The Policing of Protest, Disorder and International Terrorism in the UK since 1945

407 Pages·2016·16.359 MB·English

by  Peter Joyce (auth.)

The Policing
of Protest, Disorder
and International Terrorism
in the UK since 1945
PeterJoyce
The Policing
of Protest, Disorder
and International
Terrorism in the UK
since 1945
Britain in Comparative Perspective Since 1945
PeterJoyce
DepartmentofSociology
ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity
Manchester,UnitedKingdom
ISBN978-0-230-54235-8 ISBN978-1-137-29059-5(eBook)
DOI10.1057/978-1-137-29059-5
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016949046
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To mywife, Julie,and my daughters,Emmeline and Eleanor
P
REFACE
This book focuses on political activity that is not conducted through the
formal institutions that are associated with conventional politics and to
whichtheterm‘extra-parliamentarypoliticalactivities’isapplied.Itexam-
inesthemethodsthroughwhichtheseactivitieshavebeenconductedand
themannerinwhichtheyhavebeenpoliced.ItsmainfocusisontheUK
(including Northern Ireland), although it is acknowledged that some
aspects of protest and (in particular) contemporary terrorism take place
in a global setting. Accordingly, this work also considers transnational
protest and global terrorism and the response of the international com-
munity toactionsof thisnature.
The context within which this book considers protest is the theme of
chapter1,inwhichitisarguedthatintheUK,popularengagementwith
conventional political activity since the latter decades of the twentieth
century has declined from the levels that were reached in the period
immediately after 1945. It is argued that protest may thus perform an
important aspect of contemporary political activity, either by providing
alternative ways through which citizens who are disenchanted with the
contemporary conduct of conventional politics can shape decisions that
affecttheconductoftheirlivesorbygivingthemmechanismstoinaugu-
rate change that supplement their perceived deficiencies of conventional
politics.
Chapter2discussesthevariousstateagencieswhichareinvolvedinthe
policing of protest, subversion and national and international manifesta-
tions of terrorism. This entails a consideration of the role of the police
service, but the term ‘policing’ is defined broadly to consider the role
vii
viii PREFACE
playedbyotheragencies.Theseincludethesecurityserviceswhichgather
informationonthosewhoengageinprotestandterrorismandthemilitary
and private organisations which may be called upon to provide a physical
responsetosuchactivities,inparticulartomitigatetheeffectsofindustrial
disputes.
Chapters 3–7 discuss specific forms of extra-parliamentary political
activity that have been conducted in the UK since 1945. These comprise
demonstrations,directaction,industrialdisputes,riotsandterrorism.The
consideration of these topics takes place under a number of headings – a
definition of the specific activity that is being considered, activism and
involvement (which entails a discussion of those who engage in such
pursuits and the manner in which their activism is organised), and con-
textual issues (which embrace theoretical perspectives derived from crim-
inology, psychology and politics that underpin involvement in extra-
parliamentary political action and the key themes and issues that have
beenraisedthroughthisactivity,accompaniedbyatimelinethatidentifies
important examples of demonstrations, direct action, industrial disputes,
riots and terrorism that have occurred in the UK since 1945). Each of
thesechaptersanalysesthetacticsemployedbythosewhohaveengagedin
actions of this nature, a theme that especially seeks to identify the way in
which their methods have changed since 1945. The issues raised in these
discussions provide the context within which the state response and poli-
cingof theseprotests can then beanalysed.
Chapter8analysestrendsinthepolicingoftheactivitiesthathavebeen
thefocusofdiscussioninchapters3–7.Thisevaluationembracesboththe
physical response to protestand the surveillance andmonitoring of orga-
nisations and individuals who are associated with diverse forms of extra-
parliamentary political activism.
This chapter identifies four main trends associated with the policing of
protest – the period 1945–1970, the period 1970–1990 (which is espe-
ciallyassociatedwiththeemergenceofwhatsomeobservershavereferred
to as the ‘strong state’) and the period after 1990 when reforms were
initiated to the framework within which the policing of protest was con-
ducted.Thetrendthatisidentifiedinthefinalsectionofthischapteristhe
development of state surveillance within the confines of state secrecy,
whereby the need to combat terrorism has been used as a means to
place restrictions on various manifestations of protest and to curtail the
ability of the public to enter into any meaningful debate regarding these
innovations.
PREFACE ix
The final chapter evaluates the transnational dimension of protest and
contemporary terrorism and the manner in which these activities are
policedby the globalcommunity.
The book seeks to place within one volume a broad overview of the
widearrayofextra-parliamentarypoliticalactivitiesthathavetakenplacein
the UK since 1945 and to evaluate the manner in which these have been
policedandrespondedto bythestate.Itispitchedatthosewhohaveno
prior knowledge of this subject area and who may wish to develop their
understandingofcontemporarycurrentaffairsaswellastothosewhoare
studying thistopicwithin HigherEducation.
I would like to record my thanks to my commissioning editors at
Palgrave(JulesWillanandJosephineTaylor),withoutwhoseconsiderable
helpandguidanceitwouldnothavebeenpossibletocompletethiswork.
C
ONTENTS
1 Introduction–Conventional Politics andProtest 1
2 TheState’sResponsetoProtest,SubversionandTerrorism 25
3 Demonstrations 53
4 Direct Action 87
5 Workplace Protest 141
6 Riots 179
7 Terrorismin the UK WithinaGlobal Context 237
8 The UK State, ProtestandTerrorism 307
9 Policing GlobalProtest andTerrorism 353
Index 391
xi
CHAPTER1
–
Introduction Conventional
Politics and Protest
Thischapterwillconsiderarangeoffactorsthatrelatetotheroleplayed
byprotestinthecontemporarypoliticsoftheUK.Itwillarguethatthere
has been a decline in popular involvement in conventional political
activity since the latter decades of the twentieth century which had
created political space for citizen involvement in a range of other
mechanisms(collectivelytermedprotestor‘extra-parliamentarypolitical
activities’)inordertobringaboutpolicychanges.Thechapterwillargue
that for some people, this constitutes an alternative to conventional
politics as the mechanism through which to inaugurate change but for
others it acts as a supplement to conventional political activity.
THE DECLINE OF ENGAGEMENT WITH CONVENTIONAL
POLITICAL ACTIVITY
Conventional politics entails activities that are conducted through formal
institutionalchannelsofwhichParliament,politicalpartiesandvotingare
integralfeatures.Theroleperformedbymembersofthegeneralpublicis
confined to joining political parties and voting in election contests after
whichthoseelectedtopublicofficetakedecisionsonbehalfofthegeneral
publicfromwhom they can claimamandate to act.
Thereis,however,evidencethatpublicinvolvementwiththeseaspects
of conventional political activity has been in decline in the latter years of
the twentieth century and the early decades of the twenty-first century.
©TheAuthor(s)2016 1
P.Joyce,ThePolicingofProtest,DisorderandInternationalTerrorism
intheUKsince1945,DOI10.1057/978-1-137-29059-5_1