Thanks to Jebba, I’m alerted to the alarming seizure of yet another Indymedia server:
On Monday, June 27th, Indymedia Bristol’s server was seized by the police. An Indymedia volunteer was also arrested during the raid on suspicion of incitement to criminal damage and is now on bail. …
Bristol Indymedia say: “We are outraged at the actions of the police. They have completely disabled the entire Bristol Indymedia news service. By their actions they have undermined the principle of open publishing and free access to the media, thereby removing people’s opportunity to read and report their own news. This situation has serious implications for anyone providing a news service on the Internet. We do not intend to let this stop us from continuing the project.”
Last week, police demanded access to the server to gain the IP details of a posting. The alternative media outlet is receiving advice from civil liberties organisations and the NUJ. Before being legally forced to hand over the server, Indymedia Bristol stated: “We do not intend to voluntarily hand over information to the police as they have requested”. Bristol Indymedia see the seizure of their server and the arrest of one of their volunteers as an attack on the freedom of speech. …
The collective best guess is that this is related to the upcoming G8 meetings in Scotland, which begin this coming weekend.
Comments are closed.