Michael Heaver is against people being arrested because of association.
If you were to attend a demo with a few hundred in attendance and the Police arrested every single one of you when nobody had broken the law, would you be happy? I bloody wouldn't. Its for that reason that the Police's cut and dry policy towards the EDL on Armistice Day should worry us all.
The Police have cited intelligence that the English Defence League, after the 11am two minute silence on the day, were planning to attack occupy protestors. In fact the only evidence that has been cited by anti-fascist groups and the Police has been one Facebook posting from one EDL member claiming that they were going to bring weapons and cause a disturbance. If the Police's motive was to prevent a breach of the peace then why didn't they arrest this individual and stop him going to London in the first place?
The fact is that we have to draw a line somewhere with protests but even as someone who considers myself as being tough on law and order, this seems a step too far. To have 172 people arrested because of one person's posting on a social network site unnerves me greatly. Okay, so the Police may have had other intelligence. But is it right to treat everyone at the gathering the same, as if they are all part of some violent conspiracy when their is no evidence to suggest that they as individuals intend to break the law?
Of course lots of people won't care because they strongly dislike the EDL. Fair enough, I'm not exactly a fan. But then lots of people also despise the student protestors who march in London. I believe that any individual who is not breaking the law and hasn't broken the law cannot simply be boxed in and nicked - hundreds of them at a time - to "prevent a breach of the peace". If we go down his heavy handed pre-emptive route, it could be you one day getting put in the back of a Police van because one person on your march has threatened violence. Whether you're anti-Islam, anti-tuition fees or anti-war, the Police should not be able to arrest the whole lot of you on such flimsy grounds.
Arrests for prevention?
If you were to attend a demo with a few hundred in attendance and the Police arrested every single one of you when nobody had broken the law, would you be happy? I bloody wouldn't. Its for that reason that the Police's cut and dry policy towards the EDL on Armistice Day should worry us all.The Police have cited intelligence that the English Defence League, after the 11am two minute silence on the day, were planning to attack occupy protestors. In fact the only evidence that has been cited by anti-fascist groups and the Police has been one Facebook posting from one EDL member claiming that they were going to bring weapons and cause a disturbance. If the Police's motive was to prevent a breach of the peace then why didn't they arrest this individual and stop him going to London in the first place?The fact is that we have to draw a line somewhere with protests but even as someone who considers myself as being tough on law and order, this seems a step too far. To have 172 people arrested because of one person's posting on a social network site unnerves me greatly. Okay, so the Police may have had other intelligence. But is it right to treat everyone at the gathering the same, as if they are all part of some violent conspiracy when their is no evidence to suggest that they as individuals intend to break the law?Of course lots of people won't care because they strongly dislike the EDL. Fair enough, I'm not exactly a fan. But then lots of people also despise the student protestors who march in London. I believe that any individual who is not breaking the law and hasn't broken the law cannot simply be boxed in and nicked - hundreds of them at a time - to "prevent a breach of the peace". If we go down his heavy handed pre-emptive route, it could be you one day getting put in the back of a Police van because one person on your march has threatened violence. Whether you're anti-Islam, anti-tuition fees or anti-war, the Police should not be able to arrest the whole lot of you on such flimsy grounds.
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