Reclaim The Night Protests

[Soldi]

Considering this has been HUGE in the past 24 hours I’m surprised we don’t have a thread about this yet. There seemed to be some sort of vigil/protest/demonstration happening (which seemingly ended once the police turned up apparently) but this tweet sums it all up quite well I think.

 

[Beverley]

Was considering starting one, but what to say beyond ACAB and DEFUND THE POLICE?

 

[Gangsta Nancy Lam]

ACAB!

IDST!

 

[Ellie]

WTF? Why would a bloody Churchill statue be at risk of anything? Jesus, they have no clue.

 

[Jark]

the MISPLACED HYSTERIA!

 

[vespertine]

"Protect Churchill at all costs" - he's been ant food for 55 years.

 

[VoR]

This country will seemingly never stop discovering new ways to be absolutely mortifying.

 

[Soldi]

It looks like Priti’s authoritarian “we’ll shut down every protest” bill is going to pass too

 

[Beverley]

Welcome to democracy.

 

[Soldi]

I WANT TO MOVE

 

[ZenGiraffe]

I WANT TO MOVE

Come up here, we're about to leave this shit show behind*

(*subject to change based on recent polling)

 

[Penelope]

It looks like Priti’s authoritarian “we’ll shut down every protest” bill is going to pass too

Duh. They have a majority

 

[Soldi]

Well yes I know but STILL

 

[cwej]

Duh. They have a majority

I miss the days when Boris's first three (or was it more?) bills failed because of the completely disparate Conservative party, despite their majority.

 

[Sheena]

I really don’t know how to feel about all of this. The police reaction was entirely over the top, yes, but the protests themselves should not be happening when we’re still in lockdown and that seems to be entirely ignored.

The timing, with Priti’s ludicrous bill trying to go through today, is probably a big part of everything, but the reaction to this seems to be ridiculous.

The other thing that is quite funny is Cressida Dick declaring them illegal has made the fact that KATE (Middleton, not Moopy) has turned up slightly uncomfortable, as she’s been declared to have broken the law

 

[ButterTart]

It looks like Priti’s authoritarian “we’ll shut down every protest” bill is going to pass too

The thickest in society will see this as a good thing, because they’re happy to have as many democratic rights as possible stripped away from them in their never ending quest to be as embarrassing as they can humanly be.

 

[big ron]

This bill is certainly worrying, that the tories are saying "IT WILL STOP NONCES" when it says nothing of the sort is just wild.

I've made a pledge to myself to stop getting so involved in politics this weekend. I've started to become so depressed by it all. Someone @ me we start rioting.

 

[Indie]

I really don’t know how to feel about all of this. The police reaction was entirely over the top, yes, but the protests themselves should not be happening when we’re still in lockdown and that seems to be entirely ignored.

Yeah, exactly. I have utmost sympathy for the cause and the response seemed heavy handed, but they absolutely broke the law and I don't see why anyone can really argue against that. It's not the job of the police to go "oh this one's okay because it's for a good cause", they're there to uphold the law relating to the pandemic.

There's a whole side narrative of "but why didn't they shut down the Glasgow Rangers celebrations" - well yes, they should have done that too, but let's not play WHATABOUTERY here.

 

[jivafox]

It’s so frustrating and terrifying to know that this psychotic government won’t be stopped until they’ve steamrollered over every minority and they start touching the deluded white middle class.

 

[Эулия]

This bill is certainly worrying, that the tories are saying "IT WILL STOP NONCES" when it says nothing of the sort is just wild.

As long as it stops people dressing up as SCHOOLS, I'm all for it

 

[COB]

Whataboutism or not - the way the police responded to this compared to the football gatherings, or BLM protests compared to anti-mask/vaccine rallies and 'statue defenders', says a lot who should and shouldn't feel valued and safe in society.

 

[COB]

And yes, Boris and Priti will get to look concerned and commission a report while the government gets all the new hardline powers they want - quite a good scenario for them in all, I'm say

 

[Indie]

Whataboutism or not - the way the police responded to this compared to the football gatherings, or BLM protests compared to anti-mask/vaccine rallies and 'statue defenders', says a lot who should and shouldn't feel valued and safe in society.

It's very true that the response to football gatherings was poor and in my opinion, there should have been a bigger crackdown.

I'm not aware of anti-mask/vaccine protests being left alone, although happy to hear otherwise. £1m on policing and 190 arrests at the London protests: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...testers-taxpayer-million-police-b1668599.html

YES, every gathering in this pandemic should be treated exactly the same. No, they're not being. But the police seem to be in a pretty impossible position here when they'd already said it can't go ahead.

