IS PEACEFUL PROTEST NO LONGER ALLOWED IN ENGLAND?

Scores of people were arrested and many more detained before the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton last April, leading to claims that police were unlawfully criminalising legitimate protests before they had taken place.


Now protesters in England are asking for a judicial review of the police actions in arresting people who may (or may not) have protested peacefully.


In particular they are fearful that unless this behaviour goes unchallenged it will be the norm for the future, including at the jubilee celebrations and at the Olympics.

Of course these are English police and it is English law which apparently allows this, and as such it does not affect us in Scotland. But it will be interesting to find out what the law really says, in a country that wastes tax payers money by lecturing and harassing, and in the worse cases invading countries that do not allow peaceful protest.


I remember how the protesters and dissidents, not to mention the tramps and homeless, were rounded up from Beijing before China held its Olympics, and thinking what a dreadful regime they ran that allowed that police behaviour. Now, just because the eyes of the world will be on England in a couple of months, and Cameron will be running around playing host to "important people" driving around in "Zil lanes" and generally playing the part of a great ruler, it doesn't mean that people should not be allowed to protest. Foreigners should see what life is really like here. 


It might even solve some of Tessy's immigration problems!


Picture shows English police attacking a student protesting about the rise in tuition fees he had been promised would not happen. (Actually, all the Liberals said was that they would not double the fees. And they didn't.)