Rioting in Tottenham - Part 1, the catalyst.

A riot has occurred in Tottenham, I am writing this in an attempt to try and quantify what exactly caused it.

Tottenham is a suburb of London, to the north of the centre. It has a large Afro-Caribbean population and is home to a wide variety of ethnicities. It is a deprived area with double the UK national average unemployment

The catalyst for this disturbance was the shooting of a 29 year old man, Mark Duggan, by an armed police officer. The police story (and the only one you'll be hearing in the media) goes that when an anti-gang task force attempted to arrest the dead man he resisted, shot at them with an illegal handgun and they returned fire and killed him.

Which you know, might be true.

The problem is the Metropolitan Police have a great deal of trouble telling the truth. Take for instance the death of Jean Charles de Menezes the way they told it he ran away from them, jumped a ticket barrier and was generally behaving suspicously. The way eye witnesses told it he was sitting on an underground train minding his own business, the police burst in, grabbed him and held him down and then shot him in the head. A slight discrepancy in the police's favour. Similarly when allegations about how police involvement in Ian Tomlinson's death began to emerge the Met forgot that a CCTV camera near the scene of the crime existed.

Lenin's Tomb has an unconfirmed eye witness report that Duggan was executed after being arrested. Now without verification this is questionable but it is far from impossible. Maybe he was killed because they disliked him or, given the endemic corruption across the British police maybe a rival drug gang paid to have him gotten rid of.

Certainly the circumstances surrounding his death are a little odd. He was cornered in the back of a mini-cab and decided to go down in a blaze of glory, if the Police are to be believed, an unusual course of action for nearly all criminals, especially alleged drug dealers with their likely access to a well paid lawyer. Illegal handguns can be placed on the scene, especially if the Police had decided to kill him beforehand. Indeed this is one of the most questionable issues of the whole affair for me, if you ever read one of those cheerleading pieces in the papers about how a cop caught a suspect there will usually be a reference to how if a story is too perfect, too without holes it is likely false and pre-rehearsed. The police officer who shot Duggan apparently was saved by his radio. It so wonderfully justifies his "returning fire" on Duggan in a way a shot lodged in a wall wouldn't do so. Indeed it must've been a wonderous radio because the injured officer didn't even spend a night in hospital.

Now it may be all as the police say, it is just very hard to trust them given the lies they've repeatedly told in the past. The worst thing is though, we have no way of trusting the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)'s investigation. The reason for this is twofold but connected. Firstly their investigation into Jean Charles de Menezes was deeply flawed with strong suspicions of deliberate coverups. The second reason we can't trust the IPCC is because in the aftermath of that investigation a senior officer directly criticised in relation to the incident was appointed to the IPCC.

With collusion and corruption like this it is difficult to trust anything the Metropolitan Police or the IPCC have to say.

News Corp corruption news!

(almost a palindrome)

A couple of stories worth pointing out:

The former executive editor of the News of the World was arrested today. Oh and he happened to be a consultant hired by the Metropolitan police to advise the Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner John Yates, the officer in charge of investigating phone hacking. Oh and he just happened to be advising them on "stuff" over the period back in 2009 when the Met decided there was no need to investigate phone hacking further.

All perfectly innocent I'm sure.

Secondly Rupert Murdoch gave the American Chamber of Commerce $1 million to lobby to weaken the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the very act he may now be charged under over events in the UK. Theres also a picture of Elliot Spitzer because it is all but inevitable he is going to try to link his own downfall with other invasions of privacy of the rich and powerful probably as a springboard back into politics. After his shameful defence of the IDF's illegal boarding of a ship in international waters and the murder of nine passengers I can't say I view that as a good thing.

Oh just noticed this on the live stream from the Guardian (where else?) and it is probably worth pasting:

PA has published a list of the menbers of the Commons culture media and sport committee who will grill Rupert and James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks at next Tuesday's hearing:

• Chairman John Whittingdale is a senior backbench Conservative. He quit his job in the City to work as an adviser to Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.

