This weekend saw yet another weekend of protests from our friends at SPEAK. Not just two demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday, but a rally in the town hall. A handful of protesters were still planted on the pavement outside the new animal laboratory on Monday even (to the great enjoyment of all those working around the area; see my earlier comment about megaphones)
Having seen the demonstration and its so-called violent abuse by the police, I am beginning to wonder if it was actually the same demonstration I had been at.
Yes, there was a little cafuffle at the front, when a few of the more militant activists tried to break through the lines of policemen and women protecting the science area. These were dealt with in what seemed a very civil restrained manner. To me it seems pretty obvious that if you are going to attack a line of policemen, they are not going to step aside and give you a pat on the back.
As for the suggested intimidation by the coppers, that again seems only the demonstrators’ own fault: if you are going to threaten to attack any building that is part of the university and you fail to provide your own stewards to the demonstration, it seems only logical to me that a close-guarding heavy police presence is required. The police seemed very civilised to me. In fact, having seen them in action during potentially violent football matches, to my eyes there was no sign of intimidation at all. The front rows of officers did not even have helmets and shields! And if, like the SPEAK website so happily claims, the fight is not with Thames Valley Police, but with the University itself, why are demonstrators hurling objects at the police?
This whole weekend of demonstrations proved once again to me that the activists involved in this protests are just bleating: everybody is out to get them, no one is cooperating, the university and all its workers are evil, etc. etc. If they could keep their violent component and conspiracy theories under control, none of this would be necessary and peaceful protest could take place, perhaps even dialogue. As it stands we just have to live with the continual threat of violence and they will have to live with the police being on their case.
