There is something grotesque about watching elderly ladies and gentlemen being hauled away by burly policemen, for doing no more than peacefully displaying a piece of card expressing their opposition to genocide and their support for Palestine Action.
At the same time, a retailer displaying a card in his shop window, expressing his contempt for shoplifters, was ordered by a policeman to remove it.
What on earth has happened to freedom of expression, that we are being rightly reprimanded by both the President and Vice President of the USA during their visits here.
Following the demonstration at the weekend, consider the enormous police and crown prosecution time and effort that will go into processing the 534 arrests on charges of terrorism.
Really?
…For displaying a poster?
Palestine Action was banned as a terrorist organisation following their penetration of an RAF airfield and causing millions of pounds worth of damage to military aircraft: one might say of the ban, that they had it coming. Nevertheless, there were already serious offences, with custodial sentences, with which the perpetrators could have been charged. And which would not have put the police in the ridiculous position of having to arrest hundreds of entirely peaceful protestors.
We are told that there are more serious concerns that led to the banning of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, so serious in fact, that we cannot be told what they are. Which, in my estimate, is an intolerable abuse of secrecy in a liberal western democracy.
The events of the weekend are only the latest in a long litany of heavy-handed police intrusion into our rights to express our opinions and concerns. Notwithstanding that some others will find those opinions offensive. Putting up with having to take offence, is a proper price to pay for living in a free society.
I have no doubt that chief constables and individual policemen have made errors of judgement when interfering where lawful expression has fallen well short of incitement or harassment.
The principal culprit, however, is Parliament itself. MPs have not been vigilant in defending liberty and have left sufficient ambiguity in the law as to put the police in a dilemma and provide scope for the ‘woke’ tendency amongst their number.
Parliament has all the power necessary to resolve these issues. Alas, the composition of this current Parliament ensures that there is no will to do so.
As a proud democracy we are shamed by the criticism of President Trump and Vice-President Vance, and we should hang our heads accordingly.
Sir Desmond Swayne TD
