While much noise is being made about politicians holding parties and ordering takeaways during lockdowns, something far more sinister happened in April when the House of Lords passed the repressive Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. 1
In a move which would make most socialist/fascist regimes proud, the Bill bans 'noisy protests' 2, makes provision for 'new offences' and grants the police new powers in 'maintaining public order'. 3
The police, known for their uneven application of the law, will have new powers to place conditions on protests, especially to prevent 'noise', or 'distress' to the public. They won't be arresting the trustifarians of Extinction Rebellion and the anarchists of Black Lives Matter for 'noise' but will hound those who displease the progressive Establishment, like lockdown and vaccine mandate protesters.
The words we speak out loud give protests potency. A quiet protest loses its impact, the venal politicians who have backed this Bill must surely know this.
A silenced populace is far easier to control than those who roar for freedom.
Only one third of the House bothered to turn up to vote on the Bill. These bishops, peers, favoured civil servants, and politicians have proven themselves a failure in safeguarding our democracy, Enlightenment values and freedoms over the past two years. The sponsors of this Bill, Dominic Raab and Baroness Williams of Trafford, should be deeply ashamed of themselves. Not only have they betrayed conservative principles but they are also responsible for the further destruction of our civil liberties and human rights.
The Bill has nothing to do with protecting the rights of others and everything to do with augmenting the authoritarianism which began with the Covid-19 legislation, which I have frequently warned about. Drunk on power, our political class will continue to obliterate democracy and betray the social contract in the name of 'safety'.
This new legislation echoes some of the worst excesses of the Apartheid regime I grew up under in South Africa. During the 1980's, in a desperate ploy to hold onto power, the faltering Apartheid government used the excuses of 'maintaining peace and order' and 'public safety' to implement one of State of Emergency after the other. 4
Under this legislation, the police and military patrolled the streets, imposed curfews and could arrest anyone they wanted, detaining them indefinitely without trial.
Non-white South Africans were denied freedom of expression and body autonomy, and forbidden to attend peaceful demonstrations against Apartheid. Newspapers were shut down and anti-Apartheid leaders disappeared or were murdered. Even prayer meetings and outdoor funerals were banned, 5 with clergy disallowed from mentioning apartheid resistance or they faced arrest. 6
Immigrating to Britain was a childhood dream come true for me. Sadly, it seems that I have swapped one police state for another. Free speech, including the right to speak out at protests, is an essential part of democracy.But Parliament has stamped all over this.
The Bill illustrates that the political class despises us little people, and will crush any dissent in their attempts to control us. The country that gave birth to the Magna Carta is dead.
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https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2839
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2839
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/state-emergency-1985
https://overcomingapartheid.msu.edu/multimedia.php?kid=163-582-8
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-08-01-mn-4324-story.html