Here we go again Woman arrested for sitting on a bench.

[MercyBooth]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9130133/Police-told-fine-Covid-rule-breakers-just-ONE-verbal-warning.html

@Iheartmysmart I’m sat on a bench right now

@SOLINVICTUS

If you read other news articles, she was part of a group of about 35 people taking part in a protest and when asked to disperse she was one of those who refused. There's video footage showing this.

Take your choice which version you want to believe.

Exactly.

So many people seem devoid of critical thinking and evaluation.

I imagine if they were judged on something they were filmed doing and someone created their own narrative around it they'd be angry and defensive.

And yet they are willing to do it themselves and judge the police service unfairly.

@islockdownoveryet

Of course it’s madness to be arrested for sitting on a bench and if it was me I’d query it too . You should always question authority but it depends how she did it . Was she polite or was she aggressive ? . There are 2 sides to this but I suspect it wasn’t a nice polite lady having a rest and politely asking the officer why so he arrested her .

She was there as part of a protest group against lockdown. Many of who, had travelled up to 30 miles to be there.

She wasn't just "sat on a bench"

@WingBingo You rebel! I like it.

@mam0918

I can understand if they stop people gathering/meeting/chatting on benches etc... but honestly the rule comes across completely ableist to me.

Not everyone is physically capable of going for long walks, jogs, runs etc... and not everyone has access to private gardens but they still should be allowed fresh air outdoors, even high security prisoners are entitled to that basic right.

They haven’t arrested anybody with a disability. I have a spinal disability and I am completely unconcerned about this. I’ve been taking walks, haven’t had a problem and don’t anticipate a problem.

OTOH, if police asked me, I would be willing to explain my disability and give my name as address. I would be cooperative. So maybe that’s why I’m not concerned and some people on this thread are.

Some posters seem to find it outrageous that the police would even speak to them. Bizarre bubble of privilege some people live in, quite honestly.

@Soubriquet

this shows how irate she was getting

Fine. She's an utter twit. But essentially she was indeed arrested for sitting on a bench.

@Funkypolar

When I got mugged at knifepoint, the police didn’t even come out, I just got a crime reference number as they were too busy. Interesting they can walk around in groups and harass people on benches though.

This has been the case for years in many parts of london. My sons were mugged at knife point so many times I lost count. Police were always too busy to take a statement. I am certain the individuals involved progressed to far worse crimes. In fact one person popped up on the news recently for the most horrendous crimes. He could have been put away a decade ago if the police had listened.

It's just so bloody inconsistent too. We have a local playground. They've closed most of the car park except for a few spaces and have a guy from the council acting as a bouncer turning people away if they're not local enough. Fine. I get all that. Went yesterday and stayed for about 45 mins. I sat on a bench the whole time. Think I took a swig of water too. Why is that different from someone taking a breather on a bench. It's also not just the bolshy brainless idiots like her. I know someone who was surrounded by police taking a short break on a bench in a park in London. It's madness. Really it is.

yet again none of these people are big strong men. The police are oversteppling, IMO.

It's just such a stupid waste of police time. They should prioritise their resources and time, not hit on easy and very low risk targets where the very fact of them breaking guidance is at best dubious, in a heavy handed way. The public of course have Dominic Cummings example in mind.

I watched the video yesterday, it’s pretty local to me and apparently miners before there was some kind of protest along the seafront which the police were dispersing, I think the police were already pretty stressed out about dispersing large crowds so they were not taking any more sh#t from anyone.

To be fair, during the first lockdown we were told we were allowed to exercise but not stop to sit down, we were not allowed to sit on a bench or wall to eat or drink?

It’s all more confusing this time as coffee shops are selling take away coffee and food so people are going to buy it and hang around eating and drinking it. The rules need to be clearer, if you buy food and drink it should be to take home. People are confused and people are angry.

@Lovemusic33

I watched the video yesterday, it’s pretty local to me and apparently miners before there was some kind of protest along the seafront which the police were dispersing, I think the police were already pretty stressed out about dispersing large crowds so they were not taking any more sh#t from anyone.

To be fair, during the first lockdown we were told we were allowed to exercise but not stop to sit down, we were not allowed to sit on a bench or wall to eat or drink?

It’s all more confusing this time as coffee shops are selling take away coffee and food so people are going to buy it and hang around eating and drinking it. The rules need to be clearer, if you buy food and drink it should be to take home. People are confused and people are angry.

Yes. And that's one reason why there's a huge risk that the poor bastards running takeaways are at risk of having their livelihoods removed from them once again.

