Disruptive protests clampdown.

[malificent7]

I am torn. I am worried that this will erode our rights to peaceful protest but don't agree with blocking ambulances.

I think this government will use this as an excuse to clamp don on civil unrest that THEY have caused.

What do you think?

I think it depends, if the protesting is done in an ethical truly peaceful way it should be allowed. But blocking ambulances and harassing women outside abortion clinics really isn’t ok.

If they are going to clamp down on protesting it needs to be in a way that’s not too constrictive , people should still have a right to peaceful protest.

But we are seeing several police at the protests in London, doing nothing. Sometimes chatting to protesters.

I had a friend get arrested while standing alone with a sign at the anti lockdown protests (a later one which wasn’t during actual lockdown). Though I’m convinced she was just an easy mark as she went alone.

they picked on lone women at the vigil for Sarah Everard.

they can’t claim lack of resources this time.

have to go in to London again tomorrow. Dreading it.

They turn up - a few of them by the looks of this in a few minutes but it takes time to unbond them

You usually see familiar images where police are there but still a blockage

I don’t know why some take so long to go

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-59131225.amp

There are only a few. It takes a LOT to deal with things.

I agree re. the Everard protest and the Met in general - but we do not have enough police and it takes a lot of police to clear a big protest. They stand there to ensure there is not a violent incident between drivers and protestors.

This issue is being deliberately blown out of proportion by certain factions in the media and by the government and you've got to wonder to what end?

Most of the protests I've seen recently (as in over the last couple of months or so) involve half a dozen protesters at most blocking a single road, pouring milk on floors, or vandalising property. Yet they all seemed to become the top story in the previously mentioned media.

If that's the criteria for a top news story then I wonder why the 20-30 man brawl that took place in my local town centre and damaged two separate pubs over the weekend didn't make national headlines?

On the wider issues we should never, under any circumstances, willingly give away any rights to protest. I don't care how inconvenienced I am / you are.

In general yes there is a problem with police numbers

but that’s not why they aren’t taking action against this particular group

Then why are they not?

I am not sure how they were supposed to get those two down off the bridge, that was a logistical nightmare.

Oh sorry
I know the bridge is different
I remember Fathers for Justice doing that

there are political reasons that some protesters are targeted and others are not. That’s as much as I can say without risking a ban. Look carefully at how protests have been policed over the years.

Christ, this thread's like daily mail bingo.

We have a similar issue in Canada. Black or First Nations protests are generally shut down by the police in short order, and they police are quick to resort to violence.

On the flip-side, you get the ‘Freedom Convoy’, who were able to occupy the capital for a month before non-violent actions were finally taken to disburse them.