Disturbing footage from outside parliament

[Wildswim]

I think this is a disturbing incident and agree with the MP for raising it in parliament (not that anyone was there to listen).

A woman was manhandled into a van by a posse of policemen. She had been peacefully protesting and not causing any disturbance.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8983215/Tory-MP-rages-police-bundle-old-woman-van-protesting-outside-Parliament.html

This was a set up. Going limp is a tactic used by protester groups to hinder the police, she knew exactly what she was doing.

I respect her wish to protest, but don't buy the poor innocent old lady story.

How do we know she didn't start saying stuff to the police either when off camera or out of earshot?

'Saying stuff to the police' isn't a criminal offence, yet, although they like to treat it as if it is.

She shouldn’t have been arrested in the first place. I find it terrifying that people think this is OK. We’re just sleep walking into the kind of society I really don’t want to live in.

Then I suggest you move to a country where laws aren't enforced, if you can find one.

This woman was part of a crowd meeting up in deliberate defiance of a law intended to keep you and me and our families safe from a virulent disease. You may not care about that but I certainly do.

"In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: 'At 13:00hrs on Tuesday, 24 November, Police were on scene at a protest in Buckingham Gate, SW1.

'A group had come together to protest. Police engaged with those present and explained the current restrictions around gatherings of more than two people.

'Two women refused to engage and were subsequently arrested for breaching the coronavirus restrictions.

'A short while later part of the group had re-gathered outside the Palace of Westminster. A third woman refused to comply, was arrested for breaching the coronavirus restrictions and then became uncooperative with officers.

'She was taken by police transport to custody.'"

The current Lockdown laws prevent gatherings of two or more.

Break the law, get arrested.

I'm suspicious about who got arrested - vulnerable, respectable old lady, almost as if they wanted a martyr.

She shouldn’t have been arrested in the first place. I find it terrifying that people think this is OK. We’re just sleep walking into the kind of society I really don’t want to live in

We really are........

One thing I have found utterly repugnant over the course of the pandemic has been the victim playing by certain anti-mask, conspiracy theorist protesters.

They rant on about "peaceful protest" and yet conveniently forget that protesting during lockdown risks the lives of other human beings who are making all kinds of sacrifices to keep others safe.

They are masters of victim playing and, like so many with skills in this respect, do not hesitate to use elderly people, children and vulnerable adults as mascots, human shields and assets in their strategies.

I feel sorry for the police in this respect, they are doing an impossible job and whatever they do they get blamed and shamed.

If you don't want to get dragged along by the police don't break the law, don't put other people at risk and don't go limp when the cops ask you to move on.

The police said that there were more people there than allowed under current lock down rules. Politics protests are no longer exempt, I believe the law changed about this a couple of weeks ago.

So quite possibly she was breaking the law, whether you think it’s a ridiculous law or not is another matter.

If she hasn’t broken the law I hope she sues for unlawful arrest.

Since when did police enforcing laws become police doing whatever they want?

Maybe some armchair coppers could apply to go on their local forces ride along scheme to see what it's really like.

Since when did police enforcing laws become police doing whatever they want?

But they are not "doing whatever they want" are they?

They are arresting a woman who is not co-operating and is breaking the law and putting others at risk.

I have been on loads of demos and protests and have seen the police acting really badly before, but this looks like the police doing thier job in a very difficult situation.

Damned if they do and damned if they don't.

If you were a police officer how would you deal with an uncooperative protester who went limp?

Just let her do her thing and ignore the risk to the greater public?

Just let her do her thing and ignore the risk to the greater public?

I’m genuinely interested to know what risk she presented to the greater public.

I’m genuinely interested to know what risk she presented to the greater public.

Are you serious?

You do know that we are in the middle of a pandemic and that, due to the exceptionally dangerous situation, all kinds of usual liberties have been curtailed, including the right to protest?

The law is wrong. It is against our human rights to disallow peaceful political protest.

@KrisAkabusi

Being old doesn't give you the right to ignore or break the law.

