UK Police with Machine guns

not sure of the nature of it
- it would seem to be we got you video'd on a huge number of police videos. They were everywhere - look how well it worked in Bradford - 'First they came for the Moslems..@ Well they got s whole lot of each and everyone.
They got you're number - and remember these guns
This is maybe a threat to your future as you get gradually criminalised.
That was an underlying unease at Menwith. I saw at least a couple of digicam face offs between demonstrators and police.
It's to be hoped people understand the symbolism/
This is what's coming, peaceniks

yes! I am working at the bloody airport (edinburgh) at the moment and there is a daily display of this unnecessary crap.

pure imagary - not to scare the "terrorists", but the people.

Its important to note however that 82% of policemen voted against carrying guns recently.

That is something very special.

The so-called machine gun is an MP5 Carbine, a machine pistol which in the mainland UK is restricted to single-shot firing (or multiple shot when used by Specialist Firearms Officers in the Met's SO19). All this is public knowledge so the weapon is hardly a "machine gun" along the lines of what most people think. The reason why police use MP5's is because they are far more accurate than the sidearms, afterall, you lot would be the first to complain if police missed someone dangerous and shot a bystander or the wall instead.

How easy would it be for a terrorist to mingle among a protest crowd to get close-up to the base without being seen so quickly? Very. Does anyone here seriously think a terrorist would have a moral obligation to using a protest or gathering as "cover" for his operation? Well think again.

Officers are under strict rules about the use of deadly force, firearms officers undergo rigorous training and any hint of inappropriate behaviour results in suspension from duties, and every time the weapon is shot they are automatically under suspension and an investigation is started into what happened, even if nobody is actually shot.

Suggesting that the officer with the MP5 would shoot someone who entered the base at Menwith Hill is fanciful and ludicrous. The grounds would not be there to justify deadly force. It's fairly obvious that he is there to guard against the possibility of a terrorist group taking advantage of the protest to get up close to the base, something which makes perfect sense. Even if the likelyhood is remote, where's the logic in completely ignoring the threat and leaving unarmed officers without armed back-up. His weapon was not pointed at anyone and he's minding his own business, get used to it, they are there for your safety because if a terrorist turned up with bombs strapped to him you'd be the first to get blown up.

In the 1980s, American servicemen patrolling the nuclear bases were given 'pink cards' (similar to the 'yellow cards' used in Northern Ireland) which detailed the circumstances under which they would be allowed to shoot the anti-nuclear protesters who were regularly entering the base and smashing up stuff. Apparently if those Greenham Common women smashed up anything that could have stopped a cruise missile being fired, they would be running the risk of being gunned down by foreign soldiers on British soil, with the approval of the British government.

This was in the bad old 1980s of course. There's a major difference between then and now. Margaret Thatcher had the guts to tell the yanks to get stuffed, on one or two very rare occasions....

Excuse me
Enforcer could you inform me when a terrorist has ever hidden with ligitimate peacefull protesters and carried out *terrorist* attacks while doing so?
I think your are a classic pro-government scare mongerer, i will tell you something, all the rights we have toaday that benefit the majority have come from protesting peacefully or otherwise.

that the security services and government agencies give us day in day out
There is nothing to fear except from the agents of the State
If you remember the odd story of the two British guys who went out to Israel to blow themseves up in a predominantly non-Jewish area - one ran off the other let off his explosive - both their passports were found conveniently intact at the scene. They had also conveniently attended a memorial of peace resistors the day before
At least 50% of suicide bombers are mind-controls of western intelligence, the west may be mind-controls of Islam.
While the hidden government appear to have decided it's time to start ditching Bush and Blair, no doubt in favour of somethings more horrible, yet to emerge, there is an even less of a risk of 'terrorist attacks' which would support their regimes.
That's why no WMD has been planted in Iraq

Enforcer.....where do I start?

"Does anyone here seriously think a terrorist would have a moral obligation to using a protest or gathering as "cover" for his operation? "

As stated above, when has this ever happened? What "terrorist" would choose one of the few days when police presence is increased ridiculously to carry out an attack?


"...if a terrorist turned up with bombs strapped to him you'd be the first to get blown up."

So the threat of being shot deters a suicide bomber? LOL, oh dear, you are priceless enforcer.


"...they are there for your safety "

So why is it I never felt directly threatened by a terrorist yet the sight of a pig with a gun scares me shitless considering my lack of faith in a pigs judgement?


