Sign in

Graeme Hayes

@graemehayes.bsky.social
52 followers 65 following 112 posts

Sociologist, writing about protest, direct action, civil disobedience, and the courts. Can also be found wandering around cemeteries, staring at trains, attending random football matches.

PostsRepliesMedia
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We can't be far from the Stephen Frears film, with Michael Sheen as Marco Rubio and Steve Coogan as the lady farmer in the gilet
420
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
If I said something like this, out loud, in front of people, I would collapse in shame
000
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I think we can all see whose dissent the government is interested in policing, and whose dissent is perfectly fine
110
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 22/09/2026
Nine people opposed to Israel's genocide in Gaza have been arrested by Staffordshire Police after a protest at UAV Engines, a subsidiary of Israeli owned Elbit Systems in Shenstone, on suspicion of locking on "to cause serious disruption" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Nine arrested after protest at drone factory in Staffordshire
Staffordshire Police was called to UAV Engines, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, on Monday.
01110
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
000
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
CPS yet again failing to get a result, CPS yet again demanding a retrial The persistent demand for retrials when there are no procedural problems is surely an abuse of process mailchi.mp/protonmail.c...
mailchi.mp
BREAKING:  FOUR INSULATE BRITAIN SUPPORTERS FACE RETRIAL AFTER ANOTHER HUNG JURY
011
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Tom Mills @tommills.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
New post: 'Reform’s Donations are not Normal'. Plotted every donation in the Electoral Commission donations register in grey - and Reform's recent mega donations in red.
12212
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 11/09/2026
The zine looks amazing - and is suddenly so topical! 'To Mask is to Care – why masking at protests matters" is launching on 26 September
A purple zine cover shows someone putting on a mask, with a heading that reads "a resource zone from Netpol + Soofiya", a title "to mask is to care" and a subtitle "why masking at protests matters"
064
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 11/09/2026
It has taken nine months for the Mayor's officers to come up with this ludicrous answer. So long that @zoegarbett.bsky.social is no longer a London Assembly member but now Hackney's mayor. We know the Met collects this data – so why is Sadiq Khan so terrified of holding the police to account?
0135
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 09/09/2026
If you've been focused on the (cough) 'restraint' of the policing of far-right vigilances over the weekend, you may have missed Staffordshire Police arresting two women, one in her 70s, outside an Elbit subsidiary. They've also fined 5 car drivers for tooting their horn in support of recent protests
35037
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
‘All of this is deliberate. It’s enshittification, applied to a courtroom: the system has been made worse on purpose, one ruling at a time.’ Great piece from Sam Walton
000
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Really poor article. The problems in Kings Heath are caused by the collapse of the local and central state. More policing is not the answer. Kids on Lime books are not a problem: cars are the problem. Oh, and Al Carns is not our MP, and has nothing remotely useful to say www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
We feel abandoned by police in crimewave, say Kings Heath residents
A crimewave in part of Birmingham over several months leaves residents asking who is in control.
100
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This is a very brave move, and I wouldn’t expect good things from this Court of Appeal under this LCJ www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Pro-Palestine activists who were sentenced as terrorists launch appeal
Barrister representing four who smashed drones at Israeli arms factory says ruling of ‘terrorist connection’ led to heftier sentences
000
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Introduce yourself with 10 acts you’ve seen live: Kylie Pixies Prince Gil Scott Heron Nina Simone AC/DC Deep Purple The Fall The Brilliant Corners That Petrol Emotion
020
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Worth saying that in Eng&Wales, the jury are unaware and the judge decides (post verdict), but in Scotland it is included in the charge & therefore the jury are aware. Prosecution needs at least 10-5 for a guilty verdict, anything less is not proven or not guilty (no hung juries, no retrials)
1123
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
010
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
LBC Watch @lbcwatchuk.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Here's a website set up by former students of Dr. Jason Arday. I only found out about it from a citizen journalist on Instagram. I think it's only right that the we remember how he made others feel, rather than the narrative painted by feral journalists. leilacancode.github.io/everythinggo...
leilacancode.github.io
Everything Good About Jason Arday
First-hand accounts from people who knew him. Collected by his students.
