Published: May 15th 2011 - at 6:20 pm

UKuncutter arrested for holding a banner


by Sunny Hundal    

Blogger and UKuncut protester Alasdair Thompson was arrested this morning by Lothian & Borders Police for merely displaying an anti-cuts banner at a BHS store in Edinburgh’s Rose Street.

The editor of Bright Green Scotland blog was the only protester who was arrested. He was there as part of Edinburgh Uncut, who were planning to stage an instore comedy gig at the store, owned by Philip Green.

A woman was also physically restrained but not arrested for photographing the police.

Gary Dunion writes that police confirmed to Uncut activists that they had been ordered to make an arrest to “set an example”, even before the action had begun.

Alasdair Thompson was later released after a sit-down protest outside St Leonard’s police station, where he was being held.

Edinburgh Uncut say they have a recording of the police admitting they had pre-orders to arrest someone.

A clip is now being uploaded to the web.

Update: Alasdair A fellow protester has written up his first-hand experience of what happened.


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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. Anonymous

Sounds about right really. The thing is, this’ll offend loads of lefties, but the rest of the world will ignore it completely like always.

2. sally

The global elites are getting very concerned if they are foring the police to clamp down on protest.

Once again the police show why they are the thugs of the corporations.

Remind me why I should support the police’s right to strike?

3. The Judge

“Remind me why I should support the police’s right to strike?”

The right to strike whom?

4. tim f

#2

You don’t have to march alongside them, but you should support anyone’s right to strike on the basis that it’s not good to set precedents that exceptions can be made. Fair argument?

5. MatGB

FACTCHECK:

owned by Philip Green.

Owned by Tina Green. Legally, entirely hers.

Fighting for independent property rights within marriage was a great victory for equality campaigners.

Pretending it didn’t happen to try and make a political point is something I’ve very uncomfortable about.

6. damon

Alasdair Thompson was later released after a sit-down protest outside St Leonard’s police station, where he was being held.

I’m not surprised they let him go. Them people sitting outside are the Hibs Casuals I think.

7. Jim

I think we better learn that the law is written for our corporate betters. If the law is not actually written down the filth have the duty to ‘make something up’. Surely merely offending a billionaire, irrespective of the cause, should be a crime in its own right? Failure to forelock tug when given a direct order to do so should be a hanging offence, after all, if money doesn’t buy you your own police force, then what is the point.

People should remember this when they are asked to respect the police force. They are not there to administer the law, they are there to ensure that the rich are not inconvenienced in any way, shape or form by the lower orders.

Here is the thing, though. This has been going on for as long as I can remember. The filth have always used their power to this way, but it is only recently that it has came to light in the public eye. Too many cases of people ‘falling down the stairs’. This is why the post mortem on Mr Tomlison was bungled. The police are so used to making things up that it never occured to them that video evidence would prove them wrong.

8. ukliberty

Update: Alasdair has written up his experiences here.

That link doesn’t go to Alisdair’s account but someone else’s.

9. Winston "roots" Chruchill

We will fight them in the stores
We will fight them in the streets
We will never be defeated
We will be victorious in our fight against fascist police states
…or we will die, free men, trying.

I have been waiting 30 years for this – the moment of revolution.

10. Tim Hardy

The video is now up here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75nlARLo0dE


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
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