Fear of kettling puts families off protests
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Your support makes all the difference.Parents and pregnant women are being put off attending tomorrow's anti-cuts protest in London because they are worried about being kettled for hours at a time by police.
The internet messageboard Mumsnet is being used to swap tips on how to avoid mass detention at the march.
One mother, Nicole Ludeke – who has a baby and is pregnant – told The Independent she wanted to go but dared not. "I feel strongly about the motives for the demonstration. Many of my friends are going and I would if there was a guarantee I could get out of a kettling scenario," she said.
A Met Police spokesman said officers had been ordered to use discretion and, where appropriate, to allow vulnerable people to leave kettles.
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