The authors have told a potentially dry story of policing in a way that is exciting and, to be honest, a bit of a page-turner. Choosing to unfold the narrative of police tactics in a ‘what will happen next’ kind of way, Foot and Livingstone keep the reader both engaged and outraged.

It is an anthology of detailed research, written in an accessible journalistic way, documenting a largely untold history of policing, trade unions and the working class. I recommend you buy a copy. It will, as Michael Mansfield KC writes in the foreword, shock and alarm:

Reading the book is like watching fast motion footage from a David Attenborough documentary on the melting ice caps and asking yourself: ‘How did we let that happen?’

Of course, it’s no surprise that, in 1983, Margaret Thatcher was instrumental in the change in police tactics, but successive governments have continued to allow the police to suppress protest. A classified document that was never debated in parliament, The public order manual of tactical options and related matters, outlined unprecedented military-style tactics for the police to use when dealing with public order events.

The book starts in 1983, with the Messenger printers dispute in Warrington, and documents key protests including Wapping, Orgreave, the poll tax, student fees right up to Extinction Rebellion and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations after the death of George Floyd. But it’s more than a historical document; it tells the story of how the government, the police and the media successfully denigrate protestors – by getting their story out first and skewing the narrative; and the way the media frame the language of violence: the police use ‘force’ yet protestors use ‘violence’.

Charged documents how those protesting over the past 40 years, about important issues – racism, climate change, job losses, etc – have been treated to the same aggressive tactics by the police: using horses for charging, batons to strike, the sides of shields as weapons, and kettling to intimidate and control. As the authors explain, it is a book on ‘[h]ow the police, the government, the civil service, the media, corporations and the judiciary have combined to form an unofficial, and often undemocratic, state’.

The book makes protest seem brave and frightening. It is dedicated ‘to all who have protested for progress’ and ends on a high note with the incredible achievements of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is easy to forget how powerful that was, how, by coming together, we build strength and unity, and how protest, inspired by grassroots rebellion, can lead to massive cultural change. It is a book that will make you angry but also a book that will give you hope.