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Indymedia UK Server in Manchester Seized By Police

by indymedia.org.uk
Indymedia UK server seized (again)! Without serving a warrant, Kent Police removed an Indymedia server from hosting company UK Grid in Manchester. This is believed to be related to posts on the SHAC trial. Indymedia UK, London and Docs sites are affected.
On January 22, 2009, police seized a UK Indymedia server colocated in Manchester, strummer.indymedia.org.uk, apparently on the basis that two comments containing the home address of the judge in the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) trial were posted to the site. The home address was quickly deleted in line with the site's policy, in addition the police were aware that the server in Manchester was not the server to which comments are posted — the server in Manchester just hosted a static, read-only mirror of the site and in any case was set up to not log IP addresses, as per the site's IP address logging policy. It therefore appears that the police just wanted to attack what infrastructure was within their jurisdiction. Other sites that have gone as a result of this seizure include London Indymedia and the global Indymedia wiki site. The server was handed over to Kent Police by UK Grid, a Manchester hosting company, after police said they did not have a warrant but claimed they could get one after a phone call.
§Police Seize UK Indymedia Server (Again)
by from imc-uk
indymedia-targeted.png
On 22 January 2009 an Indymedia server was seized by the Police in Manchester. This was probably related to postings about the recent SHAC trial.

Kent Police had e-mailed imc-uk-contact in the morning requesting that personal information about the judge in the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) trial be removed from the site. However this information had already been quickly removed in line with IMC UK policy. The e-mail also requested information relating to the poster be retained. Indymedia as an open posting news service does not log such information about its sources.

The warrant, as yet not seen by Indymedia, was we believe, specifically for this one server co-located in Manchester which is a mirror of the site. So it can only be concluded that the judge didn’t check the legality and validity of the request to remove it, and that the police wanted to attack the infrastructure.

Other sites that have been affected as a result of this seizure include London Indymedia, the global Indymedia documentation project server, la Soja Mata – an anti-GM soya campaign focusing on South American development, Transition Sheffield and a Canadian campaign against the 2010 olympics.

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by Roderick Russell (rtmrussell_ba_ca [at] yahoo.ca)
Just to comment on the seizure of Indymedia's Manchester, UK server by the police on Jan 22 2009.

It is a matter of extreme irony that while the UK Police should be so keen to suppress free comment in the Manchester-UK Indymedia, that the police in Manchester have been covering up my issue (threats and intimidation from MI5, MI6) for 5 years since I allege criminal offenses by members of the high corporate establishment.

I published a summary of my story on the USA Indymedia site a year ago under my own name entitled "Lies, Threats, and Government Cover-up" -- It alleges irregularities by Police in Manchester, a Manchester Judge, and a Manchester-based UK Cabinet Minister.

On Jan 16 2009 I presented a research paper, based on my own experience, at McMaster University to the 30th World Congress on Economic Crime Prevention. My subject: Corporate Terrorism & Government Cover-up.

A month ago an article on my issue was run in the UK based Lobster Magazine entitled "The Persecution of Roderick Russell"

I am grateful for the forum Indymedia gives since when the Authorities operate above the law it should be reported on - and the mainstream press is scared to do so. You perform a valuable public service, particularly in Manchester. Keep going!

Roderick Russell
304, 2204 - 1 St SW
Calgary AB T2S 1P4
Canada
(403) 229 - 0864
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