimidation

• Ban kettling

• Stop the cuts

The vicious police response to the recent student protests is wholly unacceptable and totally uncalled for. The baton charges and use of ‘kettling’ only serve to fuel anger and frustration and in part, at least, are deliberately designed to provoke strong reactions from demonstrators.

Police brutality and intimidation on demonstrations, protests and picket lines are nothing new. As the class struggle grows in the wake of the Tory/Lib-Dem government’s ideology-driven attack on public services and jobs, the role of the police in ‘managing’ protests will continue to grow and harden.

We demand that all the charges are dropped against all students and their supporters arrested in the recent wave of student activity.

We call for a ban on ‘kettling’ as a means of control and intimidation of peaceful protesters. ‘Kettling’ has been added to the armoury of police warfare, alongside baton and horse-mounted police cavalry charges, to intimidate protesters and dissenters.

We believe that the Tory/Lib-Dem government has no majority electoral mandate for the cuts it is pushing through. People voted for the Tory-stooge Lib-Dems on a promise that they would oppose the cuts which they are now helping the Tories railroad through.

We believe ‘kettling’ is arbitrary imprisonment and is a direct attack on our basic human right to protest, contravening Articles 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act. We call on student and labour movement organisations to actively oppose ‘kettling’.

Signatories (all in a personal capacity):

Pat Smith, Hull University Students Against Fees, and occupier

John McDonnell, Labour MP for Hayes & Harlington

Michael Chessum, Education & Campaigns officer, University College London Union, National Campaign Against Fees & Cuts founder

Jade Baker, Vice President Education, Westminster University Student Union

Bob Sutton, Merseyside Network Against Fees & Cuts

Luke Evans, University of Liverpool, Merseyside Network Against Fees & Cuts

Tom Prior, University of Liverpool, Merseyside Network Against Fees & Cuts

Rosie Huzzard, Young Members Officers, PCS DWP Sheffield branch & Young Members Area Convenor, PCS South Yorkshire

Brian Hocknull, PCS, Notts Save Our Services, Labour Party member

Janine Booth, RMT Executive

Paul Rutland, Chair RMT TfL No.1 Branch

Mick Crossey, branch secretary, Camden 3 RMT Branch

Tahmeena Bax

Jake Paget, Vice President for Further Education, Plymouth College of Art SU

Patrick Murphy, National Union of Teachers Executive

John Illingworth, Former President of the NUT (2001-2002)

Tom Unterrainer, President, Nottingham City NUT

Felicity Dowling, Cheshire West and Chester NUT

Elaine Jones, Vice Chair, Wirral TUC

Ed Whitby, shop steward, Newcastle City Unison

Dave Kirk, shop steward, Unite (Energy Sector)

Steve Miller, Unite Metals Sector

Julia Long, National Officer Unite the Union

Martin Mayer, Unite the Union Executive and Chair, Sheffield Anti-Cuts Alliance

Margaret Manning, Branch Secretary, Unite the Union NW 389

Cathy Watson, Women’s Officer, Welwyn Hatfield CLP; Labour Representation Committee NC; Unite member

Ged Dempsey, National & Regional Committee, Unite GPM Print Sector

Rachel Maskell, National Officer, Unite the Union

Ross Quin, Unite workplace rep and Trade Union Liaison Officer, Wallasey Constituency Labour Party

Sean Rillo Raczka, Chair, Birkbeck Students’ Union

Robyn Minogue, Education Officer, University of the Arts London Students’ Union

Hero Austin, Community and Welfare Officer, LSE Students’ Union

Louis Hartnoll, President, University of the Arts London Students’ Union

Alec McFadden, President, Merseyside TUC

Donnacha DeLong, NUJ Vice President

Chris Morley, NUJ Northern and Midlands Organiser

Vicki Morris, publicity officer, Barnet TUC

Martin Upchurch, Professor of International Employment Relations, Middlesex University

Christian Kerslake, Senior Lecturer, Philosophy, Middlesex University

Dr Ozlem Onaran, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Middlesex University

Nicola Goodchild, postgraduate philosophy student, Kingston University

Adele Winston, BECTU retired member

Tirza Waisel, Barnet, north London

Noel Lynch, London Green Party

Neil Devlin

Chris McCabe

Paulene Robson

Mike Virtue

To sign up to this statement contact right2resist@gmail.com, or go to righttoresist.wordpress.com