Police in Edinburgh broke up an open air rally organised by FRFI in support of the hunger strikers on Saturday 29 November.
In the very short time when the meeting was allowed by the police a crowd of about thirty people gathered. It was the police who ‘breached the peace’ by disrupting a perfectly orderly event in their desperation to censor anti-imperialism off Britain’s streets. The speaker was arrested, a supporter who photographed this event was told to ‘fuck off’ by Sergeant B11 then arrested, and then another person who merely enquired which police station they were being taken to was arrested. As many people as could be gathered followed them to Gayfield Square Police Station to protest until their release was obtained.
Within 5 minutes of our arrival, nervous and hysterically angry police officers rushed out to arrest the whole picket if they would not go away. Five people were charged as a result of refusing to leave, including one Labour Party member and a supporter of Provisional Sinn Fein who had come to support the rally.
All eight appeared in court on Wednesday 3 December charged variously with breach of the peace, obstruction and illegal use of a megaphone. At the particular spot where we held our meeting, evangelists, mormons etc, regularly address the public on weekdays and at weekends. Yet Labour controlled Lothian Region Council have yet to take a stand in our favour. The case goes to court in March – meanwhile the Edinburgh 8 Defence Campaign is seeking the support of trade unionists and labour movement organisations in the city to combat police censorship and call for the charges to be dropped.
Two weeks later 5 other people were arrested in Edinburgh for distributing leaflets in support of the hunger strikers – bringing the total to 13 arrested whilst doing hunger strike support work.
PC gets lesson in tact and diplomacy
The Edinburgh 8 arrests came only 3 weeks after FRFI supporters in Edinburgh received a letter from the Deputy Chief Constable referring to an earlier incident of harassment. In it he said:
‘the constable allowed himself to enter into a verbal exchange of views which went beyond our normal standards of tact and diplomacy.
While I am satisfied that the officer acted in good faith and without malice…I deplore any drop, however temporary, in the standards expected of our officers. Accordingly, the opportunity has been taken to counsel this officer on the need for tact and diplomacy in such circumstances.’
Now we know what this ‘tact and diplomacy’ amounts to.
FRFI 8 January / February 1981
