Fit watch: Fitwatch at G8 protests

Wednesday, 2 July 2008

Fitwatch at G8 protests

4th July - Japanese Embassy - 12pm - 101-104 Piccadilly, London, W1J 7JT

5th July - London Fete Against the G8 - 12pm - Croydon Central, North End, Close to the entrance of Whitgift ShoppingCentre

FIT on the rampage - Carnival For Full Enjoyment, Edinburgh, G8 2005.

When writing a call against police tactics for an anti G8 protest, it would be very easy to concentrate on repression. Most G8 protests have, after all, attracted widespread repression.

However, we thought it would be nicer to focus on the last major G8 protests in the UK, and the memory of cameraman Neal Sinclair lying face down in a rose garden.

Join us for similar rosy memories, and be a thorn in the side of the FIT team.

Fitwatch is a tactic to fight the FIT by all means necessary.

Anyone can fitwatch, and it can be as confrontational or pacific as you want.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...: Yup - past glories.

All been downhill since then eh!; 3 July 2008 at 02:47
Anonymous said...: I took a photo of this FIT
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/images/2008/06/402240.jpg

because he was following and photographing peacful protestors at this event

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/07/402326.html; 3 July 2008 at 11:39
Anonymous said...: Pc Comment.
Yes indeed..Many happy memories, flying in by Chinook, loads of O/T, grub,and some good'firm' policing!!; 3 July 2008 at 12:51
Anonymous said...: here's hoping you have one final trip in a chinook - perhaps to the strains of 'mull of kintyre'.; 4 July 2008 at 01:14
Anonymous said...: pc Comment.
Was that by Jonn Lennon?
and for Anarchists they were really well sorted...for lemmin's; 5 July 2008 at 10:18
Anonymous said...: mull of kintyre famously by wings.; 7 July 2008 at 01:01
Anonymous said...: It was a few years ago now, but at the G8 protests in Stirling in 2005 groups of a few hundred protesters fought (and I mean literally fought) through police lines for 5 miles to reach and successfully blockade the M9 motorway, preventing at least one of the key delegates from attending the summit and really messing up their cosy little meeting that day. The motorway was so effectively blockaded that it was closed for most of the day.

FIT, who had taken their eye off the ball and had been fixated with following 'known activists' around Glasgow, presumably had their arses well and truly kicked for not noticing the build up to the largest bit of public disorder there has been in the UK for many a good year.

Which probably explains their current fixation with photographing and monitoring absolutely everyone, because political resistance is so damn unpredictable isn't it?; 7 July 2008 at 02:47
Anonymous said...: but at the G8 protests in Stirling in 2005 groups of a few hundred protesters fought (and I mean literally fought) through police lines for 5 miles to reach and successfully blockade the M9 motorway, preventing at least one of the key delegates from attending the summit and really messing up their cosy little meeting that day. The motorway was so effectively blockaded that it was closed for most of the day.

Nope - don't remember that at all - but then again I was actually there!; 7 July 2008 at 03:30
Anonymous said...: Don't remember that?

The indymedia article referenced on the main article, and written at the time, made quite a lot of reference to it. Maybe reading it will jog your memory.

There was an excellent video of it here, entitled black block tactics in Stirling, http://video.indymedia.org/en/2005/07/125.shtml but sadly it is no longer working.

Are you sure you were there?; 7 July 2008 at 05:48
Anonymous said...: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xf8j8_black-block-tactics-in-stirling; 8 July 2008 at 07:05
Anonymous said...: pc comment
I was there and I remember hearing tthe familliar. "Shame on you " Babble. Sorry for spelling I am a bit drunk..........great days!
Baton preserved for prosperity...hic. Bring on the revolution!!; 8 July 2008 at 15:53
Anonymous said...: trivia question: scotland were playing the cricket world cup in the summer of 2005. however, their star batsman was at gleneagles trying to knock protestors for six. can anyone name him?; 9 July 2008 at 09:04
Anonymous said...: my mistake. it was the icc intercontinental cup.; 9 July 2008 at 09:07
Anonymous said...: i thought one of you would be a cricket fan...; 11 July 2008 at 00:30
Anonymous said...: So would that be a certain Colin Smith, police officer and batsman for Aberdeenshire and Scotland, who presumably was also called into battle in Stirling or Edinburgh?

Welcome Colin. Still a copper then?; 11 July 2008 at 03:16
Anonymous said...: Here are some photos from the G8 protests, including these cops:

co2558 co5029 co5090 cw2075 cw2955 d35 ek442 ek61 ek619 kd54 lx582 lx637 lx70 md825 qa640 scd43 u3528 u4076; 4 August 2008 at 07:47
Anonymous said...: Another great intelligence-led policing success was the Metropolitan police asking glasgow activists if they were enjoying their holidays...; 7 August 2008 at 05:33

Post a Comment

Who are FIT Watch?

Fit Watch are a fluid group of people who have come together to resist and oppose the tactics of the Forward Intelligence Teams (cops who harass protesters).

We aim to act in solidarity with each other, supporting campaigns by being at meetings and protests, making it harder for the police to film and gather intelligence.

We hope to encourage a culture where their presence is not acceptable and to act when we see people being followed and harassed.

We aim to make it harder for them to photograph and intimidate us by getting in the way of their cameras, taking photos and publishing as much information as we can about them on our blog.

Please add info as a comment or send to defycops(at)yahoo.co.uk

Some Ideas For Fitwatching

FIT Watch can be done by anyone and can be as passive or as confrontational as you wish. Here are some tactics we have found to be effective:

1.Holding large banners in front of photographers. This is particularly effective with double sheets on sticks which can block a camera from a distance. This is the least confrontational way of blocking photography.

2.Taking photos of them. They really don’t like this but it isn’t illegal. With any photos it’s always good to either try and get the cop’s number in the shot, or note it down.

3.Following the FIT. Pick a team and tail them. Turn their tactics onto them – everything time they send a text message look over their shoulder, listen to their phone conversations, look at what they’re writing in their notebooks.

4.Watch out for group huddles, especially with senior officers and go and unobtrusively stand by them. This disrupts their briefings and there’s always the possibility you might learn some useful information.

5.Upload any information gathered about the FIT to www.fitwatch.blogspot.com or email to defycops@yahoo.co.uk

6.Put yourself physically in the way of the camera men by standing constantly in front of the camera and constantly shadow them. This has been the most confrontational tactic used so far and has therefore been the one people have been arrested for. However it has also been possible to do this without arrest, especially if there are larger numbers doings this.

Fitwatch

http://www.fitwatch.org.uk

Fit watch

Pages

Policewatch Films

Wednesday, 2 July 2008

Fitwatch at G8 protests

17 comments:

Twitter / Fitwatcher

Donate To Fitwatch

Who are FIT Watch?

Some Ideas For Fitwatching

Cop Photographer pulling face

Fit Eating Ice Cream

Blog Archive

Contributors

Links

Fitwatch

http://www.fitwatch.org.uk

Fit watch

Pages

Policewatch Films

Wednesday, 2 July 2008

Fitwatch at G8 protests

17 comments:

Twitter / Fitwatcher

Subscribe To

Donate To Fitwatch

Who are FIT Watch?

Some Ideas For Fitwatching

Cop Photographer pulling face

Fit Eating Ice Cream

Blog Archive

Contributors

Links