chrissensible
Jul 24, 2024
And I Did Not Speak Out For I Am A Viewer Of Top Gear
Following the recent jailing of five JSO protestors, one for five years, it is important to know this.
They were prosecuted under section 78 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022
for “conspiracy to commit public nuisance”.
The proposal of the act itself triggered protests around the country and was only passed after its more vague wording was edited. Striking workers have already suffered from similar legislation, which allowed scabs to freely cross picket lines, thus undermining strike action.
Now whether you agree with JSO or not is irrelevant. This use of the act will have a knock-on effect, now that it has been used in a criminal case. Anti-ULEZ protestors, who presumably do not agree with JSO, could now be prosecuted as they have used similar tactics, but on a smaller scale.
Disgruntled farmers or cabbies slow-driving around Westminster could be too. Literally anyone “conspiring to commit public nuisance” whatever that is defined as, could be. This law was brought in by a government that knew it was on its way out. It was brought in on the back of hundreds of protests around dozens of issues.
JSO were arguably the most famous group of protestors in the the last few years. This is in no small part due to the media’s coverage of them. It is easy to bring in a law when the government and its media constantly tells us that one small problem is a big one, that it is the only one, and a big law needs to come in to protect us.
Nobody likes a smelly middle-class hippy ruining their day.
The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 was brought in again by a government on its way out, but that time on the back of the media’s coverage of radical Islamist preachers like Abu Hamza. Nobody likes a smelly foreigner ruining their way of life. Especially not supporters of the EDL, but they themselves have fallen foul of the same act.
Labour will happily keep the PCSCA just as the Tories kept the RRHA. If the state is worried it is losing control, it will find ways to maintain its grip. It will turn a small enemy into a big one, so the majority are happy when a big law (or sometimes a big war) comes to save them.
Much has also been said about the freezing of Nigel Farage’s and George Galloway’s bank accounts.
That could happen to anyone (who has sizeable assets) or to any organisation that displeases the state or the financial sector.
Donald Trump was banned off Twitter when he was one of the most powerful people in the world. This could happen to literally anyone on social media. And again I say, no matter your views on those people, we can’t allow totalitarian methods like this to exist if we want a free nation.
As Martin Niemoeller (Nazi-sympathising vicar who ended up in a concentration camp) said:
“First they came for the Socialists, but I was not a socialist so I did not speak out
Then they came for the Unionists, but I was a not in a union so I did not speak out
Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me”
Now they come for the smelly hippies… who’s next?
Republished from classconsciousnessproject.blog with thanks