London protest

[DogsSausages]

Another anti lockdown protest in London, the police will be criticised if they arrest anyone, they cannot win. Why can't people just stay at home, haven't enough people died.

Hire a premises to protest? Now come on. Maybe we could ask them not to chant too? Maybe just sit down and try not to be inconvenient?

We have perfectly good laws for criminality. We live in a country that, until recently, made a principle of allowing all freedoms that operate in the absence of criminality, we don't wait for freedoms to be granted to us. People should be able to protest however the fuck they like and those who use protests to commit crimes should be punished.

The "groups" behind this are not groups. They are just people (citizens) who decided enough was enough. They picked a day. That was all.

Oh come on, of course these things are organised by groups.

"People/citizens" is literally the definition of the word group.

Where the hell were you when everyone was castigating the peaceful vigil for Sarah, on the grounds that two women (who were removed by police within the first few minutes) were from Sisters Uncut, a group of people ("citizens") who are apparently beyond the pale because they aren't anti-trans.

Funny how a handful of women are an evil sinister "group" with an agenda, but the much larger number of individuals worldwide who planned these protests are not a "group."

@tormentil

The cynic in me has been of the opinion that any violence at protests in recent years has been encouraged - if not instigated - by the government.

If you, as 'the government', wanted to outlaw any form of dissent wouldn't you make one of the traditional cornerstones of public expression as disordered and unpredictable as possible?

This, a thousand times. I'm amazed people can't see what is happening.

Who exactly are you levelling that accusation at rosetylerbiggin? Because I am as concerned about the police intervention at the vigil as I am at those who would happily allow our right to protest to be diminished.

I said months ago that as soon as the weather turns and days become lighter/warmer there will be protests and riots. Here we are- entirely predictable. The new bill was not thought out properly. I do not think the government is being fair to the police. If public sentiment has changed, then unfortunately you have to run with that. The British public have been very good about lockdowns for a very long time, far better than anyone expected. You cannot put up the police as human shields. It is a shame as we are so close to vaccinating all adults but I do think the government will have to open up more regardless.

The pissed up mobs only seem to come out later so I absolutely support time limits on protests.

It's always weekends and usually when the pubs are shut.

I'm a rule-follower, I have never protested, I don't condone rioting, and I'm aware some of this lot are perpetual anarchists with whom I have nothing in common.

But we're talking about a bill which proposes to effectively criminalize peaceful protesting. If this isn't an inflammatory thing to prioritize right now, I don't know what is.

I'm very sorry for the officers who've been hurt - that's never right - but I blame the arseholes in government who've made it a priority to bring this unnecessary bill, at a time when everyone has had their basic freedoms seriously curtailed for 12 months.

Oh come on, of course these things are organised by groups

They weren't. That's why it didn't take off anywhere in Ireland because nobody organised it. A few hundred marched in a scattered way through Dublin and there may have been a few scattered groups in various cities but nothing like the huge marches in other cities around the world.
There was a website where all one had to do was claim a city, add a time and place, and that was it. Anyone could do it.

Where the hell were you when everyone...etc I was at home in Ireland.

It is a shame as we are so close to vaccinating all adults

Does anyone still believe that what happened in Bristol is about lockdown? It's organised disruption by militant groups with agendas, wake up!

Malahaha it's a bit naive to believe that by sheer power of telepathy thousands of activists would go out in different cities across the world to riot and vandalise on the same day. Or that by sheer coincidence thousands of people would be 'fed up' at the same time and go out to carry out crimes

It was definitely organised by different groups with agendas.

@RolloTomassi

I'm a rule-follower, I have never protested, I don't condone rioting, and I'm aware some of this lot are perpetual anarchists with whom I have nothing in common.

But we're talking about a bill which proposes to effectively criminalize peaceful protesting. If this isn't an inflammatory thing to prioritize right now, I don't know what is.

I'm very sorry for the officers who've been hurt - that's never right - but I blame the arseholes in government who've made it a priority to bring this unnecessary bill, at a time when everyone has had their basic freedoms seriously curtailed for 12 months.

That's how I feel.

Putting a jail sentence on even one person causing something the Home Secretary deems criminal "noise" or "annoyance" made me want to take up protesting,and I've never marched or held a placard in my life.

So for those who have protested before maybe they think in for a penny, in for a pound. If you can br sent to jail for being annoying or making a noise then you might as well go all out.

If peaceful protest is just as illegal as the non peaceful kind then why not kick right off?

It wasn't "sheer coincidence", but it also wasn't some underhand political agenda. I don't know whose idea it was first, who "started" it, but all it was, was that the date was determined and oridinary people like you and me were encouraged to hold a rally in their home town, to organise a place and a time on March 20th.

There is nothing sinister about that! The point was to deliver a clear message that all over the world, citizens are sick and tired of this; that lockdown is not the way forward.

There is no specific "group" or "groups" behind it. I know, because I watched it all coming together in the days before Saturday. How one city after the other joined in. I could have put up "Dublin" and maybe people would have come but I do not live there, and am not in a position to pull something like that together.

I do get that for someone who had no idea this was going to happen, it might come as a shock that the resistance is so strong. But to start suspecting a coordinating agenda of I don't know. Right wing terrorists? Left wing terrorists? that really is conspiracy theory.

Small organised groups take off when they can rally the support of more normal, disappointed, hungry or angry people around them. If you study the Russian revolution closely that is pretty much what happened. This is indeed about lockdown and people being fed up. In fact, the baby boomer generation or generation X would have been on the streets much sooner. It is quite lucky that the younger generation are as tame as they are (vast generalisation of course, but true to some extent).

we're talking about a bill which proposes to effectively criminalize peaceful protesting. If this isn't an inflammatory thing to prioritize right now, I don't know what is.

I’m a rule follower too - but this last year has been hard. We’ve had so much taken away and at times I’ve felt such fury about it.

What gets me most is our hypocritical, lying government. This bill has enraged me. People will riot if they are not allowed to protest peacefully.

If peaceful protest is just as illegal as the non peaceful kind then why not kick right off?

I wish Priti could read this. It should be obvious, but clearly she needs it spelling out.

I think I have found a Stand in the Park I can go to, though I'm usually asleep at 10 on a Sunday!

Did @Dowser say something about carrying something yellow?

@Dustyboots

If peaceful protest is just as illegal as the non peaceful kind then why not kick right off?

I wish Priti could read this. It should be obvious, but clearly she needs it spelling out.

I wrote to my MP about it. I haven't done that much before either.

She doesn't care. She's the worst of them all, but we have a racist government who are removing all right to protest.

www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/policing-bill-threatens-protest-rights/

I'm scared what will happen to us now.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/may/10/g20-policing-agent-provacateurs

Protests are legal

I think we can call this a victory

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9389479/Updated-Covid-rules-allow-peaceful-protests-Monday-Sarah-Everard-vigil-criticism.html

I think we can safely say that with or without the government’s permission
They were going to go ahead anyway.

@LunaHeather

I think I have found a Stand in the Park I can go to, though I'm usually asleep at 10 on a Sunday!

Did @Dowser say something about carrying something yellow?

I did, carry something yellow..umbrella, book, rubber duck etc Wear something yellow The idea is to meet like minded souls and have fun.

Thanks Dowser

Some quotes from the article you linked Dowser

Professional anarchists including one dubbed 'the most dangerous man in Britain' stirred up the protests into a shameful night of violence that saw police vehicles set on fire

There are many other gems for anyone who cares to read the full article

MercyBooth what you linked are allegations from 2009 published by the Guardian - impossible to believe any of that