Charles Walker MP (Con) whose govt just enacted the same police powers he was watching in action. and is complaining about? Hypocrisy personified

nationallegalservice.co.uk/uk-protest-rights/

quote

Under the Coronavirus Act 2020 and the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020, the police have a number of new powers.

Most notably for the purposes of protesting, these powers apply to restricting gatherings of people. In enforcing these restrictions, the police may direct the gathering to disperse, they may direct an individual to return home and they can use reasonable force in removing an individual from a public place.

If an individual refuses to follow these directions, they will be seen to be committing an offence under this legislation and they may be issued a fine of £100 for a first offence. This amount will double with any subsequent offence.

The police also have the power to arrest an individual if they feel that it is necessary to maintain public health and public order."

   That's why she was arrested.  Not for protesting, for breaking the law. it's spelled out by the MET  at the end of the link you gave.

XDown The only surprising thing about this is their refusal to engage rather than the current fad for bringing up Magna Carta in an attempt to excuse themselves. Why people seem to believe that dark ages and medieval feudal legislation somehow takes precedence over the Coronavirus Act 2020 is beyond me.

I actually agree with your point, but in answer to your question, the Coronavirus Act 2020 does not overrule or take precedence over earlier legislation. Our Constitution is contained within a number of written documents, including the Magna Carta (but also for example, the ECHR, European Communities Act, etc) and unwritten conventions.

The Coronavirus Act 2020 is not a constitutional document and therefore its important for democracy and the rule of law that it can be challenged.

Sorry Krisakabusi my post wasn't directed at you; meant to address it to OP (and those who have no clue about UK law and legislation)

I thought this thread was going to be about the black woman who was hauled out of a car and says she was hit, then strip searched at the police station in front of men, then beaten up.

Oops.

Pleased to see the people in the thread who say the police never do anything wrong though. Phew!

@flaviaritt

The law is wrong. It is against our human rights to disallow peaceful political protest.

. The law is there to protect everybody , even very stupid reckless people

The law is wrong. It is against our human rights to disallow peaceful political protest.

In a pandemic, where these so called "peaceful protesters" are creating a public health crisis that puts the lives of others at risk, I can only disagree with you.

The whole point of the new emergency laws during a crisis such as this is to curb some individual freedoms to serve the greater good and to protect the vulnerable.

Nobody likes having individual freedoms curtailed but we have to be grown up about it.

There are vaccines available by the spring, it's not like unreasonable demands are being made.

The selfishness of some people is unbelievable

I didn't know the government had banned peaceful protest.

That's incredibly worrying.

Yes @hoodathunkit, I’m entirely serious. Standing quietly outside parliament presented no risk to anyone. All anyone had to do to remain safe was stay a minimum of two metres away. Instead the police, in their zeal to enforce a law that shouldn’t exist, put themselves at risk by picking the protesters up and carrying them. There’s no logic whatsoever to it.

@flaviaritt

The law is wrong. It is against our human rights to disallow peaceful political protest.

This. I find it chilling that people are taking the trampling of the most basic rights lying down.

And yes, freedom does sometimes have a cost. But nothing like as high a cost in the long term as the erosion of said freedoms.

Well don't disagree with the sentiment of the MP...but he clearly doesn't realise this is what his government has legislated for which makes him look an utter prick. Bottom line is Parliament has approved it

And the learning from this is how chilling the removal of personal Liberty has been, and the fact that the government has utterly abused the recognised process which was to have been enacting the Civil Contingencies Act but no used Health Protection legislation....guess why....far less scrutiny

I have to say it looks 100% staged.

She shouldn’t have been arrested because the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental tenet of our society. The extent to which our population is, not only allowing our basic freedom to be eroded, but also defending it is truly alarming. I’m truly shocked that so many people are happy with this

My feeling too @VinylDetective

In a pandemic, where these so called "peaceful protesters" are creating a public health crisis that puts the lives of others at risk, I can only disagree with you.

You can disagree, but it is illegal to remove this right. This is an illegal law.