Emeritus Prof Christopher May

More confirmation that the Police have a blind spot for the Far Right seeing the threat they present as 'minimal' (despite evidence otherwise) & have spent more resources gathering intelligence (and policing) environmental groups & pro-Palestinian protestors.

Well, of course, one might argue this is nothing new, the Police have always been harder on protests from the Left.... but nonetheless, it adds to the evidence that the police bias is a major problem!

#police
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/dec/18/police-missed-clues-dangers-of-far-right-summer-riots-england

Police missed clues about dangers of far right before summer riots in England

Intelligence gaps, especially around social media analysis, led to failures, report finds

The Guardian
Dec 18, 2024 at 7:27amWeb
Show threadJuggling With EggsDec 18, 2024

@ChrisMayLA6

The descriptions used to describe the racist violence that broke out show the police still underplay what the far right do:

‘extreme nationalist sentiment, aggravated activism or serious disorder’

‘Sentiment’ and ‘activism’ really???

But where was the acknowledgment that it was normal everyday people making their presence known in huge non-violent numbers that caused these thugs to back down?

Show threadPassengerDec 18, 2024

@JugglingWithEggs @ChrisMayLA6

The cops will never acknowledge that. Even leaving aside the fact that cops tend to personally have far-Right politics, the police force would rather disband than acknowledge that we keep us safe. They need the myth of the thin blue line more than they need anything else.

I remember those demos. There were, like, six fash who turned up, and thousands of us, and the cops were pretty much entirely focused on protecting the fash from us. The only time it kicked off was when we chased a fascist away and the police decided to pick a fight with the antifascists involved. A huge mass of people came to their rescue, chanting "let them go" until the cops backed down.

Show threadTiggyDec 18, 2024

@ChrisMayLA6

In my area they are taking this very seriously.
The police and the Mayor/Crime commissioner have had several meetings with key groups.
The police in the ground say they've never been involved in anything as bad before. I doubt they'll think climate protesters are the main enemy.

Show threadEmeritus Prof Christopher MayDec 18, 2024

@tiggy

Well, that sounds encouraging....

Show threadThe Enemy is WithinDec 18, 2024

@ChrisMayLA6 @tiggy

A cynic might observe the Farage/ Musk riot damage was 'estimated to have cost between £200 million and £500 million in lost trade and policing.'

Show threadJenDec 18, 2024

@ChrisMayLA6 it is increasingly difficult to find palatable answers to the question, "what are the police for?"

Keeping the peace? This summer's riots suggest not.

Solving crime? Not at a success rate of 5%.

Keeping the public safe? Not given the high number of assaults the police themselves commit.

Show threadEmeritus Prof Christopher MayDec 18, 2024

@JetlagJen

Yes, its a necessary social institution that seems to be failing in its necessary tasks; as I've said before, major reform is required

Show threadSimon FlettDec 18, 2024
@JetlagJen @ChrisMayLA6 Two page piece in yesterday's i newspaper about police indifference to car theft. Makes you wonder. If Sir Keir is looking for real actual gangs to smash, there's no shortage of real actual car theft gangs operating in this jurisdiction, in contrast to the phantasmal "people trafficking gangs" he has fixated upon.
Show threadThe Wolf of South EndDec 18, 2024
@JetlagJen @ChrisMayLA6 Weren’t the police invented to keep the poor in their place?
Show threadJenDec 18, 2024
@TheWolfOfSouthEnd @ChrisMayLA6 well, technically to protect wealthy people from theft and so on. But it amounts to the same thing.
Show threadNanny FrogDec 18, 2024
@ChrisMayLA6 There may be two-tier policing after all 🤔
Show threadEstarriol, Terrorist DragonDec 18, 2024
@ChrisMayLA6 of course the Police don't investigate the far right, they cannot afford to lose even more officers.......
Show threadThe Wolf of South EndDec 18, 2024
@ChrisMayLA6 The thing that does my head, and after all these of the right being able to do and say as they like I don’t know how to solve is, the right wing seem to take any sort of criticism or punishment as their rights being taken away.
Show threadEmeritus Prof Christopher MayDec 18, 2024

@TheWolfOfSouthEnd

yes, they're not interested in dialogue only subservience to their prejudice(s)

Show threadDonald RoyDec 18, 2024

@ChrisMayLA6

One does have to bear in mind the context in which the police were expected to work in recent years - especially when #suellabraverman was Home Secretary - and the advice they were receiving from ''independent' advisers on extremism appointed by the #conservatives. Just over a year ago there was even pressure to sack #sirmarkrowley - presumably he did not have enough of a blind spot where the Far Right were concerned - certainly not as much as #suellabraverman had !

Show threadEmeritus Prof Christopher MayDec 18, 2024

@djr2024

Yes, fair comment... but that was pushing at an open door really....

Show threadludiusvoxDec 18, 2024
@ChrisMayLA6 I think that the right is about to refund the institutions, and offer free school online.
Show threadcultdevDec 18, 2024
@ChrisMayLA6 is this a bit? the police *are* the far right