Conference trucks::football;1

545.0. "Just so that you know where you stand" by CHEFS::PANES (Public footprint size 8) Wed Feb 21 1996 16:56

Football supporters attending games played within the jurisdiction 
of the English legal system, maybe be interested in the following. 
I have no reason to believe that any of the following is untrue.


Stuart 





 Football Fans Against The Criminal Justice Act
 
 352 Southwyck House, Moorlands Estate, Brixton, London SW9 8TT
 
 Tel: 0171-274 8029 (Phone first to fax) E-mail:
 [email protected]
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 About the Criminal Justice Act
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 The government has recently passed an Act that will directly affect
 your rights as a football fan. The FFACJA is a campaign set up to
 warn and inform fans about the implications of the Act and to
 mobilise and co-ordinate national and local peaceful protest. We
 have the full backing of the Football Supporters Assocation,
 Liberty, the National Council for Civil Liberties and Charter 88.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Stop and Search
 
 All football fans know what it's like to be harassed and treated
 like a criminal just because you're going to a match. Section 60 of
 the Act gives police powers to stop and search, without any reason,
 any vehicle or person, even if you're nowhere near the ground! Fans
 are already searched as they enter grounds, and last season, out of
 the 23 million people who attended games, just 35 were found with
 offensive weapons! These additional powers are unnecessary, and may
 create tension, ill-feeling and possible confrontation between fans
 and the police.
 
  
 Protests
 
 Sections 68-71 create a new offence of "aggravated trespass". This
 means that peaceful demonstrations such as those seen at Man City,
 QPR, Spurs, West Ham etc are now criminal acts, and the police have
 the right to arrest everyone taking part. In fact, you could be
 arrested even if you're nowhere near the ground - all the police
 need is "reasonable suspicion" that you intend to go! Often protests
 are the only means left for loyal fans to voice their passionate
 concern about what's happening at their club. Removing this right of
 peaceful protest will deprive law-abiding fans of their say in the
 running of their club - and it is you, the fans, who pay the wages!
 
  
 Arrests
 
 Fans are often hauled out of grounds for no apparent reason. The Act
 abolishes the right of silence, increasing the chances of
 miscarriages of justice. If you are arrested, the police are
 empowered to FORCIBLY pluck hair or take a mouth swab. This
 information will stay on a national DNA database, even if you're
 subsequently not charged. This is worrying as there are already
 recorded cases of innocent fans finding themselves on a "hooligan
 blacklist".
 
  
 Tickets
 
 The Act makes it a criminal offence to sell on a match ticket, even
 if it's at cost price! The law's supposed to be aimed at ticket
 touts, but we've already heard evidence of ordinary fans being
 threated with arrest for trying to sell on single spare tickets, or
 having their tickets confiscated! If you've got a spare ticket, the
 club cannot buy it back, you can't sell it to anyone else so you
 lose your money! Needless to say, this only applies to football and
 not to rugby, tennis, theatre, ballet, opera, horse-racing,
 classical music concerts, etc., etc.
 
  
 Alarm!
 
 Section 154 of the Act introduces a new crime of "intentional
 harassment, alarm or distress". This means that if you verbally or
 visibly "insult or abuse" (i.e. shout or gesture) within sight or
 hearing of a person LIKELY to be caused "alarm or distress" (?) you
 will commit an offence punishable by up to six months in prison.
 This is worryingly vague. Football fans by their nature can be
 rowdy, and often enjoy taunting and teasing the opposition, and this
 law gives the police fresh powers for indiscriminate arrest.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 We are now putting together a "Bill of Rights" for football fans,
 which will take the form of a wallet-sized card detailing what
 rights you have, what the police can and cannot do, and what to do
 if arrested. This will be distributed free to every ground in the
 UK. We have no funding so we need your help to make this happen. We
 desperately need donations, contributions, anything! We also need to
 hear about your experiences under these new laws - call/write to us
 (in confidence). For more CJA info call Liberty on 0171-378 8659,
 for anti-CJA actions call Freedom Network on 0171-738 6721, and for
 other football issues call the FSA on 0151-737 2385.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------

    Stuart,
      As you are probably aware these rulings were rather ignored when the
    CJA was being hyped. These apply to protestors, ravers, festival goers
    AND football fans. The REAL villains in this society! SUSS is now      
    officially back in place with the wording of the act being so ambiguous 
    that *anyone* can be pulled over and made to fit the description! As
    the act is now law there is little that can be done about
    the situation. When the protests against the CJB originally occured you
    would have thought the only protestors were the Anarchists/Crusties
    etc. In fact various football supporter groups were involved from the  
    start of the campaign against his bill. 
    
    The Tory line was "If you are not guilty you have nothing to be afraid
    of". As *anyone* can be made to fit into these rules we should all be
    VERY afraid. This is a serious invasion of civil liberties, hence
    Liberty's involvement in this. 
     
    You may be thinking " Oh no that idiot Stretch is going off on one
    again". You would be right! How this legislation came into place can be
    squarely dumped on the apathetic public of this country. I cannot
    believe that people let this happen! 
    
    Anyway I have to go now. I will see how this string has gone after the
    weekend as I am off for a couple of days. Unless I get arrested just
    for going to watch Reading this weekend! (perhaps there is some logic
    at work here)
    
    			Stretch.    

    
    One interesting point raised by that article is the idea that fans who 
    pay their money at the gate effectively pay the wages and so should 
    have a basic right to have their say in the running of the club.
    
    The fact is that this is not really the case any more and, with the 
    advent of pay-per-view, the gate receipts are becoming an increasingly 
    marginal source of income for Premiership clubs. Television money pays
    the wages and much else besides.
    
    The consequences of this for the true fan may not be too palatable. Of 
    course, when I say "true fan", I mean those who actually go to games  
    rather than just watch them on the box. Clubs will not actually go out
    of their way to alienate these fans (since the gate receipts are still
    substantial and, besides, a bit of shouting adds to the atmosphere);
    however, clubs need no longer even pay lip-service to fans' views - why
    should they as they can now exist without them.
    
    On the subject of the CJA, this ludicrous piece of legislation has now
    been law for some time. Bizarrely enough, it has not quite been the
    civil liberties disaster it might have been, because the police are not
    too keen to enforce it - even they have realised that it's terms are
    too vague to be practicable. Be warned though - the legislation exists
    and, if you happen to upset a particulary nasty copper, you may well
    find yourself with a criminal record!
    
    
    Jeff
    

    Folks,
    	A bit of info I came acroos on the Football Fans Against The CJA last
    night........
    
    The total CJA arrest statistics currently stand at...
    
    HUNT SABS: 154
    FOOTBALL FANS: 115
    ROAD PROTESTORS: 70
    ENVIRONMENTALISTS: 43
    LIVE EXPORTS PROTESTORS: 38
    PEACE CAMPAIGNERS: 35
    TREE DEFENDERS: 14
    TRAVELLERS: 11
    RAVERS: 10
    ILLEGAL GATHERERS: 3
    DRUIDS: 1 
    
    
    
    Second place eh! 
    
    Apparently of the 23 million searches conducted last season under these 
    laws only 35 (!) people were found to be in possesion of an offensive  
    weapon. 
    
    I suggest that anyone with 'net access has a look at the FFATCJA page.
    Scary stuff!
    
    
    				Stretch.