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Policewatch Films

Wednesday 18 March 2009

Focus on Tower Hamlets

In the first of an occasional series, here are a number of pictures and numbers we've received of plainclothes and FIT officers from Tower Hamlets. Other boroughs will receive attention in the near future. 

Sgt HT19. Trafalgar Square, Gaza demo, 17 January 2009
HT207, on left. Trafalgar Square, Gaza demo, 17 January 2009

Here's three dubious characters: 

HT940, HT668, HT276, Bethnal Green Road, December 2008

Here these three were involved in filming Whitechapel Anarchists ostensibly under an operation to curb youth crime and disorder.


HT940 opposite Israeli Embassy, 10 January 2009


HT668 outside National Gallery, Gaza demo, 17 January 2009

It is perhaps no coincidence that HT668, HT940, HT19 and HT201 were among the FIT on these Gaza demonstrations, given the 'robust' policing which followed in and around Whitechapel where Asian men were subjected to more than usual oppressive police behaviour following the Israeli slaughter in Gaza and the resultant demonstrations.

More recently, three Tower Hamlets plainclothes officers, and the ubiquitous HT668, were seen outside the Rampart venue off Commercial Road near Whitechapel last Thursday when the owner's agents attempted to evict the squatted building. The plainclothes officers somewhat undermined their disguise by donning elements of police uniform.

HT656



HT866


The blond cop facing camera decided merely to don the stab-proof vest, maintaining his anonymity for the time being.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very nice feature - particularly interesting read in tandem with the WAG report on the attempted Ramparts eviction:

http://whitechapelanarchistgroup.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/fk-the-bailiffs/

Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Don't think he's a copper. Doesn't look quite right. Perhaps too young to be on a specialist unit. Also hands in pocket etc etc. Perhaps he's on a ride-along (relation/friend of someone in the FIT).

Clovis said...

With the plainclothes cops, they were a bonus. Cops in plainclothes have haunted our demonstrations ever since 1829, despite Sir Robert Peel insisting that they would never act like the French spy-police. If you're looking to infiltrate a copper or three into a crowd of (predominantly) young people you're not going to choose the Discombes, Rooneys or Joe Rosses of this world. You might choose someone who looked like they'd escaped from a bar in Hoxton.

I never said that those three plainclothes lot were FIT. But they're doing much the same job.