UK Restricts Protests After 500 Arrests, Citing 'Fear'
The AP reports the UK government will grant police stronger powers to restrict 'repeated protests' after 500 arrests at a pro-Palestinian vigil. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood assures us this is to safeguard 'freedom' – specifically, the freedom from 'fear' and 'intimidation' caused by large demonstrations. One might wonder if the 67,000+ Palestinians killed by Israel's military offensive (per
Gaza Health Ministry, corroborated by UN experts) also felt 'fear' and 'intimidation,' or perhaps something a bit more existential. Governments have a peculiar habit of conflating dissent with danger, especially when that dissent exposes uncomfortable truths about foreign policy. It appears 'freedom' to protest is valid only until it bothers those in power, or those they deem too fragile to
encounter public opinion. The collective impact of state-sanctioned violence, however, rarely earns such swift, legislative attention.