Bristol Indymedia Server Seized by UK Police due to Activities of Police Informant at Website

by Mark Barnsley, CAPS

In the run-up to the G-8 Summit, Bristol Indymedia (BIM), a member site of Indymedia.org, has had it’s server seized by police. Recent press-releases released by the BIM collective are reproduced below. The person responsible for the latest repression against Indymedia is a Bristol-based part-time film-maker, and well-known local trouble-causer and liar, Mark ‘Zaskar’ Watson.

Watson recently edited a film for CIRCA, the ‘Clown Army’, and runs his own website at Zaskarfilms.com.  He is also well-known for hounding activists and filming them without their permission. While actually working as a nurse, Watson claims to be a journalist and NUJ member, something which is actually untrue, and if he possesses a press card as he claims, it is a forgery.  More importantly, Watson is a former member of BIM, and since being thrown out of the BIM collective, for what he characterises on Urban 75 as sexism, he has waged a malicious campaign against BIM and his former colleagues, which has now reached rock-bottom.

The following is a rather incoherent post, which recently appeared on BIM:

stopping them in their tracks?

Since Indymedia do not retain IP addresses it is not known who posted this, nor is there any evidence of any actual incident occurring. Nonetheless, Mark Watson, a self-confessed long-standing police informer, used the posting as an excuse to escalate his campaign against BIM.  Without making any attempt to first contact BIM, Watson phoned the police and spoke to DC 1062 Saysell of Temple Meads CID.  Since the police routinely monitor Indymedia it is unlikely that they had not already seen the post above, but Watson informed them that he was a former member of the BIM collective, and alleged that BIM kept the IP addresses of contributors and that these could be obtained by seizing the server. He also gave the name, address and contact details of at least one BIM volunteer, including all their employment details.

The details of Watson’s malicious and treacherous actions originally came out on the Urban 75 forum, in which he initially, and characteristically, lied through his teeth, before proclaiming himself, “An unrepetent grass.”  Coming under attack from other Urban posters, Watson, who posts under the name ‘Zaskar’ (and possibly other names), attempted to get his attackers to contact the police, and sent them private messages, asking them to telephone him (on 07861 287069.)  Apparently, Watson, is well-known for doing this, and then alleging that people have threatened him.

It should be clear to anyone reading this that Mark ‘Zaskar’ Watson is a self- confessed police-informer, and a malicious individual, responsible for closing down Bristol Indymedia at a particularly crucial time, and for subjecting Indymedia vounteers to police harassment and action. As such, he has no place in our movement, and should at the very least be ostracised. Beware of the tout ‘Zaskar’.

The following are statements from Bristol Indymedia:

(June 24, 2005)  On Mon. 20th June, 2005, Bristol Indymedia (IMC Bristol) received an e-mail from the police asking to contact them with reference to a posting on the IMC Bristol newswire. IMC Bristol volunteers appointed a solicitor and started briefing them to contact the police on their behalf. On Tue 21st June, the police contacted an IMC Bristol volunteer asking for IP logs. The subject of the police enquiry was a posting claiming that damage had been done to either some cars on a train transport, the transport itself, or the railway line.

Bristol Indymedia volunteers hid the post (originally posted late in the evening of 17th June) from their main newswire within 24 hours of it being posted -- as it violated IMC Bristol editorial policy -- and well before the police made initial contact.
When the solicitor contacted CID on the 21st to inform them that they could not have the server, or access to it, the police said that they could go through data protection and legal moves to get the logs or get a search warrant, and that they may arrest somebody for obstructing the course of justice.

At this point, an IMC Bristol volunteer informed IMC UK about the events. IMC Bristol then contacted Liberty, whose legal advisor contacted the police to press them on the issue that this server was considered an item of journalistic equipment and so subject to special provision under the law. The police have yet to confirm this. NUJ and Privacy International have also been contacted.

As of 24th June 2005, IMC Bristol remain in possession of their server. Communications with the police, and between various legal and civil rights organisations continue while technical and legal issues surrounding the case are clarified. Bristol Indymedia is an independent news service. As part of our policy, we will not make non-public information we hold publicly available. We do not permanently store IP addresses. We do not intend to voluntarily hand over information to the police as they have requested, and have informed them of this
(see also: http://bristol.indymedia.org/newswi...23454/index.php)

They have are also setting up a legal fund, donations: http://bristol.indymedia.org/mod/in...pport/index.php

Police Confiscate Server

Ana, volunteer at Bristol Indymedia reports, that on Monday 27th June the police raided a residential property in Bristol and seized an Indymedia server and other computer equipment. They also arrested one person for incitement to criminal damage under common law. That person has since been released on bail. We see this police action as an attack on the freedom of speech and journalistic independence.


This police action relates to an article posted on 17th June in which persons unknown claimed to have damaged cars being transported on a train. This article was considered by Bristol Indymedia to have breached the guidelines and was hidden.


On Monday 20th the police contacted Bristol Indymedia with reference to this posting. Bristol Indymedia informed the police that they were in the process of instructing a solicitor to reply on their behalf. On Tuesday 21st the police contacted a Bristol Indymedia volunteer requesting the IP logs. Bristol Indymedia considered that the system was journalistic material covered by special provision under the law.


A solicitor from Liberty faxed the police explaining this provision. The police then contacted Bristol Indymedia to request a meeting which Bristol Indymedia agreed to. Ten minutes before the arranged meeting DI Bennett of British Transport Police cancelled the meeting and asked to postpone it.


The next police contact was the seizure of the server and the arrest of a Bristol Indymedia volunteer. The seizure of the server was carried out under a search warrant (police and criminal evidence act 1984, ss.8 and 15), not recognising the journalistic privilege.


Additional Statement:


"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."

(See http://subsection.org.uk/bimc/index.php )