I don’t have anything massively interesting or original to say at the moment, but I thought this story was worth passing on:
A female disability activist had her home raided yesterday [October 26th] by South Wales Police who attempted to intimidate her into stopping posting comments on Facebook critical of government cuts and specifically the Department of Work and Pensions and their attacks on the rights of disability claimants.
In her own words:
I’ve just had the police forcing their way into my flat near midnight and harrassing me about my “criminal” posts on Facebook about the DWP, accusing me of being “obstructive”. I didn’t know what in f**k’s name they were on about. They kept going on and on at me, it was horrifically stressful, and they only left after I started crying uncontrollably.
The police officers did not charge her. They clearly were just attempting to scare her into stopping her political activities.
The woman was alone in her own home. She was left feeling frightened and vulnerable – by the very people who should be protecting her.
If the police wanted to talk to her, why did the officers choose to enter her home at midnight on a Friday? Why didn’t they inform her in writing or interview her at a police station so she could arrange for a lawyer to be present?
At best this is unprofessional behaviour on the part of South Wales Police, at worst it is political harassment of an individual worthy of a dictatorial state such as China or North Korea.
Well done South Wales Police. You must be very proud of yourselves.
I’ve kept the identity of the woman secret for obvious reasons but if anyone would like more information about what happened to her, leave your email address in the comments below [that is to say, on the original post, I don’t have anything to do with her] and I’ll ask her to contact you. Thanks.
The Vox Political blog claims that similar incidents have also occurred recently involving South Wales, Dyfed Powys and North Yorkshire Police. See here for another update on the case. In the current climate, anyone who posts about their political opinions on the internet is a potential target for police harrassment; considering that I’ve recently posted about why I hate cops, I imagine that there’ll be some awkward moments if they ever get around to visiting me.
In other news, the Sparks network of rank-and-file electricians seem to be continuing regular pickets at Crossrail sites in London after the mass sacking last month, but I can’t find anything recent about it other than very brief write-ups on Trot sites. It’s a really important dispute, so I’d hope anarchists in London are out supporting them, and if they could find the time to write something letting the rest of us know what’s happening that’d be good as well. The Pret a Manger worker sacked for organising is another story worth keeping an eye on, as is the formation of the Civil Service Rank & File Network and their call for action on November 14th to coincide with co-ordinated strikes in a number of different European countries that day.
Cautiously pessimistic 
You want big government, that’s what you get. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. The welfare state was always a pretext to grow government then eventually cut it all off and feed that money into the surveillance/police/prison state.
I feel bad for this girl, but you get what you ask for.
I’m a fucking anarchist, that should give you a clue about how much government I want. The welfare state was never an unqualified good, but it was partially a result of struggle from below. I support getting as much money as possible out of the state as possible. Do you really think getting rid of disability benefits would harm the state, as opposed to just harming disabled people, in any way?
OWNtheNWO is talking shit. The Welfare State has got nothing to do with “big government”. This is the same right-wing bullshit that the “teapartiers” over in the States peddle. No to INCOME tax, but YES to SALES tax. The idea is get people all riled up and thinking emotionally. This is why you will find (poor) people sat in trailer parks who believe it is good idea to cut taxes for the riches. People like OWNtheNWO want to see and end to the Welfare State and the NHS; they would have those dependent on the Welfare State for their very survival turfed on the the street tomorrow to starve to death. The OWNtheNWO is just another angle of attack on the Welfare State. Don’t fall for it!
Yeah, the Welfare State is all one big construct of the New World Order designed to enslave us all. What you really want, OWNtheNWO, is for the money spent at present on welfare provision to be funnelled into the offshore bank accounts of the already super-rich. Enough is never enough!
The Welfare State was born out the extreme poverty and despair that existed before it’s inception. All the “concessions” that we now take for granted weren’t handed to us on a plate; our forefathers fought and died for those “concessions”; those very “concessions” that are at present being stolen from us bit by bit. We are going back in time and once the clock is fully wound back it wont be springing forward any time soon – if ever..
I want to know what is going on here and if she has taken action. She should not allow herself to be intimidated. Who sent the police? THAT is the BIG question, was it the DWP? If so this needs to be exposed.
I don’t know her personally, but you can read an update on the story here: http://tompride.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/police-question-disability-activist-about-criminal-posts-on-facebook-update/