A peaceful demonstration in a tax-avoiding business was ended by a Police Commander lying to the demonstrators. “You will be free to go” was said (on camera). Only later were the extra weasel words added, “... to jail.”
So what you may ask? Well, if non-violent peaceful protest is treated similarly to violent and destructive protest then the result could be a lot more violence and disruption carried out by determined activists who go underground and use far more subversive methods to achieve their ends. Cue an even more polarised and dysfunctional society. Whatever happened to ‘policing with consent’?
The reputation of the police is on the floor with anyone who has four grey cells to rub together. This little wheeze may have ended a local difficulty but stores up far more problems in the future. The police act as stooges for our rotten financial system. How ironic that many of them look likely to lose their jobs to help reduce the deficit created by the Tories' city chums. Will we see protesting plods on the street? Will they get kettled? Will they react by becoming violent? Will they be treated differently by their colleagues on the other side of the situation?
Will they get any support from members of the public?
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