Martial Law UK:UK police chief Sir Paul Stephenson is considering whether to ask the British government to ban protest marches altogether in response to last week’s student riots, a move that would place Britain under a de facto state of martial law.
“It is one of the tactics we will look at and something we will keep under review, and if we think it is the right thing to do then we will do it,” said the Metropolitan Police commissioner.
NUS president Aaron Porter responded: “Peaceful protest is an integral part of our heritage and it is the responsibility of the police to help facilitate that.”
Although the establishment media in Britain dutifully blamed the protesters for the violent scenes witnessed during the demonstrations, it later emerged that police had been behind a number of provocations that caused the running street battles, including pulling a disabled man out of a wheelchair and dragging him across the street, as well as repeatedly beating protesters on the head with batons.
The Correct Response to this consideration of banning all street protests is for every Briton to give themselves the same day off and together march on their local council, city hall or Parliament. Then with petitions demand that free speech be respected and that their local representatives will fight any incursion against their democratic rights. The government do not have the right or power to silence or arrest 30 million+ citizens. Banning street protests must not be allowed because when politicians are not listening or do not want to listen, peaceful protest is the only remaining option. Protests are the natural consequence of a government failing to perform its duty of representing the people.
ReplyDeleteWe are not China or North Korea. The government cannot be allowed to imagine that by banning street protests they will be freer to commit whatever folly they like without resistance. We have had financial scandals over expenses, and this latest news is a scandal over citizens’ rights. What is the difference between Tiananmen Square and Parliament Square if the police drag people from wheelchairs?
ReplyDeleteWE, the people, should be served by them, OUR government. We elect them to state our views, not ignore and then prohibit us under the guise of law. We do not pay them to dominate us. The only power they may be able to claim must be that which the people choose and elect them to use.
This is a test. If citizens do not respond now, they are giving the politicians carte blanche for the future and to violently suppress any criticism. Banning protests and free speech leads to curfews and major government control of the population. Can you have a non-violent protest march in Burma? In Zimbabwe? In North Korea? Have the people in the UK learnt anything from dictatorships around the world? Martial law is when a government are free to rule and brook no criticism at all.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable" – JFK. We must prevent violence, not by officials banning protests but by promoting the voice of the electorate.
March together peacefully on your MPs office! United we stand, complacent we fall. And if we fall, they will never allow us to get back on our feet again. ~Level GROUND~