• Tom Watson, Labour, took News International's Sun newspaper to court and won after it ran stories claiming he had been involved in a campaign to smear the Tories.

• Louise Mensch, Conservative, a "chick-lit" novelist, claims she has been "threatened" before by a national newspaper journalist.

• Philip Davies, Conservative, is a rebellious backbencher who is outspoken on crime and immigration.

• Therese Coffey, Conservative, was finance director for Mars Drinks UK before being elected last year.

• Damian Collins, Conservative, worked at Saatchi advertising before setting up his own marketing firm.

• Paul Farrelly, Labour, admitted last year he "wrestled" a man to the floor in a Commons bar "entirely in self-defence".

• Alan Keen, Labour Co-operative, is chairman of the All Party parliamentary football group and once worked as a tactical scout for Middlesbrough football club.

• Adrian Sanders, Liberal Democrat, is a keen campaigner on animal welfare issues.

• Jim Sheridan, Labour, a former trade union convener and chairman of the All Party parliamentary Scottish football group.

The Guardian reviews the Metropolitan Police's position.

I was somewhat unsure what was happening regarding the Home Affairs Committee interviewing four senior police officers yesterday. The Guardian has clarified things somewhat.

For reference those police officers were: Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates, Peter Clarke; a retired Deputy Assistant Commissioner with the Metropolitan Police, Andy Hayman; a retired Assistant Commissioner with the Metropolitan Police and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers, currently heading Operation Weeting, the ongoing investigation into phone hacking by the News of the World.

Nick Davies who is one of the main Guardian journalists behind their investigation into phone hacking has made a video summing up what happened.

Meanwhile Simon Hoggart further puts the boot in for Andy Hayman.

However it is worth bearing in mind that the man heading up the Home Affairs Committee, Keith Vaz has a fair amount of association with corruption himself.

Sir Hugh Order of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which in spite of its' name is a wholly private company with no attachment to the state, has also criticised Mr Hayman. One has to assume Sir Hugh and ACPO are bristling at someone else horning in on their undermining people's privacy. and example two

But hey in the midst of all this at least our noble law enforcers are marching against deep cuts to public services. So at least in this we can stand in solidarity with these peo-

We accept that cuts have to be made but we ask that the government acknowledges our unique status.

Oh. So cuts to public services in general are fine, just not to their wages. What a fine bunch the British police are.

Good news from Arizona.

Well maybe anyway, dictatorships don't tend to fall apart just because a couple of the inner circle go away. I'm getting ahead of myself, two key members of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's regime have been forced to resign due to some internal politicking. Any set backs for the most prominent dictatorship within the continental US is a good thing though surely?

Royal Wedding day purge.

Around 50 facebook pages and accounts of UK activist groups have been purged. The timing of this on the day of the royal wedding and just days before May Day is deeply suspicious.

Lists of the purged accounts can be found here and here.

"To wit, damaging a truncheon."

Alife Meadows, a student who was beaten up by the police to the extent he needed brain surgery has been charged with violent disorder by the police.

LENIN'S TOMB summarises it better than I could. Its a fucking farce the amount of deference and respect the Police are given.

Phone Hacking Update!

Hot news, when Rebecca Brooks told a select committee that reporters for The Sun paid police officers for information, she didn't mean reporters for The Sun paid police officers for information.

Consider the matter cleared up!

Well actually to quote her:

If, in doing so, I gave the impression that I had knowledge of any specific cases, I can assure you that this was not my intention.

Which is, I suppose, very likely to be true even if not in the way the statement means it.

Britain is also not a democracy

Rupert Murdoch's Sunday newspaper The News of the World (a publication that challenges the World Series for the narrowest interpretation of "world") has been caught red handed hacking people's phones and has issued a public apology and offered payoffs specifically to those there is incontrovertible proof they hacked.

There are plenty of others with good cases and even some of those who've been offered bribes, including a Labour MP and former minister (political office, not God botherer), who may well not go for the deal. Indeed it seems the storm isn't breaking for News Corporation in the UK quite yet.

