Journalists Arrested

[danumdon]

Is it just me or does it seem these days that every time the Police get something horribly wrong(just like this) they have the opportunity of using the Government of the day as the reason for its many miscalculations and inadequateness

I was going to say if they every get something right they would claim superior Police operational tactics came to the fore, but im struggling to think of when this last happened.

[BillyStubbsTears]

DD
If the Govt hadn't passed a law making such an arrest possible, the arrests wouldn't have happened.

[danumdon]

DD
If the Govt hadn't passed a law making such an arrest possible, the arrests wouldn't have happened.

The Goverment have a great many laws that are available for the Police to use, breach of the peace and civil obstruction are just two. Wonder why the choose to not use them?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Because the journalists weren't committing obstruction or breach of the peace.

They were arrested for "suspicion of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance".

That is a massive cover-all definition which, in principle, makes it illegal to do anything which might assist a group doing anything that the police decides is inconveniencing the public.

In this case, the police at the scene decided that journalists reporting what was happening were effectively assisting the protestors.

The journalists weren't part of the protest. They weren't causing a nuisance themselves. They were arrested for reporting the news.

[danumdon]

Because the journalists weren't committing obstruction or breach of the peace.

They were arrested for "suspicion of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance".

I was talking about the operational role of the Police in general, not this particular case.

We have a great many laws that can lead to someone being arrested, the police cherry pick which ones suit their narrative.

[BillyStubbsTears]

And I'm saying those journalists would never have been arrested before Patel's Law got on the statute books. Because they were doing nothing that remotely resembled what we considered to be a crime previously.

That answers your comment about the Govt getting the blame.

[danumdon]

Its ironic that they were arrested for "suspicion of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance"

When we have individuals guilty of the same offence but with no suspicion attached getting off scott free.

If the Police can't or wont use the vast arsenal of current laws available to maintain the peace then operationally they are not fit for purpose.

Could it be the case that particular law that was introduced by Patel due to this inability of the Police to carry out their statutory requirement.

[BillyStubbsTears]

What in the name of actual f**k?

[Sprotyrover]

Yes it does appear some are missing the point wilts, as has been said you can be arrested for being a bystander to events an eyewitness.

Here's an example of why press freedom is important

''Ukraine war: Russians kept in the dark by internet search''

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63246153

Just WHAT??? has this got to do with some journo activists being locked up for possibly 90 minutes max in the UK?

1. There was at least one regular LBC reporter amongst those arrested. I don't know the backgrounds of the others but they clearly weren't all "journo activists."
2. They were locked up for several hours.
3. Whilst in custody, home were searched with children present. Can you imagine how terrifying that must have been for them?
4. Regardless of their political views, they were journalists reporting on a significant event. It was absolutely wrong for police officers to intervene in their work let alone consider them to be fair targets for arrest and detention.

And as for your later comment on comparison to the DDR, Fascism doesn't smash its way in through the front door, it creeps up step by step. Normalising oppression of the free press is a significant step and one that we wouldn't have reached without numerous small changes over a period of years. If you can't or wilfully won't see that there's not much point talking to you.

I just can't believe the condescending nature of this post mike, just re read the crap you have posted including your OP ,rabbiting on like some beardy t**t lecturer at uni,I doubt you parents ever smacked you as a child it shows in your posts!

[SydneyRover]

condescending hmmmm

[wilts rover]

Yes it does appear some are missing the point wilts, as has been said you can be arrested for being a bystander to events an eyewitness.

Here's an example of why press freedom is important

''Ukraine war: Russians kept in the dark by internet search''

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63246153

Just WHAT??? has this got to do with some journo activists being locked up for possibly 90 minutes max in the UK?

1. There was at least one regular LBC reporter amongst those arrested. I don't know the backgrounds of the others but they clearly weren't all "journo activists."
2. They were locked up for several hours.
3. Whilst in custody, home were searched with children present. Can you imagine how terrifying that must have been for them?
4. Regardless of their political views, they were journalists reporting on a significant event. It was absolutely wrong for police officers to intervene in their work let alone consider them to be fair targets for arrest and detention.

