How the Police Protect Paisley On Thursday 25th June, Paisley visited Leicester to "preach" at the Melbourne Hall. This visit had nothing to do with politics, he informed the eicester mercury and noter one note any trouble. His host, a Dr Gurr was obviously less sure as he made sure that Paisley was safely inside the hall in time for tea, long before likely demonstrators would be home from work. Police were on duty outsiot At about 7.30p.m. when people were beginning to assamole outsice the coor me pouce quara nad strengthened and had been reinforced by a number of stewards wearing National Front baoges. Dr burt later expressed "'surprise" and maintained that it wasn't officially organised. In any case, we were told, the hall wes full. Despite this people known to the stewards were still being allowed in.
By the time the service began several hundred people had gathered outside the hall: Catholics, mostly lrish. students. some members of the Black People's Liberation Party and ofcourse the inevitable and uniquitous rea moles racuay our tanks swelled as curious local residents came out, disgusted listeners tert the sarvice or were inrown out in evangelical indignation.
Police Attack BLACK Demonstrators Paisley spoke for a long time. THe crowd outside walted in groups on the pavement, the road or the church forecourt, while children played football and the police and teir agents wandered dout. apparently having no objection to such large numbers of people causing an obstruction At last the service finished. THe congregation left. seemingly indifferent tous, and were not molested. The police were playing it cool for the moment. The car intended for Paisley's get-away had been waiting at the back of the hall and once the congregation had left, attention was centred there. Police renforcements arrived with a black maria. It was obvious that the crowd was capable of preventing Paisley from leaving unnoticed in spite of the fact that the hall has five outside entrances.
A real diversion was called for. THe service had been finished nearly an hour. The police now decided that the people masses outside for the last Three nours nac now Decome an oostructon They chose a very young West Indian boy, who was standing with his back against the wall of the church as their first victim. Intervention from friends standing near him prevented this, but within minutes four arrests had been made. Three of those arrested vere black people, all of them in a quite arbitrary ind brutal a fashion. Those arrested were beate in the van and then later at the station, one so seriously that his screams could be heard in the charge room and other cells. Lennox Miller gave the following account or nis experiences "7 was standing on the low wall at the back of the church with some other people. About three or I remove myself from the wall. I did so by descending here / was, i n to une novemen where orner pcopic wer tanding.. I noticed one of the police nod to hi descended from the churchyard more or less shepherded in a direction up Earl Howe street. I complied by walking a couple of yards in which the police were facing, since a move in the other direction towards them might have been misconstrued as a direct physical confrontation. Having walked several yards in the original direction, I started to walk back to where some friends of mine were. THis was also the general direction of my home. The police made a rush towards a friend and myselj.
The next thing 1 knew, / was being frog marched, arms violently twisted behind my back, head almost held to the point of strangulation, towards a waiting hiner maria marked Come varEs down MewoR Road by atleast four policemen.
On the way to the police van my spectacles were removed and smashed, inadvertently or otherwise. The doors of the van were open and was stung head first into the van, onto the floor. / was then subjected to the atrocities and humiliation of being punched and kiu kicked several times during the Tourney to enures streer ronce staron. despie the fact that I was not struggling, this being precluded by the manner in which my arms were pinea ana boun regs twistea violenty ma puam On reaching the station, / was half carried to the entrance. My marbace that Tres ered that 1 was not stristing so so violently twisted behing why the unnecessary show of brutal force. At thi oint my arms were even more violently twisted.On entering the station, / was immediatly set upon by the arrest, but presumably on station duty.(I was till restrained while this was going on). I was boxed and punchd in the eye. Without any relaxation of grill. At this point I was b made into a human battering am and projected head first at the grill. I managed to the impact with my shoulder, at which poin ne of the policemen got hold of my hair and proceed then unlocked and e was taken rowaras a cen wnich was unlocked, the mattress immediatly removed and ! was thrown onto the wooden bunk. / was then subjected to further violence in the form of the pouceman getting hold of both my arms and violently striking my forearm accross their knees, as if the intention painful physical like a leaf in a force ten gale.
I simply couldn't believe what had just taker place. It all seemed a horrible nightmare so fa removed from reality and made me wonder how nuch more vindictive the police could actually e. 1 was sear ched, my belt jacket and shoes removed, and I was left in the cell. I enquired of one of the policemene call Thes AS DENTES MEY of the policemen-leaving the cell on the Later on a policeman came and took details of my name, ete At about 12.30 a.m. a policeman came, uniocked the cell door, told me to pur my shoes and jacket on and then proceeded to a desk where / was It is necessary to note that of those arrested only the black people were brutalised by the colice. Wher it comes to any confrontation between the workers, minorities or under-privileged groups and even a uuy acknowitorea, reactonary nate monder suen a Paisley, the police always know which side they're on and it isn't ours.
Leicester Red Circle
TATEMENT FROM THE BLACK PEOPLES IBERATION PARTY, LEICESTE)
Once again the British racist police were seen in action in Leicester, this time defending lan Paisley, by attacking black people who were in a minority of a crowd of anti-Paislevites The police found it impossible to get Paisley out of Melbourne Hall without creating some kind of diversion. This took the form of a sudden attack on black people.
Six people were arrested, three of whom wer black. All the black people were beaten up quit viciously.
The Black Peoples' Liberation Party pledges itseIf to fight relentlessly for justice and equality and to defend all black people in Leicester from racialist attacks by the police or from any other quarter. We deplore this blatant police brutality and shga shall use all means available to us to expose the police to black people as protectors of capitalism, imperialism and fascism.
----- pull-quotes -----
four policemen were inside the church yard. One of queste wa ht une the wal. eten requested tha