@Goodbye2020Hello2021

Exactly this Laurie

She will have been arrested for squaring up to the police when spoken to.
Not for ‘sitting on a bench’

She will have been arrested for squaring up to the police when spoken to

Is this your imagining or a fact?

@Brefugee

yet again none of these people are big strong men. The police are oversteppling, IMO.

You mean none of the cases the tabloids choose to write about

If the OP truly believes that woman was arrested just for sitting on a bench, she's fallen hook line and sinker for the good old Daily Mail headline.

Mind you, if she'd bothered to actually read the article she linked to, she'd see there was far more to it.

What about my mother or other people who can exercise, but need to break it up with a sit? She had massive surgery in 2019 and is nearly 80. Her core is weak and the 2020 lockdowns meant that it was difficult for her to regain fitness. She can walk, but will need to break up her walk with short rests.

Or my friend who had COVID 10 weeks ago and is still recovering. We have been doing weekly walks but until this week she has needed to sit a couple of times when she gets dizzy.

I truly cannot see the problem in either scenario in terms of COVID spread. If one is allowed to exercise outside, then breaks between bursts of exercise are likely to be needed. If that includes sitting down for a bit before continuing, then what’s the big deal?

@Brefugee

yet again none of these people are big strong men. The police are oversteppling, IMO.

Yes funny how they managed to not arrest anyone at a BLM march but could arrest a middle aged woman

The incidents in this story are not what they seem. It’s just another example of the DM’s inaccurate, hysterical and irresponsible reporting. The photos in Bournemouth are credited to an anti lockdown protester (check his page).
There was also a number of anti lockdown protestors causing a nuisance and goading the police in Bournemouth yesterday by being deliberately provocative.

www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/19000123.covid-dorset-police-chief-slams-bournemouth-protestors/

Which bit of protect the nhs and save lives dont people get

Which bit of sitting on your own on a bench endangers nobody don’t people get?

So I followed the link. Apparently the police attended to clear an anti-lockdown protest, and the woman said she didn’t believe in the virus and refused to leave unless the police proved it existed. I feel sorry for the police having to spend valuable time on this silly person.

A Covid-denier was placed in handcuffs today after she allegedly refused to move off a bench on Bournemouth beach when asked to by police. In a video clip shared on social media, the woman could be heard asking several police officers surrounding her why she needed to comply with their instructions. She went on: ‘I don’t believe in this virus, you cannot prove it exists and yet you’re exerting your force. Prove to me it exists and I’ll go home now.’ She then stated that she hadn’t ‘broken a law’ and claimed the officers wouldn’t let her leave. A second video clip then showed the same woman being handcuffed and led away by the officers, as onlookers asked what was happening. The woman could be heard repeatedly shouting in reply: ‘I was sitting on a bench.’
A witness who watched the scene unfold claimed there had been an anti-lockdown protest by the beach, which caused the police to ask people to clear the area.

As a healthcare worker I'm happy the police are making life difficult for the weirdo anti lockdown protesters.

[quote Woods52]The incidents in this story are not what they seem. It’s just another example of the DM’s inaccurate, hysterical and irresponsible reporting. The photos in Bournemouth are credited to an anti lockdown protester (check his page).
There was also a number of anti lockdown protestors causing a nuisance and goading the police in Bournemouth yesterday by being deliberately provocative.

www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/19000123.covid-dorset-police-chief-slams-bournemouth-protestors/[/quote]
Exactly this.

When I first watched it yesterday I actually felt the police were out of order but after seeing a post on Facebook this morning from Dorset police it was clear there was a lot more going on to what was shown in this video. There were people protesting against the lockdowns, people hanging around and people breaking covid rules.

And yes I do feel for coffee shops, cafes, and takeaways, they are relying on people buying their food and drink and the kiosks along Bournemouth beach and other beaches rely on people being out and about on the sea front.

Then there's this, which was sent to me yesterday by a friend and which I posted on another thread:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9129555/A-English-lockdown-Met-Police-probe-officers-spotted-flouting-Covid-curbs-INSIDE-London-caf.html

I guess a woman sitting alone on a bench is an easy target. It is a shame they are not so zealous when it comes to turning up to deal with a burglary or assault.

It shows just how readily people accept living in what is effectively a police state. I'm more frightened by the way government and the police are slowly taking away all our freedoms than I am of the virus.

There are still far too many posters on here though that would happily see people arrested for simply sitting on a bench.

‘You don't have to give your details unless you're breaking a law.’

That is totally incorrect. People who don’t know the law should not try to quote it.