James Murdoch's elevation to No.3 in the hierarchy is interesting given the TV debates for the leaders of the three main parties before the election last year were his idea. The debates elevated Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, to an eminently popular figure and wholly undermined what had until then appeared to be an unopposed victory march for Murdoch vassal and friend of Rebekah Brooks; David Cameron. Sure the post debate surge didn't hold for the Lib Dems and the parliamentary party ended up merrily siding with the Conservatives to form a coalition government, betraying their grass roots and nearly everyone who'd voted for them at the first whiff of power but this was still a set back for the Conservatives and their patron Murdoch.

So why was he promoted? Well its difficult to choose a Mafia or Monarchy metaphor (hell they're both feudal dictatorships anyway) but essentially ol' Rupert has decided blood is thicker than water and getting his son to safety in a new country and new job, a new job that gives him considerable power over those who might reveal his misdeeds to British authorities, matters more than punishing him for accidentally allowing British politics to be opened up somewhat. Rebekah Brooks, renowned enforcer for the Murdoch family in the UK as the above article suggests, has not been given such a courtesy.

She may not be family but its hard to say she is any less influential and valuable to News Corp than James and indeed the pair were joined at the hip... even at less auspicious moments. Standing by the heir apparent during his fuckup garners no favours it seems.

News Corporation internal politics matter here because a king rushing his son out of his fiefdom does not imply supreme confidence the law can once again be ridden rough shod over. The reason for this seems to be the light of scrutiny. As is common with media magnates News Corporation has enjoyed considerable secrecy regarding its' affairs because of their power to set the agenda and its' general influence over media organisations. A line editor might want to work for a Murdoch paper, a reporter needs to keep their contacts and so on. The Phone Hacking controversy, at least to begin with, was a typical example of this.

A Charlie Brooker editorial from last September highlights this. While at that point the controversy had been rumbling on for a few months already coverage was muted and non-existent even in some non-Murdoch outlets. (Its still not worthy of attention in Murdoch outlets, my parents subscribe to The Times and in spite of the unprecedented Mea Culpa in the News of the World today there isn't a single mention of the story in The Times today). Coincidentally thats why I'm linking The Guardian so much here, they've just covered the issue more than most.

But it kept grinding on and because it affected MPs parliament kept on at it and slowly but surely its forced things out into the spotlight and this nullifies a lot of Murdoch's usual advantages. As the article points out the Metropolitan Police, who Brooks admits to giving payment, have thus far been wonderfully helpful to News Corp doing lax investigations that were sadly unable to turn up evidence that has now been admitted in the News of the World Mea Culpa. Going further back the Met and the News of the World have worked very closely together and with all that cooperation the Police gave one has to suspect that an understanding ear was given to any issues or problems the Met had regarding other news stories.

Now of course while having to face the select committee several times and public scrutiny increasing suddenly the Police are leaping into action. This will probably continue, with angry politicians and increasing public awareness they'll likely be forced to do their job for fear of facing actual punishment for their corrupt links to Murdoch.

Similarly the tremendous political influence Murdoch enjoys could be coming to bite him in the ass. Former prime minister Gordon Brown suspected he'd been hacked but failed to listen to a friendly warning from Rupert and lo and behold Murdoch switched his support to the Tories in the last election. Cameron was so "grateful" he even took on a Murdoch agent as his press secretary. Andy Coulson (the basis for "the fucker" Thick of it fans) who was an early sacrificial lamb to try and placate those who'd been hacked. With increasing unpopularity and general public unhappiness with Cameron allowing Murdoch to gain an increasing hold over the British media it is likely the conservatives, while in no way aiding the investigation, will be unable to do much to obstruct it either.

Thus it would seem News Corporation be in a fair bit of trouble in the UK at the minute with maybe even the potential for his BskyB deal to founder. This is however very much the stars coming into alignment and in the long term isn't likely a huge set back. Even if Rebekah Brooks is hung out to dry it will likely entail her being sacked and facing no criminal penalty. Then if she can survive the 6 months without a job without a heart attack or aneurysm she'll be parachuted into another powerful well paid position somewhere else in Murdoch's global empire. The elite know to look after loyal vassals, its simply a good investment.

