Colin Jack wrote:
Whilst I believe in the right to protest, counter or otherwise, I do think a lot of money could be saved by banning some of these protests. Take for example today in Blackpool. This time last year skirmishes took place between those attending the Rebellion Punk festival, and a far right demo taking place the same weekend. The punk festival is a well established, well attended peaceful even on the Blackpool calendar. So fast forward a year, and when do the far right plan to demonstrate outside a migrant hotel in Blackpool? yep! you've guessed it, today. I don't know if there was any trouble, haven't had time to look yet, but knowing that a lot of old punks are generally leftfield, I imagine it was like last year, another flashpoint situation, requiring the deployment of hundreds of coppers, whose time IMO could be better utilised elsewhere. This is where I think these so called counter protests should be banned. They are deliberately planned, to cause trouble and further stir up the hate and division that is slowly killing the UK. We take freedom of speech and the right to protest far too seriously in the UK. Even freedom of speech and the right to protest has to have its limits. Its ridicolous that this can be allowed to happen, when 80 year olds decent people, who have contributed to this country in a positive way, are getting arrested on the grounds of supporting a so called terrorist group, Palestine Action, when in reality all they are concerned about is the mass murder of thousands of innocent people, and many children in Gaza.
Palestine Action is a terrorist organization and has been proscribed by the government which means you get locked up if you proclaim support for it. The reason Palestine Action has been proscribed is because it is not simply a group that wishes to protest about Gaza but it actually destroys stuff. Two RAF aircraft had paint sprayed into their engines by Palestine Action causing 7 million pounds worth of damage. Think about that. SEVEN MILLION pounds of tax payers money wasted because of the actions of these people. They also attacked a factory which they alleged was making componants for military equipment. They are guilty of politically motivated criminality and should not be tolerated. Of course they love to get pensioners locked up for their cause because the optics look good: if an 80 yr old vicar gets locked it makes your (sinister)cause seem wholesome and all about kindness when the opposite is the case.There is no fool like and old fool.