So, the proscribing of Palestine Action has now led to the arrests of 100 people since the proscription just over a week ago... all peaceful demonstrators.
This is the chilling effect on democracy Yvette Cooper (aided and abetted by most MPs) has bought about... Cooper & her fellow travellers have demonstrated a contempt for democratic protest, that is going to be become increasingly clear.
h/t Observer
@ChrisMayLA6 Could have spent that parliamentary effort on banning Musk from funding Reform, a considerably greater threat to democracy.
Which makes one wonder why Labour don’t want to turn the spotlight on foreign political funding?
@BashStKid @ChrisMayLA6 indeed. I think it was an option on which Labour were rather keen until mega-donor Lord Alli (he of the designer suits & spectacles debacle) intervened and ‘advised’ them to drop it.
Which, of course, they did like a hot potato 🤔
@ChrisMayLA6 Do we have any information on who was arrested, to claim that they were all peaceful protestors?
Some of them are not peaceful at all, and by the looks of it someone malicious is pulling the strings:
UK: Four arrested over damage to defence firm
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0xjp4d244yo.amp
Belgium: Pro-Palestinian activists reportedly destroy military equipment intended for Ukraine
The protestors I was referring to were those out protesting the proscribing, and away from any military linked sites
@partizan @ChrisMayLA6 I don't see how 'damaging a defense firm' is terrorism.
And this is coming from someone who lived near Hipercor when THAT happened.
Terrorism is supposed to inflict fear and terror, but nowadays seems like governments use the word for everything they don't agree with.
@ChrisMayLA6 @ChrisMayLA6 See also George Monbiot's post https://mastodon.social/@georgemonbiot[email protected]/114844700863843537
They also fail to see that what they are doing is encouraging that which they seek to stop - this feeds antisemitics.
@ChrisMayLA6 "The chilling effect Yvette Cooper has brought about"
...which Yvette? ;)
@ChrisMayLA6 I'm intending to join that 100 just shortly.
If this much effort goes into preventing people protesting about the genocidal actions of *another* country, then I'm not sure 'democracy' is a word that has any relevance because it no longer means anything.
Well, I guess it still represents a bench mark against which we can measure the norms of our political class to find them wanting?
True, although it's hard to conclude much beyond our govt ignoring the concerns of a majority of its citizens.
The same seems to be happening across the EU too....
https://mastodon.social/@aslankemalasl[email protected]/114850792936955137
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