1) Spot the differences:
- BBC journalist detained by Chinese police during anti-govt protests.
- LBC journalist detained by British police during climate protests on suspicion of “conspiracy to commit a public nuisance.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-63779176
3) as always, the Scarfolk council provides a spot-on “the right to protest in the UK for dummies” explainer.
@marianods "Everyone is happy nowadays"
@marianods {chortle}
@marianods Activity elsewhere shines spotlight on our own failings too.
An excellent point!
@marianods if it had been Guardian rather than LBC would it have got same publicity in MSM
@marianods yes, the same thought had occurred to me when I saw the story about the Chinese detaining of the BBC journalist. As much as I feel that BBC News and the larger UK media landscape is letting down people, I was pleasantly surprised at the degree of coverage that the LBC story got. Not so much for Julian Assange, of course.
@rmischook I think the most concerning parts here are 1) the UK police is relying on a law that criminalises peaceful protest, 2) this will get worse if the Public Order Bill is approved, and 3) this authoritarian drift is being normalised by Labour, as the leadership supports “stiff sentences on climate protesters” https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/24/keir-starmer-backs-stiff-sentences-for-climate-protesters-who-block-roads
@marianods no surprise that Starmer keeps cosplaying as a cop of course. He’s an ideas-free middle-manager with delusions of competence. I do think people get that though and he does manage to become PM it’ll be because the Tories are SO BAD that voters stay home.
Being a moron, Starmer will, of course, misinterpret a win as an endorsement, but pivot even more to the right rationalising it as what he needs to do to stay in power but no vision though of what to do with power.
Who is saying they are different?
@marianods No, you've got me there, I can't see the difference. Do you have an easier one for me to have a go at? 🤣
@marianods I'm struggling.
2) “despite showing police her press credentials, they handcuffed her “almost immediately.” Police confiscated her phone and searched her twice before holding her in a cell for five hours without questioning, she said”. But of course, that was a “mistake” https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/10/media/uk-journalist-arrests-climate-protest/index.html