Tootfinder

This "Filton Six" trial is worth keeping an eye on.
"Every single prosecution witness who gave evidence about the melee was obliged to change their statement when confronted by the defence with video evidence which contradicted it. This included much more video than was released by the prosecution.
"The prosecution produced a misleading account of the number and location of CCTV cameras in the factory. They were obliged to present a new map showing more cameras.
"The video evidence was left in or given into the hands of Elbit. A search of Elbit’s premises in November 2025 found the USB sticks of video in their Metropolitan Police evidence bags in Elbit’s safe."
#FiltonSix #FiltonTrial #Elbit #PalestineAction #MetPolice #UKLaw

Not happy about this!
"Judge Perrins dismissed all the defences we wanted to use and ruled that the jury were only to decide if we had caused disruption on the day. Any evidence we gave on Climate Change as our motivation was ruled inadmissible in our summing up and the jury were not to consider it. The Prosecution Barrister would not allow any Climate Change facts in the ‘Agreed Facts’ given to the jury. We were all found guilty."
#MickDunk #JustStopOil #ClimateChange #protest #ethics #UKLaw

"After Saturday’s protest, the chair of the Metropolitan police federation said officers policing protests in London were “emotionally and physically exhausted”.
"Paula Dodds said: “Enough is enough. Our concentration should be on keeping people safe at a time when the country is on heightened alert from a terrorist attack. And instead officers are being drawn in to facilitate these relentless protests.”"
Well that's the government's fault for having completely unnecessarily created this conflict and brought the law into disrepute!
No wonder the police are "emotionally exhausted", when they have to keep on arresting peaceful old people like their grandparents, and being mocked for it! Not what any of them probably imagined their job was gonna be!
But this to me is the worst bit of news in that article:
"The planned new power follows protest-related measures in the crime and policing bill going through parliament, which bans the possession of face coverings ... at protests"
Planning to ban masks, in the time of covid. Denial or what.
I wonder if they've done an "impact assessment" for that bit of the law, because it certainly would disproportionately affect people disabled with Long Covid & similar things.
#UKLaw #masks #London #protests #Palestine #CovidIsntOver #KeirStarmer

Interesting thread from @…, on some 1999 Department of Health documents newly unearthed by @reactiveashley.bsky.social, showing the thinking at the time.
#UKPol #UKLaw #trans #law #history #EqualitiesLaw

Good piece from Nesrine Malik.
"The supposedly unifying thread of all these new policies is “integration”: this mythical concept that has taken on the quality of a religious ideal. ... It depends upon the children’s centre that links parents to others in the community and pools advice and resources. It depends on the libraries that provide literature and history and local knowledge. It depends on youth clubs and midwife visits and community centres and public-sector workers ...
"Yet all of these services have been hollowed out by years of austerity, pushing people back into their own small networks and atomised lives."
I'm remembering when one of the Nottingham leisure centres was closed, a youth worker explaining that the youth club there had been neutral ground for local kids from different areas to be able to hang out safely. I think it's unlikely the benefits of that had been costed in when the council decided to close the place. Even purely economically, I think it was a false economy, let alone quality of life and community-building.
#austerity #migration #integration #LabourParty #UKLaw #UKPol #libraries #LeisureCentres #ThirdSpaces #citizenship