For all those celebrating the addition to a hereditary dictatorship

[mymatedave10]

 This is what happens away from the spotlights, a street theatre group with no record of breaking the law who are known to be anti-monarchist have been arrested. The reason given is a charge of conspiracy to cause a breach of the peace.

Several more groups of people have been arrested in the run up to the royal wedding as a preventative measure. Keep in mind that not one of these people have broken any laws, these are preventative measures which use the draconian anti-terrorism laws to prevent any disruption of the royal wedding.

You can find just a small amount of these minority report-type pre-crime arrests by clicking the link.

And people wonder why I'm against the monarchy.

Comments

[d-tepes.livejournal.com]

To play a slightly devilish advocate here, it might have been for their own good. I would not have wanted to anger that happy mob watching the wedding. That'd be an invitation to getting a mudhole stomped in them and walked dry.

[mymatedave.livejournal.com]

I only wish, but arresting a theatre group who might put on an inconvenient play is hardly what I'd call in the public interest. The police have become far more unpleasant and intolerant of public dissent in recent years.

[d-tepes.livejournal.com]

Everyone is scared anymore and few really realize it, and it's building. I don't agree with it, but I can understand it. A peaceful demonstration can turn ugly thanks to only one jerk and then people decry the police wondering why they didn't stop it. It's a no-win situation.

For some reason this is making me think of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth."

[mymatedave.livejournal.com]

I just listened to it, I definitely see what you mean.

[d-tepes.livejournal.com]

I love the song even if Neil Young was involved. :)

[tessarin.livejournal.com]

This is a problem with laws drafted by a socialist government and the police who these days need no excuse to be over zealous. I would have preferred that they could have made their point so they could be shown up for the killjoys they are.

[mymatedave.livejournal.com]

I agree that one of the problems of the last government was their authoritarianism but I really wouldn't call Blair or Brown's government socialist at all, they were far too lenient and deferential to the gamblers involved in the banking and finance sector to ever seriously call them socialist.