Also in the wider world Murdoch's power is still doing just fine. There apparently exists on tape proof Fox News CEO Roger Ailes ordered a subordinate to lie to a criminal investigation. A felony. But of course this isn't getting any attention at all. Oh and not a particularly recent development but I did learn not too long ago that former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar is now a serving member of the News Corporation board of directors.

This investigation if anything just goes to show the tremendous power of the Murdoch family.

BBC Newsman takes blaming the victim to a new low.

In essence a BBC News presenter accused a severely disabled man of provoking and posing a threat to the police and thus justifying them forcibly removing him from his wheelchair twice during a protest. Jody McIntyre stood up to the absurd questioning very well but jeez those questions should not have been asked by anyone with any kind of grasp of reality.



To better understand why this happened I suggest two older posts:

Firstly Noam Chomsky explaining to another BBC man of a very similar mode to the above asshole interviewer about the propaganda model. Note Andrew Marr's reactions and how that thinking might well lead to how Ben Brown behaved above.

Secondly Mark Ames' coverage of anti-IMF protests in 2000. Note the media reactions and behaviour to that situation and the inherent similarities.

UK Police shut down prominent opponent.

Fit Watch used to provide criticism and oversight over FITs (Forward Intelligence Teams) essentially watching the watchers by taking photographs of the police taking photographs of people at protests and suchlike. So as is the way of things they were shut down. The police were able to do so without a court order or anything else.

Dissent and opposition to what the police wants is naughty so just don't do it ok?

Tories endorse Police Racism.

A couple of months ago it was revealed that black and brown people in the uk are seven times more likely to be stopped and searched. So now the Tories are in power they've decided that the best thing to do is fully back this behaviour and amend stop and search powers so that a person's race can be a legitimate reason to accost them! Along with this the plans also remove the need for the police to record each time they stop and search a person, giving them even greater carte blanche to be racist.

Why is this happening? Well apart from the general fact rightists are pretty much evil to their core and this is just another example it is likely an attempt to appease police officers over the slash and burn cuts the Tories are imposing, especially given the news yesterday Manchester Police are facing 25% spending cuts cuts. This does not reflect well on the police that this would appease them and it doesn't reflect well on the Tories that they would attempt appeasement in this way.

This however should dispell the myth of the Tories being in any way tolerant or decent.

Australian Racism Addendum

Defenders of Australia might well point out the racism highlighted the other day occurred in the Northern Territory, a harsh and unpleasant area and that everywhere has places where unpleasant things can happen and this Australian "wild west" cannot be used to judge the whole country.

Fair enough so let us today visit Perth, the capital of Western Australia and the fourth largest city in the country. In 2008 an unarmed Aboriginal man already in detention was surrounded by nine police officers and because he refused a strip search was tasered 13 times. As is par for the course with these things none of the Police involved have been charged with any crime.

As was brought up when that pitch invader was tasered the argument Police made all over the world when scrabbling to get their hands on a new weapon was that stun guns were an excellent replacement for firearms so in dangerous situations Police would have been forced to shoot someone they could instead just stun them. Thus the question was asked was pitch invasion now a crime worthy of shooting? Perhaps we civilians just don't "get" it. Similarly this evil not-white should be grateful his attackers had tasers or they'd have been forced to shoot him 13 times.

Australia is racist as all hell.

I know I know, it is pretty shocking a country that had a whites only immigration policy until 1973 and still has one that is considered racist, that keeps the remnants of the Aboriginal peoples the British didn't kill in squalid camps in the wasteland no one else wants and then blames Aboriginal people for the outcomes of such treatment and then following a "remedy" to those problems by further punishing Aboriginal people and treating them as untermensch, all of which was imposed by the Australian military is Racist but there you go. I aim to shock.

