Liberal Democrats accuse police of 'aggressive' protest tactics

Police were today accused by the Liberal Democrats of adopting "aggressive and intimidatory" tactics against peaceful protesters.

Conference delegates hit out after trouble at the G20 demonstrations in the City of London in April and at Kingsnorth power station last year.

And they backed a motion condemning some of the tactics, like "kettling" where protesters are penned in for hours, as "fundamentally wrong".

Liberal Democrat MPs Tom Brake and Martin Horwood gave the Bournemouth gathering graphic first hand accounts of the G20 protests.

Mr Brake, a legal observer who found himself penned in for five hours, said that while police acted proportionately and professionally in dealing with a violent hard core, they were "less satisfactory" in dealing with the vast majority of peaceful protesters - denying many access to food, water and toilets.

Mr Horwood, the party's environment spokesman, blamed "aggressive" police actions for raising tensions at the climate change camp.

David Howarth, the party's justice spokesman, said something had gone "seriously wrong" with the way police were dealing with peaceful protests.

"What we were worried about is that the police had come to the conclusion that protest itself was illegitimate and any technical breach of the law justified the break-up or disruption of the protest."

He said the right to protest peacefully was a good thing and asked why police felt the need to film those who took part.

Dee Doocey, a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, described the developments as "disturbing" because it seemed police were working on the assumption that the protesters were criminals.

The "shameful behaviour" of a minority of officers was an "insult" to the vast majority, who did a "wonderful job".

Conference agreed it was unacceptable for police to prevent or disrupt legitimate protest and the use of "kettling" or baton charges must only be used when "absolutely necessary".