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.

He was also removed from a Pride march at the weekend. As others have said, he loves the attention.

Again, he was not arrested for his placard or his views. You know this yet still peddle it.

Met: “Mr Tatchell was initially detained after concerns were raised with officers by stewards from the Palestine Coalition protest. Officers spoke with him and, believing him to be a counter protester, directed him to join the counter protest in its designated area. When he attempted to rejoin the Palestine Coalition protest he was arrested on suspicion of breaching the conditions in place and to prevent a breach of the peace."

YABU for all the reasons already mentioned

Who really gives a fuck about this wanker ? Tatchell is a complete twat on so many levels.

I expect the OP is pulling strings for the fun of watching Mumsnetters dance.

I don't like the idea that anyone be arrested for views. Actions, incitements, yes. not views.

He's an attention-seeking troll who cries victim when he gets the response he eagerly craves.

As for his arrest or an over-reach of police powers, I'm not particularly overly concerned that someone (anyone in fact) was held in police custody for just 5 hours whilst being questioned over an alleged offence. It happens day in, day out across the country. The police must act if they believe an offence has been committed or in anticipation of an offence being committed. People are often hauled in for questioning, often being kept overnight, over misunderstandings or complaints against them, whilst the police investigate the crime/misunderstanding or whatever. It's not the end of the world, really.

I think the point is that when you stand up for the rule of law you are standing up for everyone.

Anyway, it sounds like he might have been arrested for a more understandable, but still bad reason relating to breach of the peace.

In what way could anyone think he was a counter protestor? I had a placard talking about Israel genocide. It just wasn't 100% ideologically pure.

I think his views on children should be enough to get him locked up.

I agree... but in practical terms the police cannot arrest all of them, the only thing they can do to ensure his safety (and that they are not hurt trying to save him) is to arrest him.

I hate it but understand it. The last time I spoke to police was at a trans rights rally where a lone cop basically said to me "they are threatening violence if you get near them again, I can't keep you safe, there's only a few police officers here. If you go near them again you may find yourself arrested". There was no suggestion I had committed any offence.

Mr Tatchell was initially detained after concerns were raised with officers by stewards from the Palestine Coalition protest.

We should be asking ourselves why the stewards of the Palestine Coalition find critisism of Hamas so deeply offensive that they rush off to find the nearest police officer.

The fact those in the protest were protesting about his presence there?

Are you really this slow?

At the risk of being petty, no-one should be imprisoned for their views, not least because we can never know what someone's views are.

I would support, however, creating "paedophile apologism or advocacy" to be a serious criminal offence, and to lock up PT for pushing a paedophile-friendly agenda. [Note it does not matter whether he supports or does not support paedophilia - his views are irrelevant - it is his advocacy/apologism that should be criminal]

Exactly!

You will loose all reasonable faith in the police when you look at how football matches are policed. 🙄

By that logic you are happy for a woman to be arrested for stickering "women's rights matter". Really not the end of the world if she spends 10 hours in prison overnight and is released when the police finally work out no crime has been committed.

If the story was how OP first presented I think he could probably sue the the police for a four figure sum. If he was arrested for breach of the peace then probably not.

He's an apologist for paedophilia and he hates women and thinks we should all just shut up and let men use female only spaces to get their jollies. I have no sympathy for him, he's not a good person.

No, they are protesting Israel's action in Gaza. PT was also doing that but also highlighted crimes committed by the other side. Evidently, the organisers didn't want to see any hint of a message that diverted from the binary Palestine good, Israel bad purity. I doubt very much that they would have objected to PT's presence had he omitted the bottom half of his placard.

I'll ignore your insult. It demeans you.

This is very true about him he wrote an article on his beliefs, which to anyone are vile. But you seem to be able to separate the two issues. But I cannot he is an awful man. Peter Tatchell is not someone I would feel sorry for.

I put him in the same trouble making category as that oaf, Steve Bray.

Bollocks to that!

I saw that and thought it was baffling.

Hamas is LITERALLY deemed a terrorist organisation so how can people be arrested for criticising them?!

In the late 1980's Peter Tatchell wrote a chapter for a book called BOY - The Betrayal Of Youth: Radical Perspectives on Childhood Sexuality, Intergenerational Sex, and the Social Oppression of Children and Young People. The book was edited by Warren Middleton who was vice chair of the Paedophile Information Exchange (AKA 'PIE'). Tatchell's chapter in this book was titled 'Questioning Ages of Majority and Ages of Consent.'

He wasn't.

Met: “Mr Tatchell was initially detained after concerns were raised with officers by stewards from the Palestine Coalition protest. Officers spoke with him and, believing him to be a counter protester, directed him to join the counter protest in its designated area. When he attempted to rejoin the Palestine Coalition protest he was arrested on suspicion of breaching the conditions in place and to prevent a breach of the peace."