Please Kindly Free Mumia at Your Convenience!

UK police say the Brits need more curbs on expression. Their chief concern is that too many feelings are getting hurt...at political protests. Get ready for a new era of kinder, gentler dissent:

Police are to demand new powers to arrest protesters for causing offence through the words they chant and the slogans on their placards and even headbands.

[Assistant Commissioner Tarique] Ghaffur says there is a "growing national and international perception" that the police have been too soft on extremist protesters, which has led to rising anger across the country.

Extremist protesters? What kind of pathetic extremist catalogues his grievances on a headband? Never mind, though, there's a gap in the law that needs amending:

The police want powers to tackle a "grey area" in the array of public order laws. At present, causing offence by itself is not a criminal offence.

Comments

Rich Ard | November 27, 2006, 10:16am | #

Everyone please gather for the Two Minutes Mildly Upset!

steveintheknow | November 27, 2006, 10:17am | #

I would be offended if offending someone became criminal.

Timothy | November 27, 2006, 10:23am | #

As somebody else said at some point: Britain is becoming a parody of itself.

thoreau | November 27, 2006, 10:31am | #

I certainly do have an opinion on this proposal, but it would be rather rude of me to express it, so I'll maintain a proper stiff upper lip.

ajay | November 27, 2006, 10:31am | #

What kind of pathetic extremist catalogues his grievances on a headband?

I think we all know the answer to that one. Ironically, a lot of the people who will fall under this law will have names like "Tarique Ghaffur".

John | November 27, 2006, 10:50am | #

"As somebody else said at some point: Britain is becoming a parody of itself."

Whatever it is Thoreau, Britain is no longer a free country in any meaningful sense of the term.

John Markley | November 27, 2006, 11:09am | #

I'd call this an example of reductio creep, but to the best of my knowledge no one has even jokingly predicted this.

brian423 | November 27, 2006, 12:05pm | #

The document, entitled "The widening agenda of public demonstrations and radicalisation", says Islamic extremists have learned how to cause offence without breaking the law.

Those sneaky bastards!

dhex | November 27, 2006, 12:17pm | #

wow.

just, like, wow.

JK | November 27, 2006, 12:29pm | #

Over the last 15 years the police in Britain have simultaneously become both the most politically correct organisation in the country and far more authoritarian, being much more heavily armed and much more willing to harass people outside the traditional minorities like blacks and gays who previously recieved most attention. you could call it a weird kind of equal opportunities authoritarianism or a grotesque sort of levelling down.

It should be a strong warning to anyone who thinks that developments like language codes are a relatively "soft" form of authoritarianism. Once they escape from university campuses into the real world they have a very hard edge to them.

Drew W | November 27, 2006, 12:45pm | #

Henceforth, protestor's rhyming chants that begin "Two-Four-Six-Eight . . ." will be discouraged, as they may be considered offensive to people who are innumerate.

Or to people who are just odd.

Bob Smith | November 27, 2006, 1:56pm | #

Note that when they mean "offence", they're only talking about Muslims being offended. Protesters with "behead those who insult Islam" and "death to the pope" signs, curiously, receive no attention from the police. Once offending Muslims is a crime, the Islamic takeover of Britain will be nearly complete. Since complaining about it would offend Muslims and therefore be a crime, opponents of the Islamization of Britain will have their voices silenced. Stalin would be proud.

Bob Smith | November 27, 2006, 2:00pm | #

Note that when they mean "offence", they're only talking about Muslims being offended. Protesters with "behead those who insult Islam" and "death to the pope" signs, curiously, receive no attention from the police. Once offending Muslims is a crime, the Islamic takeover of Britain will be nearly complete. Since complaining about it would offend Muslims and therefore be a crime, opponents of the Islamization of Britain will have their voices silenced. Stalin would be proud.

JK | November 27, 2006, 2:20pm | #

Sorry Bob, you are 100% wrong. No doubt any new laws will also be used against those who offend Muslims, but they are being justified precisely to deal with the "behead those who insult Islam" signs.

J sub D | November 27, 2006, 5:11pm | #

If speech ain't offensive, it don't need protection. I hope I offended some grammarians with that.

lunchstealer | November 27, 2006, 6:26pm | #

I'm offended when 'offense' is spelled with a 'c'. Call in the goon squad!

Kindler, gentler Winston Churchill | November 27, 2006, 6:38pm | #

Temper, temper, Mr. Hitler!