THE METROPOLITAN Police have forced off the internet Fitwatch, a website supporting student protesters, it has been revealed.


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The website, Fitwatch, earned the Met’s ire after one of its blogs included advice for demonstrators worried about being arrested following last week’s occupation of the Tory Party’s Millbank HQ.

“Perhaps now is a good time for a makeover,” read the blog.

“Get a haircut and colour, grow a beard, wear glasses. It isn’t a guarantee, but may help throw them off the scent.”

The Met then ‘asked’ hosting service JustHost.com to block Fitwatch. That police request has been published by The Guardian. In part, it reads:

“We hereby request [you] de-host this website for a minimum period of 12 months. The website is providing explicit advice to offenders following a major demonstration in central London.”

The Met’s letter to JustHost.com goes on to say that authority for the closure order came from an acting detective inspector by the name of Will Hodgeson, who works for the shadowy CO11 unit.

CO11 has attracted controversy for its Forward Intelligence Teams (FIT), which have taken pictures of thousands of political activists to be stored on file.

Fitwatch takes its name from the FIT abbreviation and for three years has been a thorn in the side of the spotter-squads, leading to suspicions that CO11 was keen to find an opportunity to shut the site down.

“It seems convenient that they have taken it down now,” said Fitwatch’s Emily Apple.

“Nothing in that post has not been said before on our blog or on other sites.”