Police try to stifle Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition protest

Police try to stifle Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition protest

It wasn’t a nice sight – the spectacle of two Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) election candidates, one apparently having his collar felt and the other being dragged away by the police on the eve of poll of the last general and local council elections.

Craig Johnston, RMT national executive member

They had been intending to question the then ‘New’ Labour prime minister, Gordon Brown, over job losses on Network Rail and privatisation of our public services as the prime ministerial election bandwagon arrived at Carlisle’s Citadel railway station on the last day of campaigning before the polling stations opened.

It soon became apparent that questions to the prime minister were “not on the agenda”.

One of the TUSC candidates – Tony Brown – was dragged off by the British Transport Police. Thrown in the cells for nothing and subsequently charged for allegedly committing an obscure offence – the British Transport Police and the New Labour Party must have thought he’ll accept a fixed penalty fine and that will be the end of it. Job done!

Tony Brown was having none of it – he fought his case and last week Tony was found not guilty. What should be of concern to all of us is the powers used by the police on this occasion and the apparent ease with which they used these powers against political protest without a shred of justification.