Pleeeease don't let all this negativity dishearten you enforcer, your comic value is appreciated

try not to attack the police,try to understand that they know no better than what they are told,such as the specific guidelines laid out by "Enforcer" who sounds more sas...Anway i don't like the large police presence anymore than you do,but remember that these police are "just doing their job" and alot of them are deeply stuck in deep mental programming of "the state ,right and wrong" and if you are a protestor try to see that the real idiots are the ones who go yelling at the police as if they are somehow responsible for all the worlds wars and arms dealings.......
Instead of yelling and fighting with police try handing out scientifically informative leaflets of your reasons for being there stating that you will also defend yourself adequately against unfair arrest and police assault...
You lot are always whingeing about being attacked by the police ,so why don't you look at learning self defence,and toughening up,because if they use scare tactics according to your judgement,shouldn't you be ready to give them severe beatings as they are you??
You lot always protest and chant slogans,and whimsically hug each other somehow imagining that this will stop police and state oppression/arms manafacture/dealing....
Try protesting at arms dealers headquarters instead or burning thier offices/houses down...
Stop whingeing and take positive steps to stop them.....banging pots and pans/cymbals is beautiful and makes a good scene,but why don't we all get together and give the police arms dealers and governments a good trauma inducing beating because that's what they've got planned for us if we sit around whingeing and banging our cymbals and pots and pans....
They will always win because you lot always whinge gripe and complain against the fascists in this world,but when it comes to the crunch you are all running scared and complaining about"police brutality" instead of studying the martial arts that they are taught in training school and using it against them.....
If someone burgles your house with intent to rape your wife or children then obviously you're going to bash em over the head aren't you,??well this is what the police governments and arms dealers are doing today in this world and all you do again and again is whinge,thinking that this will change anything....
The governments of this world have all clubbed together to make this planet an extremely ugly prison,and hey guys n gals we allowed because they have media-traumatised us to the extent of not being willing to kick them where it hurts again and again....
The times of John lennon style guitar strumming is over.....
If you all decide to be much more organised and intelligent about making our world a safer place where we come together and actively prevent police and state violence against us......
Make love not war

Is the bottom one an SA80 infantry assault rifle? Didn't know the cops had them.

Actually, just because a terrorist has never used a big protest crowd as cover doesn't necessarily mean they won't, afterall - nobody had crashed passenger jets into planes before on purpose until 9/11. Why on earth should we discount the posibility? To combat terrorists sometimes we need to think like them, think of whats weak in our existing systems so that we can cover our bases. We're talking about prevention here and when you're trying to prevent something most of the time the measures won't be needed but occasionally they will, and thats when lives are saved rather than lost.

The armed officers might be able to shoot a suicide bomber before the bomb went off, surely thats a good result?

You mention about terrorists wanting to come on a day when there are fewer officers there, that might make sense however if someone came there on a quiet day they'd be instantly noticed and would stand out like a sore thumb walking around the area near Menwith Hill on their own.

You talk about having little faith in "pigs judgement", well at the end of the day would you rather put your faith in someone who is paid and trained to protect you or a terrorist whos aim is to achieve as much devastation and death as possible. If you still think you'd be safer with a terrorist then you need psychiatric treatment. Remember, not all terrorists are Al Qaeda, anyone remember the IRA and its multiple "dissident" factions which have not got a ceasefire, and David Copeland (nailbomber), seeing as this is a leftie website maybe you'll know about that bloke! I imagine if there was a "war on terror" on racist terrorists you'd be all in favour of the extra measures but seeing as the main problem at the moment is Islamic extremists you're so quick to scream about deprivation of liberties! A funny sort of perverse political correctness although I'm sure you'd all sue if we didn't have armed officers there and one of you got blown up.

