The last-minute amendments crowbarred by the government into the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill are a blatant attempt to stifle protest, of the kind you might expect in Russia or Egypt.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, shoved 18 extra pages into the bill after it had passed through the Commons, and after the second reading in the House of Lords. It looks like a deliberate ploy to avoid effective parliamentary scrutiny. Yet in most of the media there’s a resounding silence.
Among the new amendments are measures that would ban protesters from attaching themselves to another person, to an object, or to land. Not only would they make locking on – a crucial tool of protest the world over – illegal, but they are so loosely drafted that they could apply to anyone holding on to anything, on pain of up to 51 weeks’ imprisonment.
It would also become a criminal offence to obstruct in any way major transport works from being carried out, again with a maximum sentence of 51 weeks. This looks like an attempt to end meaningful protest against road-building and airport expansion. Other amendments would greatly expand police stop and search powers.
Let’s also not forget that Julian Assange, an Australian whistleblower, is being held captive in a British jail cell, because USA is trying to get him extradited to USA.
Why is this getting upvoted, they were blocking essential roads baring people going about their business but also blocked emergency service vehicles. Protest all you like in front of parliament but don’t block the roads.
Becoming a police state? Wut… It’s been a police state for many years….
>The Guardian
Sad times. But it’s just an opinion article
By stealth lmao the fucking public is cheering on this shit
“By stealth” my arse. It’s overt at this point. Can’t wait to move to Sweden.
Horrible news, but let’s not forget that we aren’t doing much better in the EU. A comedian facing two years in jail for joking about down syndrome and Pimmelgate in Germany and probably other I don’t have on my radar.
I don’t think that Britain having some authoritarian tendencies is a secret to anyone.
It’s things like this that moves working class people away from middle class leftists. The antics Insulate Britain engaged in hurt ordinary people the most. Their intention may have been good but they were lucky there is a big circus about them and cameras.
The left has too many people like Monbiot (a very english name lol). People who grew up in privileged backgrounds, lived a privileged life and wants to speak for the working class. Navel gazing without ever understanding what their life experience is.
Then everyone gets a pikachu face when working class people vote right wing parties.
Judging by the cap doffing posts here and the general absence of proper rebellions by the people in its history, Britain is a nation of donkeys led by donkeys.
Dude. In Poland you can be jailed for… Everything. It is very simple to go to jail in Poland. Don’t you have 500 PLN for a fine? Then go to jail for a month. (The monthly cost of living for a prisoner is… about 2000 PLN, so you see Polish government logic now).
They are only able to do this because we aren’t protesting in enough numbers. I mean, if you think we don’t have a problem with catastrophic climate change, by all means stay home. Personally I’m looking up where the next rally is in my country.
They got what they dserved IMO. People died in the back of ambulances because of these pricks.
So, is it going to be the “1984 Airstrip One” version, or the “V for Vendetta Norsefire” one?
16 comments
The last-minute amendments crowbarred by the government into the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill are a blatant attempt to stifle protest, of the kind you might expect in Russia or Egypt.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, shoved 18 extra pages into the bill after it had passed through the Commons, and after the second reading in the House of Lords. It looks like a deliberate ploy to avoid effective parliamentary scrutiny. Yet in most of the media there’s a resounding silence.
Among the new amendments are measures that would ban protesters from attaching themselves to another person, to an object, or to land. Not only would they make locking on – a crucial tool of protest the world over – illegal, but they are so loosely drafted that they could apply to anyone holding on to anything, on pain of up to 51 weeks’ imprisonment.
It would also become a criminal offence to obstruct in any way major transport works from being carried out, again with a maximum sentence of 51 weeks. This looks like an attempt to end meaningful protest against road-building and airport expansion. Other amendments would greatly expand police stop and search powers.
Let’s also not forget that Julian Assange, an Australian whistleblower, is being held captive in a British jail cell, because USA is trying to get him extradited to USA.
Why is this getting upvoted, they were blocking essential roads baring people going about their business but also blocked emergency service vehicles. Protest all you like in front of parliament but don’t block the roads.
Becoming a police state? Wut… It’s been a police state for many years….
>The Guardian
Sad times. But it’s just an opinion article
By stealth lmao the fucking public is cheering on this shit
“By stealth” my arse. It’s overt at this point. Can’t wait to move to Sweden.
Horrible news, but let’s not forget that we aren’t doing much better in the EU. A comedian facing two years in jail for joking about down syndrome and Pimmelgate in Germany and probably other I don’t have on my radar.
I don’t think that Britain having some authoritarian tendencies is a secret to anyone.
It’s things like this that moves working class people away from middle class leftists. The antics Insulate Britain engaged in hurt ordinary people the most. Their intention may have been good but they were lucky there is a big circus about them and cameras.
The left has too many people like Monbiot (a very english name lol). People who grew up in privileged backgrounds, lived a privileged life and wants to speak for the working class. Navel gazing without ever understanding what their life experience is.
Then everyone gets a pikachu face when working class people vote right wing parties.
Judging by the cap doffing posts here and the general absence of proper rebellions by the people in its history, Britain is a nation of donkeys led by donkeys.
Dude. In Poland you can be jailed for… Everything. It is very simple to go to jail in Poland. Don’t you have 500 PLN for a fine? Then go to jail for a month. (The monthly cost of living for a prisoner is… about 2000 PLN, so you see Polish government logic now).
They are only able to do this because we aren’t protesting in enough numbers. I mean, if you think we don’t have a problem with catastrophic climate change, by all means stay home. Personally I’m looking up where the next rally is in my country.
They got what they dserved IMO. People died in the back of ambulances because of these pricks.
So, is it going to be the “1984 Airstrip One” version, or the “V for Vendetta Norsefire” one?