Lies, cops, rising tide, and trains

bristol | policing | news report Wednesday October 24, 2007 23:00 by copwatch

So they didn't have a bike to fix after all!

2 rather bemused individuals were spoken to by plainclothes cops at the kebele social centre today about a poster relating to trains and rising tide (the bristol group of the national network).

Initially a kebele volunteer doing some painting outside was approached by the 2 plainclothes, who showed their cop ID, and said they were enquiring about a poster that referred to Rising Tide.

It transpired that the poster in question was in fact a post on the internet (yeah its a small world!) that referred to trains from Portishead, that carry cars (?), and the post also mentioned the Rising Tide group (context unknown).

Its a known fact that Bristol Rising Tide hold regularish public meets at kebele, but there has been no recent post on Bristol Indymedia (at least) that refers to the subject interesting the cops.

Kebele was otherwise closed today, the bike workshop didn't happen due to absences & a shortage of volunteer bike maintainers. However the cops had spied through the window another guy inside and wanted to ask him if he knew anything about it too. He didn't.

The cops fished for info for a while, and went away.

It transpires tha these same 2 plainclothes had hung around Kebele yesterday. A female volunteer had gone out and asked them if they needed anything, and they'd gone into some speil about wanting to get a bike fixed, and learning how to do it. She'd told them about the bike workshop. maybe they were just vexed that it was closed?

However, given that at least 4 Bristol Rising Tide activists were arrested only last week at the RBS protest near Temple Meads, one wonders why the cops didn't have the nous to talk to them about the matter? And why go through the whole rigmaroll of lying about getting a bike fixed? Are there no honest coppers left?

On further reflexion regards the cops line of enquiry, one recalls that prior to the G8 in 2005 that the Bristol Indymedia server was seized...after an anonymous post to it claiming some sort of action against a train carrying cars, that claimed to be an environmental action. Charges were dropped aginst Bindymedia, and one believes Bindymedia may be pursuing the cops for an apology/damages for damages to property. Is there a connection? But whats it got to do with Rising Tide, as the Bristol group wasn't even in existence then?

Crystal balls anyone?