Two trials...

One just ending, one beginning. Coming to a close the trial of Alfie Meadows and co. In my opinion reading the court reports you can see the defence has been excellent. This is a most important case; aggressive and egregiously political policing was used against the student movement of November/December 2010, the first mass movement against enforced austerity, a movement which was causing the government to falter, the coalition to come apart.

If the imprisonment and battery of children and young adults is allowed to stand, if it is deemed to be 'proportionate policing', as the Commander on the day described it, it will be a dark day for us all. I fear for the people on trial. The business end of the state urgently needs to sweep through London, make it a happy place for capitalists of the world to enjoy their Olympics. The state would think nothing of sacrificing young lives to this end. In my opinion if Alfie Meadows is found guilty we will all have to watch out for each other. If Alfie Meadows, who nearly died at the hands of the police, can be sent down for violent disorder, they can come for any of us.

Just beginning, the trial of fascist child murderer Anders Breivik. He did it. He killed 77 people, mostly teenagers at a youth camp. He does not deny it. If he is allowed to turn the trial into a political exposition, if his 'self-defence' argument is given any credence we will be in deep trouble. This is an important political event. There is great responsibility on the prosecution. If they get it wrong we could be facing the prospect of Breivikite attacks across the continent.

Chilling...

From evidence given in the Alfie Meadows trial:

Mansfield [for the defence] questioned [Commander] Johnson’s tactics once again, asking him if he understood the difference between ‘high-profile’ and ‘low-profile’ policing to which Johnson replied ‘I use proportionate policing’. Mansfield referred to Johnson’s handling of the G20 protest and the way ‘thing went wrong there’. Johnson said he didn’t accept things had gone wrong, to which Mansfield responded ‘somebody died there’. ‘They did, yes,’ replied Johnson.

You have to bear in mind this is probably not a gaffe (even though it should look bad to any right-thinking person). This is Total Policing. Things did not 'go wrong' at the G20, at least not for the police, who demonstrated their power and, through that, the power of the British capitalist class. Somebody died, but people do that all the time. The point was people were made that little bit more afraid of expressing their politics.

Things did not go wrong for the police on Westminster Bridge either, where several thousand young people were corralled in sub-zero temperatures and Hillsborough-like conditions by commander Johnson's men. It was revenge for the humiliation inflicted on the police by the students invasion of Millbank Tower.