Details on the new protest laws Parliament set to vote on

[Van wink 2,994]

12 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Or it's such a grave attack on freedom of assembly that they're willing to risk their health to state their, IMO, utterly justified disdain of what I can frankly only call a police state via the back door.

Or risk the health of the public servants who have no choice but to put their lives on the line to deal with them.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Van wink

[Herman 9,756]

Sigh!! I guess the Poison Dwarf will use this as more reason for bringing in this disgusting bill. And people will clap along......😐

[Capt. Pants 4,227]

The unacceptable behaviour of 'the Met' very recently sadly set the tone for dealing with protests and last night's horrible scenes from Bristol were an inevitable response.

Public disorder will become a huge issue if restrictions around social distancing continue for as long as some are threatening, especially if most/all of the vulnerable have been vaccinated.

I'm not saying I agree with it but as temperatures rise over the summer the scenes from Bristol could easily be replicated.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

10 hours ago, Van wink said:

Or risk the health of the public servants who have no choice but to put their lives on the line to deal with them.

Chicken and egg scenario.

I wonder why our politicos would want to launch such a crackdown on protest?

[Van wink 2,994]

30 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Chicken and egg scenario.

I wonder why our politicos would want to launch such a crackdown on protest?

I'm not in favour of the new Bill, shifts the balance too far imo, but when we see the sorts of scenes we saw last night the protest will only harden the views of those in favour and shift those ambivalent towards support for more draconian measures, particularly when most are trying to comply with Covid restrictions.

[sonyc 5,512]

Agree with the two sides on this issue (I think that is possible). Violence is unacceptable of course and in a pandemic. The move towards strengthening the police powers at this moment in time? The Bill is unacceptable too.

Some people will have used this as a way to protest (anarchists etc) and have enjoyed being in a "mob". We need to look at the deeper issue happening in UK politics where future protests will be severely curtailed. Free speech is more under threat. Violence such as this in Bristol is not the answer. But as usual, a deeper debate will be hidden underneath the reactions to this latest incident.

[The Real Buh 3,432]

Basically violence is ok if it’s left wing violence in all the eyes of the Diet Coke communists on here.

I don’t agree in suppressing the right to protest but these laws haven’t come out of the blue for no reason, they’ve come because of the tactics used by far left wing maniacs. 
 

They rioted in Bristol last night because, basically, the party’s over. The games up. They won’t be able to just rock up and protest everything anymore and kick off and threaten people and behave in an anarchistic way. I think the extremes of political opinion, far left and right, need to be on a register. They are dangerous and inhibit human progress.

Last night was a massive win for the police and government, these people can’t help but fail over and over again.

”don’t interrupt your enemy while they’re making a mistake”

[Herman 9,756]

They frame it as a lefty only caused problem to get the usual suspects on side but in reality it will curb all protesting, even Tommy Robinson/FLA protests. 

[Van wink 2,994]

2 hours ago, sonyc said:

Agree with the two sides on this issue (I think that is possible). Violence is unacceptable of course and in a pandemic. The move towards strengthening the police powers at this moment in time? The Bill is unacceptable too.

Some people will have used this as a way to protest (anarchists etc) and have enjoyed being in a "mob". We need to look at the deeper issue happening in UK politics where future protests will be severely curtailed. Free speech is more under threat. Violence such as this in Bristol is not the answer. But as usual, a deeper debate will be hidden underneath the reactions to this latest incident.

Yes indeed, I support the words of Marvin Rees who I think has judged it well. Having been at Poly ( as it was then ) in Bristol around 1980 and living just off the Gloucester Road I have a particular affinity with the area, St Paul’s kicked off big time when I was there. I believe a huge amount of social capital has been invested in the area to improve things but admittedly I haven’t been back for years, I would hate to see a malicious mob cause that to be set back. 

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

The Bill is wrong. Nothing more to say.

However, last night was a disgrace. Let alone protesting, no-one should have been out and about. We have Covid protocols. Nothing more to say.

