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Police Want Powers to Ban Protester Masks and Flag Burning

If you felt like burning a flag at a demo lately, better hurry up and do it before it becomes an arrestable offence. Disturbing developments in the last days of freedom of expression.

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/10/proposed-uk-flag-burning-ban-prompts.php

the mask of anarchy

Comments

Hide the following 11 comments

RE: MASKS

31.10.2006 12:33

i thought the filth already had the power to order protesters to remove masks, since way back?

rhedize

If this ever actually goes through (I'd have thought it unlikely, but nothing would surprise me these days), all lefties should gather together and set fire to their own flags - it's only a piece of cloth. Imagine the confusion of cops confronted with anarchists setting fire to red and black flags :)

Donnacha

Flag + Flame = Fun

31.10.2006 15:04

Burning anarchist flags - for me black, not red'n'black- is a cute idea. Sort of like when Mark Thomas got official permission for a pro-IRA demo outside parliament. Wouldn't it make a nicer, more succinct demo for us all to get together and burn our own national flags as well ? We all love our nations but we all hate our states. There isn't a flag that doesn't deserve burning, and there are so many silly flags left out in public that it wouldn't even cost us anything. Someone set a date and I'll be there.

bub

Flags...

31.10.2006 15:44

Black flags aren't exclusively anarchist, though if they have a circle A on them, that would work. As for national flags, while I agree, it's fraught with misinterpretation. Best to go for absolutely clear meaning - anarchists burn anarchist flags.

Donnacha

International Flag Burning Day

31.10.2006 16:22

In the less salubrious corners of the Net, the idea of an International Flag Burning day is not entirely New.

http://b.rox.com/archives/2006/07/04/happy-international-flag-burning-day/

http://www.zenburger.com/?p=27

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_desecration

http://www.nkusa.org/activities/statements/02262002statement.cfm

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/06/19/flag-burning/

http://www.esquilax.com/flag/history.html

http://www.theiqworks.com/default.asp?varTab=1&BlogID=271

And it is a popular and quite harmless pastime. Providing care is taken to observe sensible precautions. Like choosing the day by Lottery to avoid choosing a "National Day".

pyromaniac

All masks?

31.10.2006 17:09

The increasingly masked police want others to remove their masks.

The police should look in the mirror before coming up with stupid ideas.

A N Other

MET police consider Water Cannon for 'religious riots'!

31.10.2006 17:39

Police want water cannons to douse religious riot threat

By Ben Leapman, Home Affairs Correspondent, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:39am GMT 30/10/2006

Deepening divisions in British society along religious and political lines are forcing police to consider new riot-control tactics – including the deployment of water cannons.

Senior officers fear that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and last year's July 7 Tube bombings have created a "new reality" in London, with a "volatile mix" of viewpoints on the streets.

The cannons haven't been used in mainland Britain

In response, the Metropolitan Police, the country's biggest force, is now considering buying water cannons, which have never been used in mainland Britain, to deal with the most hostile protests.

Article continues:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/29/ncannon29.xml

here we go...

Hmmmm....

31.10.2006 18:37

Someone ought to tell the MET their is a hosepipe ban.

Tut Tut

Spirit of Bill Hicks lives wakey!! Wakey!!

01.11.2006 10:10

Urgggh!! Rampant flag burning!! Not to much of a scary issue they're putting down the tubes to us!! As quoted by the late great Bill Hicks.

i add..the icecaps are melting derversion of issues is cool not!!

Also Hicks said: A flag is a piece of cloth..freedom isn't which is worth fighting for ..

Is it me or is indymedia now getting trivial..urggh!!

LOVE ALWAYS!!

XXXXetc..

Chris Recycled

do n't get burnt by police stupidity

01.11.2006 22:41

Firstly when did the police become the legislators.

Secondly flag deserve to be destroyed, they are a symbol of the borders that divide us. I really abhor this government especially with its whole britishness thing.

raving_humanist

a loophole

04.11.2006 21:42

From the link

"He emphasized his belief that the ban would not exacerbate tensions with the Muslim community, as there would be an exemption for Muslims women's face coverings"

So all female protestors have to do is say they have converted to Islam and the mask is their face covereing. Males may find it a bit more tricky but they can always say they identify more with their female side or are really women trapped in a man's body :)

Michael Morris
mail e-mail: epf@slingshot.co.nz
Homepage: http://www.epf.org.nz

UK Indymedia