Covid-like restrictions should be used against the violent disorder currently taking place around the country, Government adviser on political violence John Woodcock argued this weekend. In UnHerd, Professor David Paton says we saw this coming. Here’s an excerpt.
When the last Government enacted draconian restrictions on the right to assembly and protest on the pretext of limiting the spread of COVID-19, there were warnings about the precedent this could set. Namely, that basic civil rights could be put aside by politicians with little scrutiny or serious challenge.
Those concerns are beginning to seem prophetic. John Woodcock, ex-Labour MP and Government advisor on political violence, argued this weekend that reinstating Covid-like restrictions would be the right response to the violent disorder taking place around the country following the dreadful events in Southport last week. At the same time, Keir Starmer has signalled moves that include more Government control of online information and the expansion of state surveillance through facial recognition.
Civil rights groups such as Big Brother Watch have expressed concern about the implications of such proposals for civil rights. But there is an even more fundamental principle that has been under attack for some time which has received much less attention: those who make our laws should not decide which of those laws we are allowed to protest against.
Violence during public protests, especially against the police, is inexcusable, and the targeting by rioters of migrant hotels this weekend is deeply troubling. But the suggestion in some quarters that the main problem is violence from far-Right protesters is wide of the mark. In recent years, we have seen violent protests by extremists from across the political spectrum including groups linked to the far-Left, Islam, anti-racism, Just Stop Oil and the transgender movement.
Yet despite systematic aggression and violence from all these factions, the one group politicians have decided to ban is anti-abortion activists outside clinics. Such protests in the U.K. have been entirely peaceful, largely consisting of Christians praying quietly and offering non-judgemental support to pregnant women: no threats to the police and no violent disorder.
As with lockdown protests, we mustn’t let the Government decide what we can and cannot protest about, says Prof Paton. It’s a slippery slope to a very dangerous place.
Worth reading in full.
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I suppose the social distancing thing would help in terms of being struck with a knife or blunt instrument. And maybe if your assailant wore a mask you woule have less PTSD. Of course if he tests positive for COVID then he has already assaulted you. If they tried anything remotely like this again for whatever reason they would be inviting major bloodshed. To call this country a tinderbox is putting it mildly. Millions can’t even afford to use gas and electricity. It isn’t much fun knowing that your child goes to school malnourished every day thereby severely limiting their learning potential. None of this is going to stop it is going to get much much worse. All you can do is learn to fight anf try to develop networks of support involving people who live local and your family.
There will be a new test to see if people are racist or far right.
Skinner
They don’t need a test they know everyone except the elites is racist and far right. I’ve come to the conclusion that if one admits to it life from then on will be simpler as there’s no value in the elites repeating the accusation!
This suggestion, if adopted, is guaranteed to make the situation massively worse. The vast majority of people would never dream of rioting, but they have genuine misgivings about uncontrolled immigration. Any covid style controls should be ignored, and in my opinion, they absolutely will be.
These left wing politicians and their advisors are completely out of touch with reality.
They’re not merely out of touch, they’re anti-whitists – they hate the native peoples of Britain.
To be honest, the Starmer government could bring back mask wearing by telling folk it’ll protect them from the far-right devils and I’ll bet a certain amount of people would comply. However, I wouldn’t need some government goon to tell me to ‘socially distance’ myself from balaclava wearing, machete weilding, “Allahu Akbar” shouting nutjobs running round the streets. I’ve a healthy sense of self-preservation for that sort of thing.
But why must they always wear black?
The Umma innit.
Black is soo flattering to the figure donchaknow
Making the situation worse is probably what they intend
A one-arm bandit attitude from the “adviser”, unfortunately. Some other overseas media seem to be more analytical about the “unrest”. e.g. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/6/uk-riots-raise-the-spectre-of-racism-and-evoke-haunting-memories which was broadcast an hour or so ago.
“Spectre of racism” = white people desperate because they see their country disappearing and don’t know what else to do. I’m sure Al Jazeera would be fine with tens of millions of people from some different culture and race pouring into their country and erasing their culture and people.
Given the anti-white sensibility of our rulers, this must mean that “Covid-style controls” will only apply to white people.
It’s not just our rulers though, and that’s actually our biggest problem. Much of the population are so physically and economically detached from the open borders policy that they can’t possibly comprehend the problems facing working class communities. You then have another large slice of the population who aren’t white and have been propagandised into believing we’re all a bunch of racists, so also side with the Muslim hordes. Incidentally, I lost my lifelong best friend (second generation Jamaican) over his sudden 180 regarding his views on racism in the UK. So we’re up against the establishment and, through class and through decades of manipulation of minds, many of our own people.
Very well said. By the time people realise, it will be too late.
The excuses Corona’s witnesses use to try to reintroduce COVID controls start to become seriously lame.
