Photos by Billy McCra
I was on my way to meet my friends, carrying my peace flag, for a demonstration of peace at BAe HQ, behind Pall Mall, on St. James's Sq. I was walking through St. Pancras International, having just alighted the train from St. Albans, when I saw a slightly built young, black African gentleman surrounded by two policemen, one white, one Asian, and a policewoman, who was armed with a stop and search form. I realised that they were acting unlawfully, as police officers. So I went over, to offer the young man the information, that he was not obliged to furnish these persons with his details and to ask the officers if they had informed him of this right, stipulated on the Home Office 'Stop & Search' page.
The white male officer, turned to me, as I started to speak, and didn't want the young man to hear what I was saying- he raised his voice, whilst walking towards me threateningly. He told me that I was causing an obstruction of a police officer in the performance of their legal duty. The police woman told the young man to concentrate on her and ignore me. I asked her if she had told him, that he was not obliged to give his details or answer her questions.
The officer in front of me started saying, "Go away, go away, go away....." and was very aggressive, pushing into me. I replied that I would not go away unless they told him his rights. He said, that they had told the young man, what they were legally obliged to tell him and that if I didn't move away he would arrest me for obstruction. I informed him that he did not know the law of the land and that I was not subject to acts and statutes as he would find out if he attempted to arrest me for anything other than harming another, which I was not going to do.
I moved around the officer that was obstructing justice and informed him that he had an obligation under his police oath to deny right or justice to no-one. I went to the other side of the man detained and began to tell him that he did not have to provide his details and that this was documented, as previously stated, on the Home Office website. I saw at this point that he had already begun to enter into contract with them, as his name was already on the form, in upper case.
The police officer was beside me now and said that he was arresting me for public order section 5, as he put a cuff on my right wrist. I cried out, "What are you doing, all I'm asking is that you inform human beings of the one right that the home office says that we have, in a country where Tony Blair's govt came up with over 3000 new acts & statutes, to curb our freedom of speech, assembly etc. I think that the least you can do is to tell us that!" I shouted out to the people starting to look, "Stop walking by, see what happens when you ask about human rights. Under stop and search laws we do not have to provide our details to officers. Check the home office page stop and search. The officers will not tell you this. They are doing this to black and Asian people all of the time and anyone else who sticks their head above the parapet, like me!"
Lots of police officers, of British Transport Police Authority, were now arriving. And where the crowd had been walking along in straight lines, now a crowd had gathered. It all happened very fast, but basically I was lain face down on the ground with handcuffs on tight and so that my hands were facing opposite directions. I was shouting now, "How dare you. Get off me! I have done nothing wrong!" As they were cuffing me, I asked them loudly, "Why are you putting the cuffs on like that officers, that is hurting, stop it! Don't put them on like that!"
I saw the people all gathering; some filming, some taking photographs; as I lay there on the ground, two officers holding my arms, so that my shoulders were uncomfortable. I shouted out to them then and said, "These officers have no right to do this to me, I am not a person, I am a human being. Person is a legal term, check this out at tpuc.org, the people's united community. Watch a film called, 'Bursting Bubbles of Govt Deception' find out the truth. These people have no jurisdiction over us. We have to consent to their rules. Well I do not consent. GET OOOOOOOOff." and so on. One of them, during this, had crossed my legs over at the ankles and knelt on them. When he did this, I shouted, "Stop hurting me, get off my legs! How dare you!"
At about this point, an elderly English gentleman arrived, with a walking stick and was speaking to the officers. He leant down, he had a lovely smily face. He asked me if I was alright, told me that he had been arrested in the past and that I would probably be treated more gently if I became quiet. I explained that I had to let the people know what was going on. He said well done and asked me if I would like him to be a witness for me. The police officer then said, "Move away sir, you are causing an obstruction." The gentleman would not move away but the officer was now standing between us. The officer threatened to arrest him and the gentleman replied
"Arrest me then!"..... Brilliant!
I told the crowd gathered, and the people coming out of shops and coffee houses that they were threatening to arrest the elderly gentleman for obstruction because he was offering to witness what had happened. I had a card in one of my cuffed hands with my telephone number on it. I didn't think to suggest contacting me through John at tpuc.org. Unfortunately! I was trying to get the card to the man but I couldn't. I told the police to take his details. They wouldn't. I asked the anyone to take my card and give it to the man. The original arresting officer said, "I am not giving him any of your property!" I told the crowd EVERYTHING.
Then the police lifted me up by my elbows and feet. Remember in what position my hands were cuffed? I was horizontal facing the ground and my hands were twisting so the cuffs were pulling down on my hands and wrists. So, I pulled my knees up and forced them to let my feet go down to the ground, whilst asking them what the hell they were doing.
I was then marched by two police officers, with others following, to a waiting, van cage. One of the officers, whose number they wouldn't give to me, as he didn't come back to the police station, was lifting me so far off the ground, on my left side, that my shoulder was up by my head and my foot was hardly touching the floor on that side. As the arresting officer, now known to me by his number 4509, had my arm at a more natural angle, this was also playing havoc with the cuffs pulling sideways against my wrists. I told him to let me down and stop hurting me, I had done nothing wrong. And he let me down.
I was then at the back of the van and PC 4509, said that before I went in the back of the van, he needed to adjust the cuffs as my wrists were very small. For God's sake- I said to him, "What do you think that I'm going to do. You don't need to cuff me, I'm not going to do anything wrong." He said that he didn't "want to take that risk". He proceeded to cuff my hands in the same position, even though I asked him to do it side to side. Then I was locked in the back of the van and driven to Holborn Police Station.
Source: http://www.old.tpuc.org/node/576
