Protestors Condemn Police Rubber Bullet 'Threats'

The student group organising a major protest in London on Wednesday has condemned perceived threats by the Metropolitan Police, that it was authorised to use plastic baton rounds during protests.

Following the statement on Tuesday by The Met, The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) said the statements released were not co-ordinated with the organisers of the demonstration and are part of a "deeply cynical attempt" to pre-criminalise the protest.

"It is irresponsible for the police to use press conferences to ramp up the fear of violence – which in any case has in the past come overwhelmingly from themselves – thereby increasing the likelihood of it taking place," a spokesperson for the rally said.

They added: "Tactics such as kettling and horse charges have been used by the police before during November and December last year. They were brutal and inhumane, barely legal and counterproductive."

The group said they were determined to block proposed cuts by the Conservative Government and their "privatisation agenda" and build a sustainable movement to defeat the government.

The group said: "The fundamentalism of the policies being pushed by the Tories, and echoed in police tactics, is rooted in desperation of the material collapse of global capitalism – and the scope of reform runs much further than the darkest years of Thatcherism. The coalition’s marketisation of education and health; its criminalisation of squatting; its dismantling of youth work – all can be viewed as a completion of the Thatcher-Blair years."

The group added that there would "almost certainly" be school children on the November 9 protest, as well as numerous disabled activists , "and we encourage all supporters to come to the national demonstration and show the authorities that we will not be intimidated from fighting for the future of our society".

On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police issued a statement saying they had access to "baton rounds", just before some 10,000 students are expected to march over the implementation of student fees.

Last year, similar marches led to a number of clashes with police forces, amid chaotic scenes.

"Officers are deployed to facilitate peaceful protests and that is the aim. There are a range of tactics available if there is criminality and violence associated with the event. One of these is the authority to deploy baton rounds in extreme circumstances," a police spokesman said.

(DW)