Young Greens to petition Met Police Authority to ban kettling

9 January 2011

A petition is due to presented to the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) on Thursday 13th January for the "kettling" or containment of people at demonstrations to be banned.

This comes after the demonstrators were kettled by Metropolitan Police for up to 9 hours during a student demonstration against fee rises on 24th November.

Many protesters found themselves surrounded by police in freezing temperatures and the crowds were heard chanting, "let us out".

Young Greens say that the way police handled this event prevented many innocent protestors from exercising their legal rights.

Kettling can also turn a seemingly peaceful protest into an event where those who attend are effectively imprisoned and punished.

Green London Assembly representative and member if the MPA, Jenny Jones said: "The biggest risk to young people at these demonstrations is from police tactics like kettling and the use of horses.

Students have a right to protest without the risk of harm from police."

Sir Paul Stephenson, Commissioner of the Metropolitan police has faced much criticism over the handling of this situation.

The petition, which has already attracted over 1500 signatures, seeks to encourage the police to think twice about using this controversial tactic and restore public confidence.

Jenny Jones added: "It's time kettling was publicly recognised for what it is: false imprisonment. It's time the government made kettling illegal."

1) Link to petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ban_kettling/.

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