Star date: 2nd January 2015

TEA, DOUGHNUTS AND SCHOOL PROJECT ARRESTS AT BARTON MOSS

One of the biggest stories in Salford last year was the daily anti-fracking protests at Barton Moss, which led to a ridiculous amount of arrests for charges that have mostly been thrown out of court. In January the remaining court cases are to be heard with the promise of some explosive revelations.

In the meantime, the Salford Star gives you the five most rubbish arrests at Barton Moss by Greater Manchester Police – tea and doughnuts anyone?

Full details here...

In no particular order, here are the five most rubbish arrests at Barton Moss by Greater Manchester Police...

DOUGHNUT DELIGHT

As the slow walk protests in front of lorries exiting the IGas exploratory drilling site were hurried down Barton Moss Road, a bloke called Boris kneeled down in the lane with a plate of doughnuts for the police and a sign reading `What Will You Tell Your Grandkids?'. Did the officers from Greater Manchester Police stop for a chat and a doughnut? Not on your Aunt Nelly! Boris was promptly arrested for `obstruction' and thrown in a police van. The case of the lovely doughnuts is due back in court in January.

SLOWLY WALKING BACKWARDS WITH A CUP OF TEA

Maria Sanders was pregnant, holding a cup of warm tea and slowly walking backwards when she was pounced on by officers and arrested for `threatening behaviour' at Barton Moss.

She subsequently wrote an open letter to GMP stating "If this officer…is genuinely threatened by a woman who is five months pregnant and at the time walking backwards drinking a cup of lukewarm tea…perhaps he should be undergoing some form of psychological evaluation...Exactly what was he threatened by? Does he have a pathological fear of pregnant women, tea, or more depressingly, intelligent conversation. This man was willing to misuse his considerable authority to remove a young woman for peacefully exercising a basic and vital human right." (see here)

GEOGRAPHY JAPES

15 year old Salford schoolgirl, Saffron Hughes, was at Barton Moss to study the protests first hand for her Geography project on fracking. Her arrest while slow walking the IGas lorries caused shock and outrage in Salford and beyond, particularly as she was separated from her mother and left in a cell at Swinton Police Station for six hours.

In May this year, the charges against Saffron were dropped as she told the Salford Star, "I'm relieved the case is over. However I'm angry that I didn't have a chance to say my version in the court. I did nothing wrong on that day."

Saffron's solicitor, Simon Pook of Robert Lizars, went a lot further, telling the Star of the "suffering and emotional turmoil she has been through, including the bullying she was subjected to during the early stages of her arrest."

He added: "Our concern is the escalating cost to the public purse of the ongoing failures of these cases" (see here)

Saffron's brother, Kyle, said on the day of the arrest..."I just think it's the police being aggressive more than anything...It's scary when it's the first time you've been on the walk and get arrested for `walking'."

TEAGATE!

Under his moniker of Steve Spy, lawful observer, Steve Peers filmed most of the transgressions of Greater Manchester Police during the Barton Moss protests until, one day, he was arrested himself – for refusing to take a breath test, despite only drinking a cup of tea.

Here's Steve's story in his own words... "I was first thrown to the ground while I was videoing an arrest, just there videoing this atrocious activity and the sergeant turned around saw me, lifted me up and threw me in front of a lorry. There's video footage of him colluding with Officer Kehoe who then comes over pushes me up the road and then starts making allegations of drink driving which was absolutely bizarre at 9am in the morning

"I didn't have a car or a key as my car was in for repairs and I'd stayed the night on site" he adds "All I'd had to drink was a cup of tea, so for him to just stand reeling all these bizarre accusations, there was no way I was going to consent to blowing into anything because you can't do that on a pedestrian footpath. If he had said `I saw you getting out of that car' then he might have had grounds but absolutely no way was I going to consent to an unlawful test and unwrongful arrest.

"I was badly shaken and it took a couple of weeks to recover from the physical injuries but I was determined to stay and film and observe to get the evidence that will change the system that is absolutely corrupt" he explained

The charges, of course, were thrown out of court but despite Steve's filmed video evidence of his arrest the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) cleared GMP officers of any misconduct.

"GMP and all police complaints need a total overhaul" said Steve "Members of the public need a fair system for examining these people who are out of control. They can lie to a camera and expect to be let off by their senior officers. It's atrocious."

VANDA VANDALS

This wasn't so much rubbish arrests as brutal arrests that shocked the world. Vanda, a mother from Manchester who had joined the camp, was viciously arrested not once but twice by GMP officers who seemed to target her and take delight in physically hurting her.

The first time Vanda was brutally arrested was in February when  she was chased across a field, dragged through the mud and subsequently had a fit from the pain of having her arm twisted up her back. She lay in the road for 45 minutes before an ambulance arrived.

Following the violent arrest solicitor Simon Pook called for the United Nations to get involved as he told the Salford Star, "What I have witnessed today at Barton Moss has confirmed my greatest fear…A fear that Greater Manchester Police appear to have discarded the European Convention of Human Rights into the gutter, and replaced it with political policing, re-enforced with overt aggression."

Later, Vanda said that the GMP officers had acted like "a pack of wolves" – but they weren't finished with her yet. Only four weeks later GMP officers were at it again, brutally arresting Vanda in full view of cameras, protesters and Happy Mondays' Bez who had come down to Barton Moss to support the protests...

"It's a disgrace really" he told the Salford Star "A peaceful protest, and to arrest someone in a violating way, smashing their head on the floor is not right is it? Especially a woman. I got sent to prison for being accused of doing that shit. Three grown men battering a woman on the floor? I'm in shock by their actions. I expect more of people who are supposed to be protecting us..." (see here)

So there you have it, just five out of hundreds of the arrests and charges connected with the Barton Moss anti-fracking protests during the last twelve months. There were many, many other violent, unnecessary and just plain stupid arrests.

2015 will see the conclusion of these cases laid out in court, and there are some explosive revelations still to appear – although, at the moment, the press is restricted from reporting them. Watch this space during the next few months!

Main photo of Steve Peers by Steven Speed