In this fun and happy read one learns about the conditions of Aboriginal people, the indifference of white Australians to institutionalised racism and how a town was happy at the lenient punishment for a group of young white men who killed an Aboriginal man who stood up them driving their 4x4 at and otherwise harassing Aboriginal people. To be honest it makes me violently angry but thats not the way, the racists are always better armed and far far better at inhuman violence, a more community based solution is required. Though first white Australians need to acknowledge there is a problem to start with.

The legacy of the British Empire is quite a thing.

First Honduras, now Ecuador?

Things aren't especially clear yet but it looks like the democratically elected socialist president of Ecuador may soon be ousted in a coup. After Bush's focus on the middle east it looks like Obama is returning America's imperialism back on South America, the traditional stomping ground.

Just in case you thought COINTELPRO had stopped...

Sure during the 2008 Republican National Convention we saw clear evidence of politically motivated suppression but that was under Bush, in spite of COINTELPRO officially ending in 1971 (lol), and with Obama in power everything is fine.

Of course not. This is part of a wider pattern of suppression of groups the US Government doesn't like, such as the judicial harassment of the guy who left water for Mexican immigrants. Sure it go overturned but after much stress and cost for him and a general discouragement to others who might consider offering basic humanitarian aid such as that. While the usual media disregard for these events is contributory probably the biggest problem in regards to these tactics is the widespread belief that law = morality and the general assumption that police are only honest servants of the people. With that mindset it is easy to just assume these suppression tactics were honest police work.

This culture of fear means good people fear to do anything and less well informed citizens think those trying to do good are criminal.

Being a convicted criminal not reason enough to stop recieving full pay as police officer

Its seems the Catholic Church isn't the only institution in the UK that feels the law doesn't apply to it. A copper was given six months in prison for assaulting a 57 year old woman in his custody but because hes out on appeal his police force thinks that is reason enough to put him back on full pay. To be fair given police officers are now allowed to kill with impunity and not just once either AND with those who killed innocents even appointed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission one can hardly blame Wiltshire police for thinking there is nothing untoward about keeping paying a police officer who merely grossly abused his power and beat up a middle aged woman.

PATRIOT act used mostly to persecute minorities..

...but different ones from the ones you'd think! Turns out 69% of all sneak and peak warrants, a mechanism allowing law enforcement to search people's homes without knowledge or consent, were used against "drug dealers" (page 7 on the PDF). While Sneak and Peaks did exist before according to Senator Feingold the PATRIOT act "codified and expanded" the practice. Anti-Terror sneak and peaks accounted for 0.39% of the total, less than those used by the FDA.

Huffington Post expands on it here.

thanks jonny

Competition for Worst State in the Union 2010 starts to hot up!

While some Arizona fans thought their racial profiling based anti-immigrant hysteria legislation would carry them to victory, cooler heads knew that they had made their move too early and not nearly sneakily enough. As the federal government is forced to act to maintain the pretence it cares about minorities Florida is making its' move, adapting Arizona's vile populism to be more insidious AND more unpleasant. Will Texas pull something even more despicable out of their hat? Or will everpresent dark horse Georgia steal Albama, Florida or Tennessee's water to pull off a surprise win?

Everything is still to play for in the closing five months of the year. Stick with us and we'll keep you up to date with all the rumours and happenings.


PLEASE NOTE: Alaska has been disqualified from the competition due to the timely death of Senator Stevens within their territory.

A freeware game about the difficulties of policing different minorities in the modern urban crime environment

The Games subforum of Something Awful are currently having a game development competition and the top ten games have been announced and opened to public voting.

One of those games is P.I.G.S. which as the title suggests allows you to step into the shoes of an inner city law enforcement official and see what these brave men and women of the thin blue line face.

Trust no one, denounce everyone.

Sure that image gets broken out a lot by foreigners who like to deflect away from the erosion of their own civil liberties but in this case its hard to view this as anything but a portent of things to come.

The Association of Chief Police Officers have put out an advert that encourages you to denounce and report people for inoffensive actions that are not in any way illegal.

It is interesting given the article I linked yesterday that one of the warning signs is not using a credit card thus linking being poor to terrorism.

Listen here.