Throughout history, moments of terror have often resulted in the rise of totalitarian powers. The Reichstag fire being one such example. However, now it appears that the riots that swept across England for four nights last week are to be added to the list of draconian power inducing incidents as Theresa May, The British Home Secretary drafts a whole new set of police powers. Up to and including the right to impose blanket curfews.
Naturally, people are angry. Neighbourhoods trashed, homes destroyed, businesses ransacked. It would no doubt be hard to find anybody who wasn’t angry. Yet personally, I can’t help but feel that this whole incident is being used to launch yet another assault on freedom in the land that gave the world the very principle. Over the past ten years we have witnessed an assault on our civil liberties like never before. With such assaults always arriving shortly after a major incident. In 2005 it was the London bombings. Now, it is the riots that have swept England.
It goes without saying that such pointless violence needs tough action to counter any chance of a repeat. But what I can’t help but wonder is how many of these powers will now be used to crack down on perfectly lawful forms of protest.
Take the Student fees demonstration for example, or for that matter any number of the anti-war demonstrations or even any future demonstration which may arise as recession grips the western world and the ordinary man on the street begins to feel the squeeze more and more. Where as before there would have been nothing the police could do other than contain the protestors and arrest any trouble makers. They now have the power to use water cannon and rubber bullets. Not forgetting the power to impose a blanket curfew. A measure which poses some very searching questions as to the very nature of our democracy.
This is of course not forgetting the news that 2,500 arrests have taken place since the riots and the claims that there are far too many examples of too harsh a sentences being doled out.
Granted, nobody would dream of saying that some of these people don't deserve to be imprisoned. Especially where violence and arson are concerned. But when you have single mothers being imprisoned for receiving a pair of looted shorts. Or people being given prison terms for stealing a bottle of water. Or for that matter, somebody who glorified and encouraged riots on Facebook (riots which never actually took place...the individual in questions friends claim it was just a joke) receiving four years for Incitement to Riot; questions do need to be asked about the needless severity, and in all too many cases, kneejerk sentencing decisions being made in our court's. Especially when you take into account the court's choice to imprison so many teenagers.
Personally, to think that we live in a society where it is considered immoral (not to mention illegal) to smack your child (which let's be honest, is all most of these kids need). Yet it is considered perfectly moral to imprison them. Ruining their education, destroying their prospects, criminalising them at a young age and creating all kinds of psychological damage in the process. Is indeed deeply shocking. And if you ask me, not only goes to demonstrate just how sick and twisted the British State has become. But also suggests that the recent riots to have gripped England are only the beginning of a lot more to come.
Naturally, people are angry. Neighbourhoods trashed, homes destroyed, businesses ransacked. It would no doubt be hard to find anybody who wasn’t angry. Yet personally, I can’t help but feel that this whole incident is being used to launch yet another assault on freedom in the land that gave the world the very principle. Over the past ten years we have witnessed an assault on our civil liberties like never before. With such assaults always arriving shortly after a major incident. In 2005 it was the London bombings. Now, it is the riots that have swept England.
It goes without saying that such pointless violence needs tough action to counter any chance of a repeat. But what I can’t help but wonder is how many of these powers will now be used to crack down on perfectly lawful forms of protest.
Take the Student fees demonstration for example, or for that matter any number of the anti-war demonstrations or even any future demonstration which may arise as recession grips the western world and the ordinary man on the street begins to feel the squeeze more and more. Where as before there would have been nothing the police could do other than contain the protestors and arrest any trouble makers. They now have the power to use water cannon and rubber bullets. Not forgetting the power to impose a blanket curfew. A measure which poses some very searching questions as to the very nature of our democracy.
This is of course not forgetting the news that 2,500 arrests have taken place since the riots and the claims that there are far too many examples of too harsh a sentences being doled out.
Granted, nobody would dream of saying that some of these people don't deserve to be imprisoned. Especially where violence and arson are concerned. But when you have single mothers being imprisoned for receiving a pair of looted shorts. Or people being given prison terms for stealing a bottle of water. Or for that matter, somebody who glorified and encouraged riots on Facebook (riots which never actually took place...the individual in questions friends claim it was just a joke) receiving four years for Incitement to Riot; questions do need to be asked about the needless severity, and in all too many cases, kneejerk sentencing decisions being made in our court's. Especially when you take into account the court's choice to imprison so many teenagers.
Personally, to think that we live in a society where it is considered immoral (not to mention illegal) to smack your child (which let's be honest, is all most of these kids need). Yet it is considered perfectly moral to imprison them. Ruining their education, destroying their prospects, criminalising them at a young age and creating all kinds of psychological damage in the process. Is indeed deeply shocking. And if you ask me, not only goes to demonstrate just how sick and twisted the British State has become. But also suggests that the recent riots to have gripped England are only the beginning of a lot more to come.
DL
0 comments:
Post a Comment