Beverley Police violence victims file suit. : Melbourne Indymedia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FRIDAY MAY 2ND 2003

ENVIRONMENTALISTS ISSUE CLAIM IN SUPREME COURT AGAINST S.A. POLICE

Today, a group of 13 including environmentalists, a commercial cameraman and an aboriginal minor are issuing a claim against the South Australian police for violence, brutality and the deprivation of liberty.
The claim arose from a protest action at the Beverley Uranium Mine in May 2000, in which local and STAR force police officers reacted with extreme violence, using batons, capsicum spray and vehicles to subdue environmentalists.
Melbourne-based QC Brian Walters and barrister Klaus Mueller represent the group and are available for comment.
In the statement of claim they assert that the police “wrongfully and maliciously conspired amongst themselves to injure the plaintiffs by unlawful means”
An 11-year-old local adnyamathanha girl was capsicum sprayed, a young man was targeted by police and beaten by 8 officers in full view of the assembled group, and the police used capsicum spray as if it was fly spray on the fleeing crowd. The group filmed these and many other horrific events, and a compilation of these images are available for distribution.

The group seeks to defend the democratic rights of all Australians to bear witness and object to issues relevant to the community. Increasingly, the powers of the military and the state seek to threaten the rights of the individual, freedom of speech and the right to protest.

For a copy of footage or the statement of claim, an interview and more details please contact-
0439 369 093
0405 038 381
bevgroup2003@yahoo.com.au

URANIUM- LEAVE IT IN THE GROUND

"top left: Murray gets sprayed by Const. Michels top right:pepper spray in hand
bottom right: Marc is pressure point held in neck"

- image captions -

The Police role as armed thugs for the corporate state is very clear in the article.

My understanding of why pepper spray was introduced was as an alternative to using firearms.

Yeah right ...

http://www.country-liberal-party.com/pages/NT-PoliceCriminals.a.htm

I'm old enough to remember when the Police didn't carry automatic pistols.

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I was reminded of this incident, which outraged me greatly at the time. Still does...

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From the Labrats site.

bush bash

IT WAS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN. FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW WE VENTURED OUT ON OUR
ANUAL ROAD TRIP TO LAKE EYRE TO MEET UP WITH UNCLE KEVIN BUZZACOTT, MARGIE AND ALL
THAT MOB. WE WERE OFF TO CHECK OUT WHAT WAS LEFT OF OUR CAMP THAT HAD BEEN
BULLDOZED BY W.M.C IN NOVEMBER 2000. THIS TIME OUR ROAD TRAIN CONSISTED OF THE
BLUE AND SILVER BUS THAT WAS USED AS THE FOOD BUS ON THE WALK FROM LAKE EYRE
TO SYDNEY AND OUR LABRATS SILVER BUBBLE CARAVAN AND WIND GENERATOR. IT WAS SLOW
GOING BUT WE WERE RUNNING ON TIME TO MEET UP WITH THE MOB AT THE LAKE UNTIL.......

WE TOOK THE ROAD THROUGH THE FLINDERS. A ROAD WE HAD OFTEN TRAVELLED IN CAR
VAN OR PADDY WAGON DURING THE ACTIONS AT BEVERLY URANIUM MINE. WE HAD CERTAINLY
NOT FORGOTTEN IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD FOR THEY SENT OUT A WELCOMING COMMITEE
FROM THE LEIGH CREEK POLICE STATION TO GREET US ON THE ROAD. THE BUS WAS REGISTERED
& THE DRIVER HAD THE CORRECT HEAVY VEHICLE LICENSE BUT THE POLICE DIDN'T SEEM
INTERESTED IN THE LEGALITIES. THE POLICE CAME HOONING TOWARDS US FLASHING THEIR
LIGHTS, DID A SCREETCHING U TURN ON THE HIGHWAY AND PULLED US OVER.

I THINK THE FIRST WORDS WERE "MARCUS WE KNOW WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE, GET OUT OF
THE BUS". MARC WHO WAS NOT EVEN DRIVING, WAS THEN DRAGGED OUT IN A HEAD LOCK &
PUNCHED IN THE CHEST. HIS FACE WAD RED FROM STRANGULATION FROM SEN. CONST.
A JUANAY. I APPROACHED THEM CONFUSED AND CONCERNED AND WAS ATTACKED BY A FEMALE
OFFICER WHO THREW ME IN A BUSH. I REPEATEDLY TRIED TO STAND UP AND WAS PUSHED
BACK DOWN. MEANWHILE THEY FORCEFULLY TOOK MARC TO THE PADDY WAGON. MURRAY
(THE BUS DRIVER) HANDED HIS LICENSE TO CONST. G MICHELS JUST TO HAVE IT TROWN ON THE
GROUND AND LOST. WHEN MURRAY ASKED WHY THEY WERE ARRESTING MARC THEY THREATENED
TO CHARGE HIM WITH LOITERING BECAUSE HE WAS STANDING BETWEEN THE BUS AND THE COP
CAR. CONST. MICHELS THEN JUMPED ON HIM HELD HIM DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD
AND EMPTIED A WHOLE CAN OF PEPPER SPRAY INTO HIS FACE. HE WAS THEN THROWN INTO
THE PADDY WAGON WITH MARC.

