Petition calling for the dropping of charges of aggravated tresspass against Ukuncut members
On March 26th 138 UKuncut activists were charged with aggravated tresspass after staging an entirely peaceful protest in Fortnum & Mason. At the very least this has huge significance for the future of peaceful direct action and at it's worst is political policing. UKuncut has played a prominent role in bringing corporate tax avoidance into mainstream political debate and has embarressed the government as well as the powerful corporations they've targeted. The arrest of UKuncut members is an attempt to associate them with the "violence" that occured and to vilify the group in the minds of the general public, and in so doing destroy the movement. These were, as all UKuncut actions have been, entirely peaceful. Please, please give this campaign your support.
Ben Basson
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1148 comments
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Kateyrib
commented
The police blatantly lied!..they should drop the charges!
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Jennifer Hobbs
commented
Peacefully occupying a shop (a place where the public are normally actively encouraged to enter) is not a crime and it's disgusting that these people face such harsh potential sentences.
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Jacob
commented
Tis' what happens when you let the police to there job "well" they take perfectly innocent people who were expressing there rights, in a non-violet manner and then they are tricked by Police and arrested so surprise Political repression no surprise this is what you get when you elect conservatives.
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Millie
commented
The treatment of the UKuncut members by the police is disgusting. We need to fight for our right to protest and our freedom of speech without being treated in this horrific way.
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Gabriel Balfe
commented
Policing protests has always been political, but not for a long time has it been in such a blatant manner
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MusingJules
commented
Outrageous waste of police time and public money. These people were exercising their absolute right to protest - nothing more, nothing less.
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Matthew Butt
commented
It's absolutely not in the public interest to prosecute these people. Drop the charges now!
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Don Phillips
commented
Deeply concerned with many aspects of this business. The Metropolitan Police might recover some of the respect they have surely lost by reconsidering the necessity of charges.
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John Codd
commented
Political policing - the true purpose of policing.
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katherine courtauld
commented
No crime has been committed and these charges should be dropped immediately. We demand justice.
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Dave Stamp
commented
UK Uncut is not only one of the most creative and effective campigning voices against the shock and awe onslaught of this ransacking bunch of unmandated millionaires. It's also very nearly an anagram of what I scream at Cameron, Clegg, Osborne, Gove or Cable whenever one of them shows up on my tellybox.
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Kim Worrall
commented
I support the right for protest and demonstration.
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Jenny Shepherd
commented
These people were engaging in peaceful protest as is our democratic right. Lay off them, Mr Plod.
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Orion Lowther
commented
The arrests of UKuncut members was disgraceful behaviour by both our police force and the government. Any charges against this group are severe miscarriages of justice.
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Joe
commented
These people are not criminals and therefore should not be treated like they are. The Police were clearly in a bad mood after failing to stop the Black Bloc smashing up London and decided to get results through arresting innocent people. 94% or 138 out of the 148 arrests were of uk uncut peaceful protesters. This is clear intimidation and if anything just says, "peaceful non-violent action shall not be tolerated however if you wanna mask up and smash up the West End go ahead". Absolute joke. These people should be freed and compensated. Well done. keep doing what youre doing.
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charlie
commented
sad, and ideological arrests
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Ayden Lowther
commented
The political policing that has happened here if dreadful. These people are hero's that don't deserve to be treated in this way. UK Uncut are raising real issues that need greeting with respect.
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neil
commented
10
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Jake
commented
"We work together in our thousands to defend fairness, protect rights, promote peace, preserve the planet and deepen democracy."
Letting the Fortnum138 get convicted of aggravated tresspass will be a huge loss for freedom and the right to protest in this country. This is exactly the type of cause 38Degrees stands for. We can't let 138 people be convicted for a peaceful sit in, or it will be the beginning of an era where police can arrest any peaceful protesters as they please - we must show the government and the police that we will not stand for our democratic rights being encroached upon.
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Dr Michael A Ward
commented
The police lied to the protesters and are now misusing the law to punish them for taking part in a peaceful protest in a shop that is open to the public. If the police wish to alienate these young people and have them turn up next time dressed in black balaclavas and throwing rocks, they are going a great way about it.