29248
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Baumann would call this the point of touchdown: where liquid flows coalesce into material form Data centres are a secondary concern of AI, but create a focus for mobilisation against distant predatory capitalism www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Never seen this level of objection’: Scotland pushes back against datacentre boom
Holyrood ‘inching towards moratorium’ amid concerns over massive proposed developments in Auchtertool and beyond
000
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Paper for European Sociological Association annual conference in Warsaw later this week, talking about the silencing of harms in Palestine Action trials
222
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
1. Leicester City v Burton Albion First match of the season, lovely day out. Couple of nice pints in the Marquis Wellington before the game, initial displays of some division three pride giving way to chants of Sack the Board at the end I’ve missed the footie
220
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 22/08/2026
Many of you have expressed surprise that arms companies have some kind of special status in Britain, but every weapons industry supplier became a “prohibited place” under the National Security Act 2023. You can get arrested simply for photographing the premises netpol.org/2024/05/09/e...
netpol.org
06543
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Thinking about putting the heating on, just for an hour
000
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Talking to a team mate in the club this evening after the midweek cricket, tells me as a pre-teen he bought 21 consecutive Bucks Fizz singles I mean I have skeletons in my own closet, but nothing like that
000
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
They did this because they could, and they are not, and will not be sorry
020
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 08/08/2026
Five arrests were for section 157 of the new Crime and Policing Act 2026 (powers to impose a 'mask-free zone'). Police reportedly were threatening to arrest people for wearing sunglasses. Really worrying
11611
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
In September 2019, I went up to the school strike demo in Manchester. Andy Burnham was there, which was good and fine. He said two things that struck me. First, he said ‘my generation has failed your generation’, which raised my hackles
100
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Just a poor man's José
000
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Sociological Inquiry @socioinquiry.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
How do Black & Brown students navigate their identities at predominantly white universities? This study examines racial microaggressions, identity management, and resistance to pressures to assimilate within academic spaces. 🔗https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.70024 #Sociology #HigherEd
033
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Yeah just two hedgehogs on the back step
120
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants @jcwi-uk.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
SIX London councils have now said they will refuse to support the Home Office’s racist immigration raids. Thank you Lewisham, Lambeth, Southwark, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Haringey. These raids persecute migrants, tear apart our communities & seek to spread fear and division. We won’t let them.
310137
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 01/08/2026
This is chaired by a former Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the lead counsel for several undercover police officers in the #spycops inquiry. You'll forgive us for thinking this has absolutely nothing to do with a "more effective accountability regime"
0159
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 30/07/2026
Over 5,000 people have emailed the Charity Commission to ask them to hold Sex Matter's transphobic hate to account. Will you join them? action.goodlawproject.org/sex-matte…
action.goodlawproject.org
Stop Sex Matters spreading transphobic hate
The anti-trans pressure group Sex Matters are running a campaign of hate, spewing abuse online and in the media – and putting trans people in danger. Sex Matters say they work to “protect everybody’s ...
416973
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 29/07/2026
We're excited to launch our new report: One Day In Brighton: The policing of the Carnival Against Fascism in Brighton on Saturday 13th June 2026. 3pm Friday August 7th, The Plaque Junction of Frederick Place and Trafalgar Street, right by the Prince Albert pub. See you there.
1158
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 27/07/2026
"The misuse of counter-terrorism powers in this country is getting completely out of hand". It's time for a serious debate about abolishing them www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/uk-am...
amnesty.org.uk
UK: Amnesty asserts "completely disproportionate to punish criminal damage as terrorism"
Amnesty International responds to reports that five Palestine Action activists face being sentenced as terrorists for damage to a branch of Barclays Bank
03016
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Great things to do in Paris: sit by the river with une pinte
000
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 25/07/2026
To every trans Londoner: this city is yours too. Today we celebrate London Trans+ Pride and reaffirm a simple truth: you should be free to live as yourself, without fear or prejudice. You are loved. You are wanted. You belong here.