As to those involved, I have heard everything from they were all black from St Pauls, were Antifa, were Marxist, were Trotskyites, were football hooligans. The list goes on.

We probably will find out soon enough (rather than releasing the Russia Report or start an enquiry into the Pandemic) but the real culprits may never be found. 

My opinion is that it was an anti Police riot. A protest took place in Plymouth without incident (even though it shouldn't have taken place).

The Clapham Common vigil has become an anti Police incident and the force is now seen as something to attack.

I think it goes beyond anarchy and is just an excuse for civil disobedience. To see young ladies dancing with cans of alcohol in their hands and waving at cameras, doesn't portray anarchists. Just feckin idiots who still believe lockdown is wrong and their human rights are being stolen.

[nevermind, neoliberalism has had it 159]

3 hours ago, Van wink said:

I'm not in favour of the new Bill, shifts the balance too far imo, but when we see the sorts of scenes we saw last night the protest will only harden the views of those in favour and shift those ambivalent towards support for more draconian measures, particularly when most are trying to comply with Covid restrictions.

last nights Bristol incidents and extend of damage to public property had all the hallmarks of agent provocateurs, but I could be wrong, people are so fed up with edicts, with using the judiciary to do Governments work and with the lack of opposition who will use this as a reason to support the bill and an extension to the now Stasi like emergency laws.

[Creative Midfielder 1,996]

5 hours ago, Van wink said:

I'm not in favour of the new Bill, shifts the balance too far imo, but when we see the sorts of scenes we saw last night the protest will only harden the views of those in favour and shift those ambivalent towards support for more draconian measures, particularly when most are trying to comply with Covid restrictions.

All true, so much so that you can't help but wonder exactly who did trigger the violence last night.

As you say yourself the only people who benefit from the violence are those trying to introduce this repressive bill and, of course, the police themselves who in recent years have a very unhealthy track record of trying to suppress demonstrations by illegal means and an even more unhealthy track record of using undercover officers illegally to undermine legal and peaceful protest groups.

[Van wink 2,994]

2 minutes ago, Creative Midfielder said:

All true, so much so that you can't help but wonder exactly who did trigger the violence last night.

As you say yourself the only people who benefit from the violence are those trying to introduce this repressive bill and, of course, the police themselves who in recent years have a very unhealthy track record of trying to suppress demonstrations by illegal means and an even more unhealthy track record of using undercover officers illegally to undermine legal and peaceful protest groups.

Whatever happened to Len 😀

[ricardo 7,385]

3 hours ago, Van wink said:

Whatever happened to Len 😀

Alive and well (possibly) and sitting in the basement of the Lubyanka.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

49 minutes ago, ricardo said:

Alive and well (possibly) and sitting in the basement of the Lubyanka.

Does somebody ask "Is Lenin?"

[Bill 1,788]

On 22/03/2021 at 15:57, Creative Midfielder said:

All true, so much so that you can't help but wonder exactly who did trigger the violence last night.

As you say yourself the only people who benefit from the violence are those trying to introduce this repressive bill and, of course, the police themselves who in recent years have a very unhealthy track record of trying to suppress demonstrations by illegal means and an even more unhealthy track record of using undercover officers illegally to undermine legal and peaceful protest groups.

it now appears that the police claim of it's officers suffering broken bones and a punctured lung were not correct (a lie0

and it is nonsense to claim that actions such as in Bristol will allow for more Draconian laws - if it was that easy then they would do it, that claim is merely an obvious side swipe at the protesters in a childish attempt to separate them from those who are concerned with wooly laws like this i.e. extreememly subjective interpretation

[Herman 9,756]

Welcome to Trump Britain. I see the local police are assaulting journalists in Bristol now. Do we really need to give these people more power?

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

I think the protesters in Bristol are out of order in the first place or disobeying covid rules, a virus that has killed nearly 130000 people in this nation, and for the damage they are doing which makes them a mob not protesters.

But it is so hypocritical for the Government to criticise them while supporting protesters in Hong Kong and Myanmar. Don't they even see that their stupid Bill is just how other countries start?