Thread by @XRebellionUK

The arrest of several journalists this week sparked concern for press freedom. But while the state increase repression, the papers and right wing think tanks want the police to go further & faster.

What led us to this point, and what was the press's part in it? 🧵

The only question police asked @charlotterlynch before she was held for 7 hours was how she knew to be there.

But @TheSun journalists who knew about Just Stop Oil weren't arrested. They were invited to take photos of a nonviolent protesters front door being smashed in.

Why? 🧵

This week journalists, photographers, and film makers were arrested during @JustStop_Oil protests.

But if this was just a mistake in the heat of the moment, why was this photographers house searched while he remained in custody for hours?

https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1590432191342952451?t=wFNB_Mgz7Nor76D_4B5j7A&s=19

The @HertsPolice statement puts the cause down to instructing officers to "act as quickly as they can".

Given Just Stop Oil have been arrested thousands of times and many are now in prison. Why do the police feel pressured to act even quicker now?

herts.police.uk/news/hertfords…

Hours before nonviolent activists homes were raided by @metpoliceuk before they had disrupted anything, and days before @HertsPolice arrested multiple journalists an extremist fossil fuel funded think tank released a report on policing Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion...

The @Policy_Exchange report leaked by JSO suggests 3x that police should act more quickly and gives them ways to excuse any overreach of powers, as well as calling for harsher sentences for nonviolent protests.

https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1588583092285247488?t=Xv5EZbHRzcQh89K1qtrzVA&s=19

This report was picked up by the press and politicians. Just like others before it's there to bolster anti-protest rhetoric & guide restrictions on the #RightToProtest. Both Patel and Braverman have quoted them in the past. theguardian.com/environment/20…

So when @HertsPolice acted quickly and arrested journalists, the @Telegraph had just used the report for an article complaining "police are doing far too little". @thetimes used it to call nonviolent activists "agressive".

telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/11/0…

While the Home Secretary @SuellaBraverman uses the report to call the nonviolent activists "extremists" and accuses the police of ‘institutional reluctance’. Telling them it is their ‘duty’ to take harsher action.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…

This is the backdrop to journalists being arrested.

But that's all just in the last week.

What came before?

Well even @LBC called for raiding and jailing nonviolent protesters in 2020. Did that play a part in the arrest of their own journalists?

https://twitter.com/netpol/status/1590458298322812928?t=gJ26WR78r31sus8jrnLWTA&s=19

We've seen repeated calls for tougher sentences, platforming of violence against protesters, and attacks on the police "not doing their job" from right-wing fossil funded media for years.

@TalkTV share an owner with @TheSun and are a prime example:

https://twitter.com/TalkTV/status/1512774084651798536

While we're on the subject of media, fossil fuels, & vested interests. The Home Secretarty (who proposed both recent anti-protest bills) attended the wedding of media mogul and Genie Energy board member, Rupert Murdoch. And was very quick to comment when XR blocked his press.

And while we're on proposed law changes, it's not just nonviolent protesters who are at risk of longer sentences, changes to the official secrets act could see 14 year prison sentences for journalists whose stories embarrass the Government:

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1590364933166084096?t=9O9GROnQx--27xzU65o-BQ&s=19

There is always more thread to weave between the press, the police, the politicians.

But we ask why the media who reported the journalists arrested, failed to question why @TheSun was invited on a raid, or how think tanks and tv coverage led to these police actions?

We are witnessing the erasure of democracy.

We are up against extremist think tanks and media funded by fossil fuels and right wing politicians.

But we refuse to be silenced.

We will continue to stand up for care and freedom for all.

Full statement to follow on our website.

Check this out @LBC @novaramedia @guardianeco @Independent @BylineTimes @openDemocracy @netpol @SkyNews @itvnews @Channel4News @JustStop_Oil @nytimes @HUCKmagazine @galdemzine @NickFerrariLBC @BBCBreaking @UKLabour @TheGreenParty

We've taken the liberty to put in a form that's not a twitter thread here:

@damiengayle @charlotterlynch @rachaelvenables @AaronBastani
@DonnachadhMc @daliagebrial @BBCJustinR @NatashaC @MichaelBlairTV @RoachSN @JournoChar @dpcarrington @democracynow

extinctionrebellion.uk/2022/11/11/a-w…