Pocket Protest
Hours before the coronation, six anti-monarchy protesters and a bystander were arrested on suspicion of ‘going equipped for locking on’ under the new Public Order Act passed four days before . The equipment consisted of plastic ties. They were released after 16 hours without charge.
Given the vague definitions of the new criminal offences, perhaps we all need to be careful what we have in our pockets or car boots!
It took me back to my time as a Brownie. We had to carry useful things in our uniform pockets; including a safety pin and a length of string. The triangular Brownie tie was designed to unfold to be used to wrap around things, or to become a tourniquet or sling in a medical emergency. Would these constitute “equipment for locking on” these days?
In earlier times, the state has restricted what we may wear or carry. In the 16th century, the wearing of silk by a person below the rank of a knight’s son was prohibited. Conviction for the “lower orders” could lead to three months imprisonment and a fine for each day’s infringement equating to a day’s wage.
Another Act required boys and men over the age of six (except for the nobles again) to wear a woollen cap “made within the realm of England” on Sundays. The daily fine was even higher at about five days wages!
Maybe fun comparisons, but more seriously, in April the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights declared the new legislation to be “deeply troubling” and “incompatible with the UK’s international human rights obligations”.
He said “I am also concerned that the law appears to target in particular peaceful actions used by those protesting about human rights and environmental issues. As the world faces the triple planetary crises of climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution, governments should be protecting and facilitating peaceful protests on such existential topics, not hindering and blocking them,”
Can we find a way to a better balance of freedom of expression and public safety? Christine Brown