processing news

But first, this:

Police arrested a man under the terrorism act at Manchester airport on Friday morning after a struggle and are investigating a suspect package.

"Police attempted to arrest the man who struggled with officers. A Taser gun was then used to detain the man," a spokeswoman for Manchester police said.

I hope it isn’t anything like this story which appeared in yesterday’s Guardian. David Mery has a longer version on his website, with extra details:

I am allowed a phone call to my girlfriend: a female police officer dials the number, asks for my girlfriend and tell her that she will transfer me over. My girlfriend is crying and keeps repeating: ‘What happened, I thought you were injured or had an accident, where were you, why didn’t you call me back’. I explain that I'm fine and in a police station, my phone was taken and the police officers wouldn’t allow me to call. She wants to come to the station. I try to reassure her and ask her to stay at home as I don’t know how long it’ll take and she caught a cold while waiting and looking for me outside.

... I am put into an individual police cell. I ask for a glass of water. The officer says ‘yes’ but doesn’t bring it. About 30 minutes later a female officer asks if I am ok. I again request a glass of water, and it is brought to me.

A plainclothes officer tells me that my flat will be searched under the Terrorism Act. I request that my girlfriend be called beforehand, so that she won't be too scared. This request is accepted, and I am asked for her phone number. I don’t know it – it is stored in my phone – so I explain it is with the officer at the desk. I later find out that they don’t call her.

Apart from the two visits to the cell (the one check and the info about the search), every now and then I notice an eye behind the eyehole but I'm not told anything.

Obviously this isn’t torture or serious mistreatment. But it has that frog-boiling element to it, the feel of police state policing, the casual discourtesy towards a suspect being processed in a context where anyone can be a suspect if their appearance, demeanour or behaviour start the cops’ antennae whirling. Found via Chris, who is also alarmed at the satanic behaviour of otters.

Comments

[John H]

Yeah, but that David Mery bloke was clearly asking for it. Just look at how the police summarised his suspicious behaviour:

· I went into the station without looking at the police officers at the entrance or by the gates;

· two other men entered the station at about the same time as me;

· I am wearing a jacket "too warm for the season";

· I am carrying a bulky rucksack, and kept my rucksack with me at all times;

· I looked at people coming on the platform;

· I played with my phone and then took a paper from inside my jacket.

He clearly brought it on himself. ;-)

Seriously, though, he should consider himself a bit lucky he's still alive. Jean Charles de Menezes ended up with eight bullets in his head for less.

The really weird bit was that he was regarded with suspicion for "keeping his rucksack with him at all times". I thought that's what we were *supposed* to do?

[rampART radio]

You might be interested in the audio interview on rampART radio in which David Mery talks about his experience and chats about the errosion of our civil liberties...

You can download the MP3 from the rampART website or subscribe to the podcast.

http://rampartradio.co.nr