Such is life and the closetted weirdos who form the bulk of the leftie/anarchist cause, incapable of rational logic and turn up at Mayday every year to try and get their point across to nobody but the coverted and the police.

i'm surprised at an educated officer like yerself enforcer
who could have forseen people using planes as missiles...??

on sept 12th 4 planes were hijacked in an islamic jhad and used as explosive devises...
wrong date??...sept 12th 1970 in jordan...who could have forseen the terrorist attacks on US...er...i could...so could the NSA... they had forseen this fact at the G8 summit in Genoa July 2001...they closed down all airspace...they had held training for that eventuality at the pentagon in dec 2000

the truth is that minions of the state like yourself are just that...minions...you don't know any more than we do...your moulded and shaped and force fed on crap...someone down the station tell you things like 9/11 had never happened before...or was it just assumed...problem is your not insightful enough to realise your totally expendable...spend all your life defending the 'powers that be' and one day your the fall guy for thier system...check out what going to happen to the idiotic plod who cut the ropes at the aubonne brigde protest in switzerland...that you that is...he'll get shafted cos his superior fucked up..
secondly your point about state defending us from nazi thugs...i've the police's attitude toward nazi's many times thanks...personally i'd fuck the state and your kind off all together...i don't support in any increase in state repression either 'good' or 'bad'

two more points:

i hope your sat at work doin this...you never know one of the civilian workers might pick up on indy media...if not then i'm sure your cheif inspector will be very proud of you spending your own time and money defending the state...could you claim it on expenses??

and and if your not a rozzer...just some wannabe...join up...get your 17 or 21 weeks training and your fat salary and we'll see yer on the next big one

So the planes were used in the 70s as explosives, where they actually crashed into buildings? No. The training to deal with the "eventuality" was actually to deal with hijackings. Nobody expected them to hijack planes and crash them into skyscrapers in the United States, maybe other countries but certainly not there. It was a wake-up call.

People motivated by extreme ideology are a threat, being a communist won't save you from them, they'd sooner blow you up than read your ANaL badge or give a shit about you having "solidarity" with Palestinians. It's a culture war and we've got to defend ourselves, and if that means getting more authorised firearms officers, so be it. I think we'd all rather see a policeman with a gun than an Al Qaeda terrorist with a gun/bomb/etc, and if you don't then maybe you are deranged.

I'm not a minion in the least, either.

Whats this "culture war" - rubbish
I am from a European/anglo-saxon/jewish background and i aint at war with anyone and they aint at war with me. When was the last time a "terrorist" attack was committed in the UK hmmmm probably when some unionist group was chucking grenades (sorry to pick on them but they are the more active). The threat from terrorism is hugely over rated and i find it disgusting that people like you can say stuff like "to protect our *free* society we have to restrict our freedoms." what a laugh!!!
I bet i am next on the list with all thesebig buissnesses and government places they are going to come up to sheffield and shoot me because i am such an important target.
By any chance are you a police officer or a failed police officer because they are the most right wing people i have met - not immigrints or ethnic minorities.
There is not some choice between "terrorists" or "pigs" it is a choice between independent right minded responsible individuals and people who are trained to hurt other people. I would prefer not to be standing next to some trained to hurt me be they police or "terrorist".
peace not police

ANaL? thats a telling comment. Do extreamist ideologies inclued White Supremicy?

Looks like it, why a copper has one I don't know :-?
Maybe the government are giving the pigs the decommissioned, old (not upgraded to SA80-2) rifles to the police rather than auctioning them in a 3rd world country like they usually do...

and why the police need an infantry class assault rifle is beyond me also.

The Sa80 Has since its design been issued to both authorised and specialist firearms officers of the MOD police as they guard military buildings along side british troops and therefore need firepower on the same level as the people who may attack these places

Dear All,

Just for information the police officer who is holding the L85A1 (or the SA80 as its more frequently known) is a member of the Ministry of Defence Police Force and is not a member of SO19 as some people believe. SO19 officers only use the MP5. I know that for a fact as I have a few friends in SO19. I myself am part of the MOD police that is how I know.

Also the reason there is an MOD officer there is merely for spectical. It makes it look as if the public are safe from terrorists if there are big weapons there. Take the time when tanks were placed outside a London airport. What good would they have been if a terrorist were either on a plane or in the airport. None. Its a public confidence thing.

Considering the MOD police are the only authorised users of the L85A1 as certified by the Home Office then they are the only ones who can patrol with them.

Oh by the way the thing at the top about my name is serious unfortunately, although all MOD officers are not subject to this.

.

the officer in the first picture is holding the standard police armed response unit rifle, the MP5, the officer in the lower picture is Military police, and is issued with the L85A1 rifle, it is not there for show, it is there so they can deal with any armed intruders, if you cross the wire and pose a threat you will get shot, if you waste your time protesting, they will stand there and laugh, simple as.

get your facts right and get a job!