Social Control

from email, 1 July 2009: "On Monday (29 June 2009), the French legislature passed a radical new law making it illegal to be part of a "gang" - if it's one that has been or may be violent. Earlier this month, France banned the wearing of masks during public protests. The new anti-gang law says that anyone identified with a group, formal or informal, known by police to have committed criminal acts, or is intending to, may be subject to a three-year sentence or a 45,000 euro (US$63,000) fine..." more

via grauniad, 30 June 2009: "A senior police officer who investigated the death of Ian Tomlinson told his family that the officer who struck him at the G20 demonstrations could have been a member of the public "dressed in police uniform", it emerged last night. The City of London police investigator made the comment at an emergency meeting with Tomlinson's family and the Independent Police Complaints Commission on 8 April 2009..." more

from crimethinc, 25 June 2009: "For as long as anyone can remember, the FBI has infiltrated radical communities in hopes of framing people on criminal charges. This has intensified in anarchist circles over the past few years. A handful of unfortunates now languish in prison, serving up to decades for actions they never carried out and probably would never have even considered were it not for the efforts of agents provocateurs. How does the government choose who to target? What factors put people at risk? Most importantly, what can we do to protect ourselves and each other?" more

from narconews, 23 June 2009: "US Government Trained the Police Department that Participated in the Operation and Invested "Heavily" in the Killer Helicopters... On June 5, the Peruvian National Police (PNP) massacred up to fifty unarmed Awajún and Wampi indigenous people in Bagua who had blockaded roads in protest of land reforms related to a recently implemented US-Peru free trade agreement..." more

from notts-imc, 23 June 2009: "Nottinghamshire Police face scrutiny after mass pre-emptive arrests, tasering a man 3 times and killing a black man in their prison cells... Nottinghamshire Police attracted national media attention when a video was released onto the internet showing officers from the force assaulting a member of the public in Nottingham City Centre. In the video the four officers can be seen shooting the man with a Taser stun gun and punching him repeatedly..." more

from various sources, 20 June 2009: "Six months after the killing of Oscar Grant, on 4 June 2009, Judge C. Don Clay ruled, after a preliminary hearing, that former Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) cop Johannes Mehserle will go to trial for murder. This ruling sets the stage, and new stakes, for the battle for justice for Oscar Grant. And the twists and turns of this case as it heads into trial need to be closely watched. People need to continue to speak out, resist and bring the truth about this murder, part of a nationwide epidemic of police murder, to the world..." more

from ainfos, 20 June 2009: "This past May 5 union leader Argenis Vasquez, organizing secretary in the union at Toyota’s plant in Cumana, was gunned down by thugs as he left his house. This assassination occurred just after a month-long strike demanding improvements. The murdered worker was a leader of the protest and key in confrontations with the company and the management..." more

from infoshop, 15 June 2009: "Chicago Police attempt to re-enact Stonewall by rioting against queers. On Saturday night, May 30th 2009, a group of approximately 100 queers disembarked the red line train at the Belmont stop into Chicago’s Boystown area. Intending to march around a bit, the crowd found themselves too large to fit on the sidewalk... Cops parked and began running into the crowd, grabbing queers seemingly at random and proceeding to beat them with batons and extendable asps..." more

from email, 14 June 2009: "In order to support the Italian mobilization we are organizing for the 4th of July a demonstration in Berlin which has as its motto: “Quake G8 2009 – We are your crisis!” We are calling for pushing ahead in cross-border mobilizations in 2009 the development of a transnational struggle against the „architectures of security“ no matter if they shall be constructed by NATO, G8 or the EU. Smash security architectures! Shake G8 – Quake G8! La storia siamo noi! 4th of July 2009 14.00 pm Oranienplatz, Berlin..." more

from imc, 11 June 2009: "In case you missed it the guide to anonymous browing published by Global Voices was updated in March this year to take account of the changes in TOR. The simple to understand guide is online as html or downloadable as a pdf..." more

from sumoud, 11 June 2009: "Between the afternoon of June 3 till June 5, 2009, approximately 15 anti-Olympics activists were visited by Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit (VISU) Joint Intelligence Group officers. Surprise visits by plain-clothes officers included home visits, work place visits, persistent phone calls, and intimidation of family members and neighbours..." more

from email, 10 June 2009: "The information reported in the section on anarchists reveals that, on the one hand, security experts in Virginia are collecting information on people like myself in over a dozen counties across the state, and on the other hand, these security experts are blundering idiots who haven't the slightest clue about anarchist theory and practice and cannot distinguish between real anarchist organizations that have been active for years and ironic fake names signed to humorous communiques and pamphlets..." more

from guardian, updated 17 June 2009: "Indigenous tribes who are protesting about oil and gas projects in the Amazon clashed with Peruvian security forces on Friday, leaving dozens dead and injured... Police in helicopters fired live rounds at peaceful protestors and dropped tear gas canisters, killing 22 protestors, indigenous leader Alberto Pizango told reporters in the capital Lima..." more

from js, 24 April 2009: "There are more than 2 million “private security” officers and guards deployed in America and this number is growing by the day in Oakland and other cities. The United States is in the midst of the most radical privatization agenda in its history... There are almost 200,000 “private contractors” in Iraq (more than US soldiers) and Obama is continuing to use mercenaries there and in Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine..." more

from policeoracle.com, 22 April 2009: "The body armour covers featuring police officers’ names will be issued to every frontline officer in the next few months... They’ll have embroidered badges showing the officer’s initial, surname and collar number, plus four clips to carry kit like radios and mobile data devices." Nice move. So now you know the name of the pig who beat you up... more