I can’t help but think this looks distinctly like revenge policing.
FWS raised serious concerns about the protection given to this dude by police officers on duty who seemed to be a bit clueless about the law, their job on the day etc. They didn’t even check whether he had sought permission to be there for his counter protest (which you need to have to protest outside of Scottish Parliament). I believe there was some to-ing and fro-ing by the police seeking advice but the result was a failure and a mess.
As a result, if I remember correctly but don’t have it to hand, Police Scotland issued a statement which wasn’t an apology per se but acknowledged it has things to learn or similar.
It is quite clear from all the evidence on the day: multiple witness accounts; video evidence (and there will be CCTV I’m sure) that Tim Harlow (I think that’s his name or something similar) didn’t have permission to be there (although mail says that’s ‘unclear’); breached permissible sound levels and was using the umbrella as a weapon. The police can’t possibly have been persuaded by any claim from him that he felt threatened by Susan Smith, there were police within touching distance, but even if he did feel threatened by her approach using the umbrella to poke at her is not a proportionate response. Given that this is not the charge kinda proves it can’t really be argued.
She approached him merely to ask him to turn the volume down and he poked at her. She put her arm up to protect herself and it is clear she barely touched it. All evidence shows any damage was already there before the encounter.
So why would they charge her with vandalism and ask her to come and accept the charge rather than go to her and arrest her?
There is another protest this weekend and so it feels
to me like the timing of this is relevant. I think they want Susan Smith to feel intimidated and to ensure she can’t go to the protest by these means.
Why? The only logical reason, in my view, must be they are looking out for their buds who will be policing the event. The ones of last time have no doubt been reprimanded for being bozos. The supervisor on duty who was consulted was probably also reprimanded for being a bozo.
So they want to try and use the charge to stop these annoying older women pointing out their bozo-ness.
I would also imagine that Tim Harlow has learned a few tricks from Lyndsey Watson and threatened judicial
review if charges aren’t brought but since anyone with at least one brain cell can read these charges as wholly trumped up charges I don’t really think that’s what’s going on.
It feels to me like revenge from the police ganging up to pay back FWS for having some influence whixh highlights their bozoness.
I think capture is the least of it. I think it is bare naked hatred against older women. Matrophobia threaded through the institution.
Legally in Scotland charges can only be brought after Procurator Fiscal process so given no PF would charge on this evidence this must mean she is being formally accused and will be reported to the PF after she ‘accepts’ this not that the PF has already authorised prosecution although it looks as if it has been dressed up to suggest a formal charge. That they are saying she could face a criminal charge if she doesn’t is a clear threat but probably just means they’d put the case to the PF who would dump it like a hot brick within seconds.
On all the information available there can be no other reading than revenge and intimidation.
I don’t think the bozos realise what will likely be coming in response to such behaviour. FWS are not known for letting the bozos away with shit.