Synopsis

A video concerning aggression and violence towards protestors and the legal trap in which the Department of Transport can hire private security guards and private investigators who can evade the statutory regulation that the police and other public actors have to uphold.

The video intercuts footage of protest action against road-building with talking heads with various protestors, legal actors and organisers to expose the violence protesters are met with and their lack of protection. The police say the private security guards are allowed to use “minimum reasonable force”, which is an entirely subjective and dangerous grey area. Footage shows security wielding wooden batons against protestors and hitting them. At one point, we see a bulldozer drop its debris onto a protestor trying to serve the driver a defense writ. In another clip, the security guards vather videos of the protestors in order to spy on them. The private investigators are contracted by government departments which means they think they are immune from data protection laws.

At one point, George Monbiot, one of the protesters goes undercover to meet Reliance Security. We hear the voice of Alex Wakenshaw from Reliance Security against an image of his shadow as he confesses, we keep the Special Branch informed at their request and they sit in on Crisis Action plans.

A slide reads: Between 1992 and 1994, Group Four and Reliance Security won massive contracts at road construction sites from the government. Interestingly at that time, Norman Fowler was the Chairman of the Conservative party and the Director of Group 4. Lord Lane was Chairman of the National Union of Conservative Party Associations and Director of Reliance Security.

The video ends with a protester’s assertion: the courts are there to protect all its citizens and that includes protestors.