Recent police attacks on free speech

Earlier this week, an officer demanded the details of Paul Powlesland, a barrister, for the malefaction of holding up a blank piece of paper outside Parliament. If he dared to write the words “Not my King” on the paper, Powlesland could be arrested, he was told, because “someone might be offended”.

Others found guilty of causing offence have been formally apprehended. Someone who yelled “You’re a sick old man!” at Prince Andrew and a young woman holding up a placard reading “Fuck imperialism. Abolish the monarchy”, were both arrested and charged in Scotland. Another man was handcuffed and put into a police van after shouting out “Who elected him?” during the proclamation of the king’s accession in Oxford. He was later de-arrested.

These actions have created an unusual degree of consensus. From the Telegraph to the Independent, from Piers Morgan to Jeremy Corbyn, the police’s heavy-handed response has been roundly condemned. There has been broad agreement over the need — whether you are republican or royalist — to protect free speech.

This is, of course, absolutely correct: having the freedom to express ideas without being censored, prosecuted or restrained is a vital component of a functioning democracy and must be fiercely protected, even when the cost of that is offending or upsetting people. The past few years of increasing authoritarianism in Hong Kong set a troubling example of what can happen, very quickly, when it is not.

https://www.ft.com/content/5d672df5-5f66-43ce-8f77-bf9a29b99745

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My other blogs. Main ones below:

http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

https://immigwatch.blogspot.com/ (IMMIGRATION WATCH)

https://awesternheart.blogspot.com/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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