To feel uneasy about how quiet everyone is about this happening?

[Maxnon]

Here are a few articles about a new bill going through, but really there isn't enough being spoken about it in the media.

Politics.co.uk: Anti-protest bill: Freedom dies in silence "The truly frightening thing was that they didn’t even argue for it. Over two days of debate and dozens of speeches, not one government minister actually defended the anti-protest powers in the new policing bill. Only one MP did."

The Economist: An illiberal bill to suppress protest in Britain

Guardian: 'Bill that curtails ability to protest in England and Wales passes second reading' "The DUP MP Gavin Robinson said: “The loose and lazy way this legislation is drafted would make a dictator blush. Protests will be noisy, protests will disrupt and no matter how offensive we may find the issue at their heart, the right to protest should be protected.”

Opinion: The Right to Protest is important in any credible democracy. Whilst I appreciate the current covid restrictions makes protest harder, in general, this should only be temporary until the pandemic slows down and we are back to some normality. A bill making potentially permanent changes to the Right to Protest makes me feel uneasy. Is that unreasonable?

@tangerinelollipop

Seems like quite a coincidence that this bill is going through and suddenly there is a violent protest in Bristol with police officers ending up in hospital

What? Still trying to justify these attacks? Unbelievable!!

I'm not justifying any attacks, nor did my post say so. I am saying all is not what it seems tonight.

It is well known that agent provocateurs are used by TPTB at protests when it suits them.

I too am concerned about the direction we are going in with regard to civil rights.

So I'm keeping an open mind and will be interested in anything put out by genuine attendees who will have first hand information.

Very convenient timing though......

And therein lies the problem - there has been an increasing problem over the past few years with protests - any protests- being completely overtaken by groups who are deliberately setting out to cause disorder, who wilfully incite and use violence, which is a lose - lose situation because not only do people get hurt/property destroyed etc but also people stop listening to the message of the protest and focus on the damage caused.

Yes the timing is

"Calm discussion" never got women the vote.

TBF, there's an element who are professional protestors, who attach themselves to all sorts of protests in order to have a pop at the police and stick it the The Man.

They're often a PITA.

So they may have turned up and turned this nasty of their own accord. Or they may have been nudged: it's a lot easier these days, with nice anonymous social media, than the days when the Met embedded undercover cops as agents provocateurs – the fallout from which we're still seeing.

But my guess (which isn't worth much) is this is the usual suspects doing their usual shit, with added lockdown-rage.

It's certainly not making me change my opinion about how crap this Bill is.

Tom
17 minutes ago
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
John F. Kennedy

Pathetic attempts at gaslighting, sorry

No @tangerinelollipop it really isnt. Gaslighting is what Boris did when Cummings got caught on his lockdown road trip. Boris then said they wernt laws only guidance. Despite people being fined based on those "laws" Thats gaslighting. They have behaved like an abusive partner.

What are you apologising for, tangerinelollipop? You did it above for the Daily Mail link, too.

I don't understand.

@MercyBooth

Tom 17 minutes ago “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” John F. Kennedy

Indeed.

I'd like to continue to have the legal right to protest peacefully, please. Even if that sometimes inconveniences someone, or they get emotionally distressed at the thought of someone disagreeing with them.

I suppose the state have seen how easily people have conformed without questioning, I think this is the scariest thing about covid, as well as the reporting of deaths.
Making the homeless criminals has to be the lowest any government could get.

Another Q-why NOW?! I have a suspicion this this is in preparation for something. I'm amazed at how brainwashed people are thinking this is a temporary measure to protect them from getting COVID. Are those people now incapable to think for themselves, is regurgitation of the mainstream news as far as their brainpower goes??

It couldn't have come at a worst time for travellers.
I don't think we are the reason though, as a minority. One way of social engineering/ ethnic cleansing though, and not like we can protest

Only read the OP.

It's all kicked off in Bristol.

Right to peaceful protest- to be removed- is an international human right.

Also this stuff about taking precautions for years.

Having the population fearful and subdued is a dream for probably any government I think.

YANBU, OP.

I’ve seen a lot of creeping propaganda over the last couple of years aimed at convincing people that peaceful protest is “undemocratic” - i.e. that we only have one chance to change anything every few years at election time, and in between we have to accept that our leaders have unfettered godlike power to do anything they want, however authoritarian or illegal or contrary to their pre-election promises, because they were voted into power and they have a mandate to do anything they want. And if you peacefully protest any actions by an elected government then you’re a fascist or an anarchist or whatever the insult of the day is, and if the Opposition actually opposes the Government then they’re unpatriotic.

It’s a argument that I originally heard from Trump supporters during his term as President - namely, that any resistance to any of his policies amounted to an attempt to invalidate or steal the votes of the people who voted for him in 2016 - but it’s made its way over here now.

In any case, regardless of who is in power, peaceful protest isn’t in opposition to democracy - it’s an important part of a healthy, functioning democracy.

Just thought I'd drop this in here for those who might appreciate it - not everyone's cup of tea obviously, but the cynics amongst us might find it interesting.

It's from four days ago, so shall be interested in any further commentary from Mr Pie following last might's events.

Yanbu. I find protests v annoying and thought it was shocking that extinction rebellion thought it was ok to interfere with the security service. But if you hand the police more powers, they will abuse them. Look at the abuse of stop and search powers, which became a way to harass black teenagers in cities. When the Terrorism Act was passed, police used its powers to remove an elderly heckler from a political conference! There are huge problems with police seeing themslves as the good guys and everyone else as a potential threat who must be controlled at all costs. Frankly, the overstretched, demoralised and undertrained police simply aren’t good enough at their jobs to sensitively and proportionately use powers like these. Look at the policing of the Clapham vigil.

Also wtf is with having flags in official photos and a sentence of ten years for damaging a statue of a slave trader. This is like a dystopian novel.

Covid sucks. Covid is killing people. I am scared of covid.

But I am far more scared of the world drifting to authoritarian nationalism. Covid won’t kill my children, but war in a few decades might.

I’ve seen a lot of creeping propaganda over the last couple of years aimed at convincing people that peaceful protest is “undemocratic” - i.e. that we only have one chance to change anything every few years at election time, and in between we have to accept that our leaders have unfettered godlike power to do anything they want, however authoritarian or illegal or contrary to their pre-election promises, because they were voted into power and they have a mandate to do anything they want.

Yep, I've noticed this line being pushed too. I'm not planning to buy it.

@shirk64
Yep because the suffragettes got so far with calm, reasoned discussion.
That's great... But we all know the quiet reasoned are drowned out by the vocal few.