“Corona’s Witnesses” LOL, love it
They are hardly riots. They are the minimal response of a downtrodden and forgotten minority. The worst they did was destroy police cars and batter a few policemen. If you as the state continue the harass these people then you can expect a lot worse. I think the police should feel grateful for the restraint shown by the British people./
As if it were even possible for Starmer to be any less popular with a large percentage of Brits, let him go ahead and lockdown the citizens yet again and see if he can surpass himself. That would really be the toxic cherry on the cake. It’ll never happen;
”Should anyone be surprised that what has been called a “wave of violence” swept the cities of Britain this past weekend?
Julie Burchill, the veteran British columnist, contributed a clear-eyed commentary on these events to the New York Sun. “Vast levels of immigration — bringing cheap labor for the rich and decreased wages for the poor — is at the core of much of this anger,” she explained, adding that the situation “is exacerbated by the two-tier policing we have had for some time here. When non-whites riot, police tend to retreat, whereas when whites riot, police tend to charge.” Among the British elites there is endless talk of racism, but those charged with this offense tend to be working-class boys, who, although “currently the most likely to fail at school and the least likely to succeed in life,” are nonetheless “told that their skin color confers ‘privilege.’ Now they’re being told by the liberal establishment that their riots are the ‘wrong’ kind of riot — but after applauding the riots of Black Lives Matter, it’s hard to put the genie back into the bottle just because he’s paler than they would prefer.”
To understand the rage of ordinary Britons is not to defend random violence. But after everything that Islam has done to bring primitive savagery to a once-civilized country, and everything that the government and police have done to ignore it, it is rather rich to read that the country’s new prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer has “pledged his ‘full support’ for police to take action against ‘extremists’ attempting to ‘sow hate’ by intimidating communities.” Communities, by the way, is British code for Muslims. B.J. Harrington of the National Police Chiefs’ Council also accused the rioters of a lack of “respect for our communities.” In Britain these days, no crime is more verboten than failing to bow down to the “communities” – whatever the members of those communities may have said or done. “Hatred has no place in our society,” said one official. Unless, of course, it’s anti-Western hatred by Muslims.”
https://www.frontpagemag.com/battle-for-britain/
”The Starmer guide to rioting..”
https://x.com/AvonandsomerRob/status/1820603925696802849
I have no interest in the morality of the situaton because we have followed an immoral path for decades. This is where we are and it isn’t going away. One notable feature of recent protests was the large presence of women. That in itself should tell you something, most importantly that it isn;t going away. You either carry on pretending that you represent consensus reality or you deal with a serious issue. They won’t deal with it they will just announce tougher measures. The British state is very weak right now weaker than it has been in 400 years and there is no solution. Foreign airlines are advising against travel to the UK and this is always a good measure of where things are going.
Didn’t see this coming?
They have plotted it for decades. You are already dead meat in their minds. I don’t mean to be the harbinger of bad news.
Well at least they’re not advocating CBDC for everyone.
YET.
If this continues Blair et al will say that’s the only solution available to control the situation.- which they of course deliberately created in the first place.
Handing it to them on a plate.
The whole thing from start to finish is straight out of the totalitarianist playbook. Conspiracy fact.
BLM were exempt from Covid restriction so I’m guessing so will the Muslim Brotherhood this time?
Recalling the use of Riot Police in London to control the anti-lockdown protesters who were following Piers Corbyn leaves me cold . These were essentially peaceful protesters who were treated like enemies of the State . The possibility that the belief that our freedoms are to be curtailed is once again being considered , is , I believe a reason to warn Starmer that he should beware where he treads !
Yesterday I talked to a wise friend about the likelihood of Labour relishing the chance to employ Covid-style lockdown strategies in quelling the current rioting in this country. He thought it extremely unlikely, suggesting that too many people wouldn’t comply “this time around”. I agreed with him to a degree (although a fairly small degree – my more honest feeling being that the majority of ordinary Brits – like people everywhere in the world – are always ready to swoon blissfully into the arms of the State), but my point was really that I thought it very, very likely that at some point Labour would start toying coyly with the notion of lockdowns anyway – with Starmer himself unable to resist, coming over all tumescent at the idea of increased use of facial recognition technology etc etc, like an agonised Tory in a nappy, craving humiliation, unable to resist the urge to do what he knows he shouldn’t. Et voilà, the very next day…
Rubber Bullets, Water Cannon, Prison Sentences and eh………….Oh but I forgot we now live in Liberal progressive La La Land
KH may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but people forget that she is a very insightful journalist with a lot of experience. She explains the situation very well here https://youtu.be/uUhU3uas2SU?si=3MYH9ohxEgHmm9TV
Muslim areas ignored the lock downs last time and were left well alone by Plod, natch.
So I’m not sure how the idiotic Adviser expects them to stop the riots this time.
I’m sure the generally law-abiding white majority would mainly fall into line …. but the criminal fraternity from all “communities” won’t. Still, that will give Two-Tier-Keir and Two-Tier-Senior-Plod another opportunity to demonstrate their anti-white-working-class prejudices.
He’s let the cat out of the bag. Covid was a rehearsal
Amazing! Starmer caused the trouble, they will not change course, and now some idiot wants to make it 100 times worse. Labour, brain dead.