‘We will continue to fight the cuts’ – Fortnum protester

My name is Oliver Pope, I’m a 20-year-old student and I am in the first nine people facing trial for my participation in the UK Uncut sit-in at Fortnum and Mason’s in March.

Describe what you had you been doing in the hours before your arrest?

I caught an early train to London with my mum and youngest brother (nine years old) and some family friends and joined the very start of the TUC march. By chance, I found out a close friend was also in London marching against the government’s unjust austerity measures and we resolved to meet up.

We met at Oxford Circus and were invited to join a UK Uncut action to highlight the incredibly important issue of tax avoidance and to call for tax justice.

This started as a march and developed into the sit-in occupation of the retailer Fortnum and Mason’s.

It is incredibly surprising and terrifying to realise that for simply exercising my democratic right to protest, the might of the police and judiciary are trying to label me as a domestic extremist. Oliver Pope

The word used most to describe the whole day’s atmosphere – carnivalesque – could easily be applied to inside Fortnum and Mason’s. It was a wonderful atmosphere of political debate involving those occupying the shop, customers and staff members, poetry readings and of course, a little dancing to the bagpipes!

At six o’clock, Chief Inspector Clare Clark (who described us as “sensible”) informed us that the breach of the peace that had been happening outside had now been moved away and we were free to leave – even confirming that the nearest tube station was operational.

Read more: UK Uncut Fortnum protesters found guilty

What happened next – how did police treat you?

I was among the first to exit the shop following CI Clark’s assurances, straight into a funnel of police officers in riot gear. The placard I had was torn from my hand and thrown to the floor and I was pushed into a pen made up of more riot-suited police officers with about eight others and held for about five minutes.

I was then pulled from the group and arrested. After driving for more than an hour (the police couldn’t find a station to hold the mass of people arrested) I was deposited in a police station where all of my possessions were confiscated (including my clothes!), my DNA and fingerprints were recorded and I was held in solitary for approximately 24 hours, only being let out to have a charge read at me and to record my response.

After nearly 24 hours I was ejected into an area of London I previously did not know existed with only 44 pence, a pair of headphones and my wallet.

Were you surprised at your treatment by police?

I was incredibly surprised by the response of, and my treatment by, the police. I have never had any reason to be in contact with the police so the whole experience was completely alien and quite terrifying. I spent a great deal of time whilst in custody, and indeed since, trying to justify the response of the police and find I am unable to.

I will not bow to the bullying, intimidatory attacks made against me for simply exercising my right to protest. Oliver Pope

Only after reading Lynne Owens comments to the House of Commons admitting that the whole thing was an intelligence gathering exercise did it click. It is incredibly surprising and again terrifying to realise that for simply exercising my democratic right to protest, the might of the police and judiciary are trying to label me a domestic extremist.

Have the police still got any of your possessions?

I had to wait for six months and get in contact with two separate police officers to negotiate the return of my possessions, and travel to London to collect them from an officer as I was leaving for university and would be unable to reclaim them at any other point.

I am aware that my situation is unusual as I know many people still have not had some or any of their possessions returned to them.

Why do you think you in particular were singled out?

I can think of no reason why the police or CPS would try to prosecute me in particular. The placard I was carrying was a UCU (University and College Union – nothing to do with UK Uncut) placard from the march earlier in the day and the evidence presented against me was simply two excerpts of CCTV showing me entering the shop and shortly after sitting on the floor!

No evidence of any form of criminal or anti-social act was presented against me. The only conclusion I can come to is that this attack on my democratic right to protest is an attempt to dissuade me from voicing my political conscience ever again and particularly to demonise UK Uncut for repeatedly embarrassing businesses that are avoiding paying their tax and those in government that turn a blind eye.

Has your experience made you more determined to protest?

Definitely. I will not bow to the bullying, intimidatory attacks made against me for simply exercising my right to protest and trying to highlight the ridiculous situation we are in that big businesses can avoid tax whilst the rest of us are facing the deepest and most unjust cuts since the 1920s.

Furthermore, my insight into the intimidatory and intelligence gathering tactics used by the police and judiciary have deepened my solidarity with everyone else fighting the cuts and facing increasingly harsh policing and sentencing.

2011 has been a milestone year for public protest. Ed Miliband has described a “once in a generation moment”. Where next for this momentum? Where next for UK Uncut?

We will continue to fight the cuts and stand (or sit!) with others who do so and are being similarly attacked by the police and government for doing so.

I believe the movement will grow and the “alternative” debate will be brought into the public eye and politicians will have to answer the questions they desperately want to avoid.

I cannot speak for UK Uncut but the next fight in my eyes is to support those still facing trial for protesting against the unjust cuts, call for these farcical cases to be dropped and bring back to the fore the main issue of this government’s cuts occurring in parallel with the millions of pounds of theft perpetrated by businesses avoiding tax.