Having said that, if I lived nearby, I probably would have gone too.

 

[Ag]

I have a lot of thoughts on this, that I haven't had the chance to bring into one concise statement. That it's developed to include female safety, a Parliamentary Bill, a Royal, police brutality, breaking covid rules... it's rather a lot.

A few women on my FB have come out with their own stories of harassment. I think as a man, I'm just listening atm.

I hope women of colour, less attractive women, trans women who are murdered garner this much attention. They won't.

 

[Beverley]

I disagree that the protests shouldn't be happening. A lot of protests have happened during the past year, often with the lightest touch policing, and we should be protesting when the pandemic is being used to erode certain civil liberties. At the same time, I think we need to be asking ourselves why the police responds so heavy-handedly when its authority is being questioned, and why in particular it targets minorities. I get why people think we shouldn't have mass gatherings, but protests can happen safely, they are necessary, and if you don't think so, maybe we should question why we feel that's the case. The BLM protests happened because people couldn't take anymore. I didn't judge them. And I don't judge these women either.

And then there are the broader questions of people being disciplined into good vs bad coronavirus citizens, the complexity of public health demands, the unlikelihood of transmission, the fact that people have consistently broken the rules throughout the pandemic - but I can't get into them right now.

 

[Beverley]

It's very true that the response to football gatherings was poor and in my opinion, there should have been a bigger crackdown.

I'm not aware of anti-mask/vaccine protests being left alone, although happy to hear otherwise. £1m on policing and 190 arrests at the London protests: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...testers-taxpayer-million-police-b1668599.html

YES, every gathering in this pandemic should be treated exactly the same. No, they're not being. But the police seem to be in a pretty impossible position here when they'd already said it can't go ahead.

Having said that, if I lived nearby, I probably would have gone too.

Then surely the real question here is why the police refused to allow the protest to go ahead when it has made allowances for other types of gatherings? Focusing on the legality of the protests themselves feels like a misdirection

 

[Ag]

It would be deeply ironic if a woman who has reached the top of the game, in a man's world, is forced to resign.

Re: the football celebrations vs the vigil, they were different police forces. How police forces across the country interpret and action the law varies widely dependent on a huge number of factors.

 

[Indie]

Then surely the real question here is why the police refused to allow the protest to go ahead when it has made allowances for other types of gatherings? Focusing on the legality of the protests themselves feels like a misdirection

Oh yeah, I agree. There's a huge amount of inconsistency and that needs to be addressed properly.

The government has failed to make a proper line and police are having to make it up on the hoof, which I think is the real problem. The police aren't equipped to make policy decisions and we shouldn't be entrusting them to do so.

 

[Kate]

The BLM protests happened because people couldn't take anymore. I didn't judge them. And I don't judge these women either.

:emoji_100:

 

[Kate]

It’s not just about Sarah, just like BLM wasn’t just about George Floyd. They were the final straws.

 

[Ag]

I and most of us have a hard time judging the protests we support during lockdown negatively. When it was declared that Biden had won, the BLM protests etc I was supportive of the people pouring onto the streets. When Trump's loons went on the rampage or anti lockdown protesters, I tutted and clutched onto my pearls.

 

[octophone]

 

[Ag]

The can't suppress human passion.

 

[octophone]

 

[octophone]

5 pigs around a statue of Churchill. What a fucking embarrassment.

 

[octophone]

 

[octophone]

I mean, there's very little I can put in words that hasn't already been VERY WELL SAID. But any country where women are being being assaulted and brutalised by the police during a vigil for a woman who was kidnapped and murdered by a serving officer could be correctly said to have lost its fucking mind.

 

[ButterTart]

STATEMENTS.

Welcome back @octophone

 

[Indie]

I think i'll stop here, because my spade is blunt and i'm half way to Australia. And I realise i'm sounding like white male guy.

I am totally supportive of BLM and of reclaim the night. Let's leave it at that.

 

[ButterTart]

I think i'll stop here, because my spade is blunt and i'm half way to Australia. And I realise i'm sounding like white male guy.

I am totally supportive of BLM and of reclaim the night. Let's leave it at that.

In fairness I didn’t read it as anything else. The logistics of protesting/demonstrations/vigils during lockdown are an absolute nightmare, I think we’re all on the same page about the importance of them and the issues that triggered them.