Peter Tatchell Arrested - Outrageous

[Everanewbie]

AIBU to be outraged my Peter Tatchell's latest arrest?

For those who have not heard, the famous campaigner attended a recent Gaza protest. He held a placard that demanded Israel stop the genocide, and that Hamas are a shameful, and reiterated their official terrorist status for the torture an execution of a Palestinian man that attended an anti-Hamas demonstration in Gaza. He was arrested on the basis of inciting racial and religious hatred. The police have since apologised indicating that they believed him to be part of a counter-protest. He spent 5 hours in a cell.

The bloke who thinks its fine for adults to have sex with minors?
And took to twitterX to complained when a UK LA cleared bushes in a park beside a playground on the basis it stops (mainly) men engaging in public sex acts?

🤷‍♀️

I am not aware of this and if accurately portrayed by you here, is horrendous. But I am asking specifically about this arrest, not his comments on other matters from the past.

Sorry OP. Xero sympathy for this man who not only endorsed, but. actively promoted "child love" (I believe the sickening videos are still available).
Also tilled a local council for removing bushes in a public park to discourage gay men engaging in public sex acts? As if this is their right?
Oh and of curse, who could forget the deeply offensive visit to Westminster Cathedral where he accosted church-goers and took inside inflated condoms with helium?
He has a well-documented history of religious (& other) hatred. I am still amazed the man is not on a list somewhere tbs, he damn well should be.

PT is deeply problematic, OP.

This post is not intended to discuss PT’s views or his past. Only the fact that he was arrested for his placard. Play the ball not the man.

He thinks women's rights are bigotry and would happily see them removed permanently, so I can't get too upset about his rights being infringed for a few hours.

Respectfully OP, your post states:

He was arrested on the basis of inciting racial and religious hatred.

For which this man has "previous". Do you think it appropriate in 2025 to discuss the arrest of anybody in the absence of context? There was obviously more than a placard that led to this arrest, there are 1000's dong the same every weekend for months now.

Furthermore, he was released without charge (this time).

What is it exactly you would like us to discuss on this thread pleases? Because if it's "poor Peter" I suspect this may not go as you had hoped...

It's very difficult to divorce the man from his oft-vaunted horribly offensive opinions, though. It would take gallons and gallons of tippex to unblot his copy book.

Supposing Andrew Tate or Tommy Robinson had a genuinely fairly considered point to make about something in particular, do you think that normal rational people would happily listen to them, just in case they had a small nugget of sense in amidst everything else they said; or do you think the police would not at least be mobilised and on their guard as soon as they started speaking or campaigning in public?

Police overreach and apparent bias. Making arrests based on baseless accusations. The fact that he had to spend 5 hours or more in a cell for a placard that simply stated a fact; Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisation here in the UK. Like him or loathe him, the implications of the police's behaviour are worrying.

I am not a particular fan of PT and I don't know enough about his views or previous words or actions to debate their merits. I just see a person arrested and denied liberty (albeit briefly) for something that most reasonable people wouldn't see as a crime.

I would not expect them to be arrested for their small nugget in the absence of demonstratively criminal behaviour, irrespective of whether I like or dislike them. Not listening to someone is very different to using the law to forcibly silence them.

Poor Peter is not what I expect. I expected some appreciation of the egregious behaviour of the police. I expect even the most horrible of creatures to have the law applied to them fairly.

It's weird, considering every weekend for months on end at these pro Palestinian marches we saw all manner of offensive placards from so called "peace protesters", with only a few arrests for the obvious pro Hamas, antisemitic ones.
Very strange.

He's an utter reptile who deserves whatever punishment the universe is handing out 😂

(no offence to decent reptiles)

He's an absolute weapon.

He’s a gobshite.

He definitely needs to be arrested. The gay rights / anti-Hamas activism is a cover.

Jimmy Saville also did some great things for charity. Some may be able to compartmentalise that from him being a predatory nonce but I can’t.

Does a placard stating "Stop Israel genocide! Stop Hamas execution!" warrant arrest? Take PT out of it.

OP I think the problem with your post is this:
I am not a particular fan of PT and I don't know enough about his views or previous words or actions to debate their merits. I just see a person arrested and denied liberty (albeit briefly.

However, I am not sure what you feel represents police overreach or bias. But I can tell you (from regrettable personal experience of PT), that it's far more likely what PT was shouting to the crowd, rather than the text on his placard. He is a man who shouts nonsense ass if it were facts, then acts offended when challenged by authority.
As for baseless accusations, as far as I am aware, the majority of things levelled at PT have pretty much all turned out to be far from baseless.

He was, lawfully arrested, held and released. Also received a bonus apology, though God knows why. I am not sure what you are upset about here, genuinely.

Because that's not the story. The stewards, not the police, tried to prevent him displaying the anti Hamas sentiments.
I think that's shocking.
The police got involved, but it seems that these protesters cannot cope with criticism of Hamas.
Shameful.

Absolutely right. A wicked person doing a good thing remains a wicked person.

I don't like the idea that the Police can arrest someone based on a single, apparently baseless complaint, whilst espousing a reasonable views (I don't agree that Israel are committing genocide, but that's his view), and hold them for more than 5 hours. In isolation, I'd read, tut, and move on. But in the light of recent cases like the school governors that were held for 11 hours for privately calling a headteacher a control freak, and the girl violently arrested for saying an officer looked like her lesbian aunt, I am getting more and more worried about the police' threshold for arrest, even if no further action is brought.

He may have many valid causes, but lost my support when trying to defend sex in public in bushes in a London square.

Not what I assumed the arrest would be for when I read the title of the thread!

I'm not saying that people should be arrested for doing something that isn't illegal at all; I was just trying to make the point - as other PPs - that Tatchell is a poisoned chalice when it comes to having him on your side on an argument.