INSIDE THE PADDY WAGON MURRY WAS IN INTENSE PAIN AND STARTED TO HAVE AN ASTHMA
ATTACKED & THREW UP NUMEROUS TIMES. MARC TRIED TO TELL THE COPS ABOUT THE ATTACK
BUT THEY REFUSED TO BELIEVE HIM AND JUST SPRAYED WATER IN HIS FACE WHICH MADE IT
EVEN WORSE ( WATER DOESN'T GET RID OF PEPPER SPRAY IT JUST SPREADS IT. THE FUMES
FROM THE PEPPER SPRAY WERE SO BAD MARC SAYS " IT BURNT MY THROAT OUT AND MADE
IT EXTREEMLY DIFFICULT TO BREATHE, AND EVEN TO COPS SAID THAT THEY HAD TO OPEN THEIR
WINDOWS IN THE FRONT SO THAT THEY COULD BREATHE PROPERLY".

AT THE COP SHOP MARC WAS INTENSELY QUESTIONED UNDER VIDEO SURVEILLANCE. MURRAY
WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL BECAUSE HE COULDN'T SEE AND WAS HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING,
HIS WHOLE BODY WAS RED FROM PEPPER SPRAY AND HE WAS SUFFERING FROM SHOCK. THE
NURSES AT THE HOSPITAL DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AND HAD TO TAKE TURNS BECAUSE THEY
COULDN'T STAY IN THE SAME ROOM BECAUSE OF THE FUMES FROM THE PEPPER SPRAY.

BOTH SPINNA GEORGE AND I WERE LEFT STRANDED BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH A BUS A
CARAVAN AND NO LICENSED DRIVER AND PEPPER SPRAY IN OUR EYES. GEORGE HITCHED
A LIFT TO LEIGH CREEK TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO OUR MATES WHILE ME AND SPINNA
MINDED THE BUS AND TRIED NOT TO RUB OUR EYES. LATER THAT AFTERNOON IN LEIGH CREEK I
WAS FOLLOWED BY A POLICE CAR THEY JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR AND SURROUNDED ME ON
THE STREET SAYING THEY WERE GOING TO CHARGE ME WITH SOMETHING. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT SO I TOLD THEM I WAS ON MY WAY TO THE TOILET & I WAS BUSTING
SO I COULDN'T STAY AROUND AND CHAT (WHICH WAS TRUE), SO I WALKED OFF TO THE SERVO.

MURRAY WAS STILL IN QUITE A MESS AFTER RETURNING FROM HOSPITAL HE HAD TO HAVE THE
PLASTER ON HIS BROKEN ARM REPLACED BECAUSE THE POLICE HAD BROKEN HIS OTHER PLASTER
WHEN HE HAD BEEN PLACED IN AN ARM LOCK. HE WAS ALSO WET FROM BEING HOSED DOWN &
COULD ONLY SEE OUT OF ONE EYE. MARC WAS WALKING AROUND TOPLESS AFTER HIS SHIRT HAD
BEEN USED AS A RAG TO WIPE THE SPRAY OUT OF MURRAYS EYES. BY ABOUT 6pm THAT NIGHT
WE WERE ALL RE-UNITED EXCEPT FOR GEORGE WHO WOULD NOT GET OUT OF THE PUB.

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Some great articles and photos on Beverly in this site.

http://lab-rats.tripod.com/

I'm putting up some work on these ugly examples of Nuclear racism shortly ...

... in Solidarity

PARIAH
People Against Radiation In Aboriginal Homelands

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Multinational manufacturers of weapons are contributing to the changing nature of conflict in their quest for new ways to maintain profits and expand markets as conventional wars dry up and international treaties ban the use of certain weapons in national wars. Certain weapons such as CS gas and pepper or capsicum spray are banned in international conflicts but have become a regular feature of policing protests."

http://www.country-liberal-party.com/pages/Victoria.htm

Ray Hoser said in VICTORIA POLICE CORRUPTION that Capsicum would be used as an offensive weapon (not as a defencive weapon as claimed by the police).
Steven Mayne and others (or his aliases) got onto this forum and elsewhere and derided Hoser as a right wing police hating nutter.
Now it seems that Hoser had got it right.
It's instructive to read Hoser's accounts of the dangers of having capsicum sprayed onto yourself, the cancer risks and the like.

I have seen the video footage of this incident. If this doesn't outrage you, nothing will. The police clearly see themselves as outside the law with no respect for either upholding the law or basic human rights.

Imagine if the roles of protestors and police were reveresed in this incident. All the protestors would face prison sentences. Yet these police officers are still in uniform and would probably do the same thing again given the chance.