04449873
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 24/07/2026
A Black man accused of assaulting two police officers has been unanimously acquitted after a five-day trial at the Old Bailey after jurors took just EIGHT minutes to reject the allegations against him. This is why the attacks on jury trials matter www.blackcurrentnews.co.uk/p/black-man-...
blackcurrentnews.co.uk
Exclusive | Jury acquits Black man of assaulting police in just eight minutes after officers' claims crumble
The defence said officers treated NK as the aggressor after he had been racially profiled and attacked by security guards, with his trauma mistaken for criminal behaviour
04819
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
To clarify, Vinny is a very serious cat
010
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Private Eye tells me that How Green Was My Valley is one of Andy Burnham’s favourite books. Oh dear. I write a PhD on 1930s Welsh mining novels, including a whole chapter on Llewellyn’s work. I even read the terrible sequels. It really, really isn’t a story of working-class solidarity etc.
18306108
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Netpol @netpol.org · 22/07/2026
This weekend will see the first use of new police powers under section 157 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, creating a "mask-free zone" aimed at antifascists opposing another far-right anti-migrant rally
32816
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
David Mead @seethingmead.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
This is an unlawful condition police have the power to regulate assemblies of 2 or more or protests of one person They have no power to regulate single person assemblies as is clearly asserted here To impose noise-related conditions on one person, they must be protesting not simply assembling
253
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Get off the boat, make a mistake, run back to the boat. Get off the boat, make a mistake, run back to the boat. Get off the boat, make a mistake
000
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Garden Court North Chambers @gcnchambers.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Next Wednesday, Garden Court Chambers, Garden Court North Chambers, One Pump Court Chambers & Nexus Chambers will come together to co-host: 'Descent Into Authoritarianism? Undermining the Role of Defence Lawyers: The Rajiv Menon KC Case'. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
025
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
David Mead @seethingmead.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
A collective UEA #protest effort from @crwerren.bsky.social @storiesfromjack.bsky.social @suzmd.bsky.social & me: our evidence* to the current JCHR Inquiry "Security, safety & protest: the role of Human Rights" has just been made public... committees.parliament.uk/writtenevide... * it's not short
committees.parliament.uk
2910
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Let’s look on the bright side: at least Sir Keir won’t be able to add winning the World Cup to his list of achievements
000
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 12/07/2026
Amnesty International put out a major report documenting the influence of UK based anti trans gender critical organizations and their funding. Within hours, GC groups threatened defamation lawsuits and Amnesty was forced to pull it down. Proving the point they're anti rights. Anyways, here it is.
102125697356
Reposted by Graeme Hayes
David Mead @seethingmead.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Very nice to have one's long held academic views vindicated by the UKSC this morning, in McCafferty, on whether public nuisance under s78 PCSCA 2022 can be committed on private ways (not public highways) - answer: no
183
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Supreme Court judgment in the Animal Rising Müller 6 case. SC finds with the appellants: there is no case to answer. You can't commit public nuisance on private land, under the second limb of s78 of the PCSC 2022 (the one that applies to protest), because there is no public *right* of passage 1/3
144
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
A lot of the political and media response to Anne Widdecombe’s death reminds me of Rory Stewart on Kissinger: on the one hand, he was a mass murdering war criminal, but on the other he was very nice to *me* The powerful recognise their own
000
Graeme Hayes @graemehayes.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Don't think the paranoia framing is helpful. But otherwise good on how police interventions are designed to create anxiety, uncertainty, & suspicion Anxiety and Paranoia among Activist Groups: Policing and the Repression of Political Dissent in Britain journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
012