And as for your later comment on comparison to the DDR, Fascism doesn't smash its way in through the front door, it creeps up step by step. Normalising oppression of the free press is a significant step and one that we wouldn't have reached without numerous small changes over a period of years. If you can't or wilfully won't see that there's not much point talking to you.

I just can't believe the condescending nature of this post mike, just re read the crap you have posted including your OP ,rabbiting on like some beardy t**t lecturer at uni,I doubt you parents ever smacked you as a child it shows in your posts!

siri/alexa - show me a definition of condescending

[Sprotyrover]

Yes it does appear some are missing the point wilts, as has been said you can be arrested for being a bystander to events an eyewitness.

Here's an example of why press freedom is important

''Ukraine war: Russians kept in the dark by internet search''

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63246153

Just WHAT??? has this got to do with some journo activists being locked up for possibly 90 minutes max in the UK?

1. There was at least one regular LBC reporter amongst those arrested. I don't know the backgrounds of the others but they clearly weren't all "journo activists."
2. They were locked up for several hours.
3. Whilst in custody, home were searched with children present. Can you imagine how terrifying that must have been for them?
4. Regardless of their political views, they were journalists reporting on a significant event. It was absolutely wrong for police officers to intervene in their work let alone consider them to be fair targets for arrest and detention.

And as for your later comment on comparison to the DDR, Fascism doesn't smash its way in through the front door, it creeps up step by step. Normalising oppression of the free press is a significant step and one that we wouldn't have reached without numerous small changes over a period of years. If you can't or wilfully won't see that there's not much point talking to you.

I just can't believe the condescending nature of this post mike, just re read the crap you have posted including your OP ,rabbiting on like some beardy t**t lecturer at uni,I doubt you parents ever smacked you as a child it shows in your posts!

siri/alexa - show me a definition of condescending

Sir/Alexa give me a definition of Childish?

[wilts rover]

Yes it does appear some are missing the point wilts, as has been said you can be arrested for being a bystander to events an eyewitness.

Here's an example of why press freedom is important

''Ukraine war: Russians kept in the dark by internet search''

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63246153

Just WHAT??? has this got to do with some journo activists being locked up for possibly 90 minutes max in the UK?

1. There was at least one regular LBC reporter amongst those arrested. I don't know the backgrounds of the others but they clearly weren't all "journo activists."
2. They were locked up for several hours.
3. Whilst in custody, home were searched with children present. Can you imagine how terrifying that must have been for them?
4. Regardless of their political views, they were journalists reporting on a significant event. It was absolutely wrong for police officers to intervene in their work let alone consider them to be fair targets for arrest and detention.

And as for your later comment on comparison to the DDR, Fascism doesn't smash its way in through the front door, it creeps up step by step. Normalising oppression of the free press is a significant step and one that we wouldn't have reached without numerous small changes over a period of years. If you can't or wilfully won't see that there's not much point talking to you.

I just can't believe the condescending nature of this post mike, just re read the crap you have posted including your OP ,rabbiting on like some beardy t**t lecturer at uni,I doubt you parents ever smacked you as a child it shows in your posts!

siri/alexa - show me a definition of condescending

Sir/Alexa give me a definition of Childish?

A person calling another poster condescending then complaining when it's pointed out how condescending their post is.

[Sprotyrover]

I don't mind criticism but not from childish posters!

[Mike_F]

Sproty:

I was smacked as a child. Probably more so than any of my peers; my parents were very strict.

What that has to to do with me pointing out that you were clearly wrong in your assertions that the people arrested were "Journo activists" and that they were held "for a maximum of 90 minutes" I'm really not sure.

I was never academically inclined enough to become a "beardy t**t lecturer" but if you think I've demonstrated the level of critical thinking and intelligence necessary to make a living from academia I'll happily take the compliment.

[Sprotyrover]

I was never academically inclined enough to become a "beardy t**t lecturer"

That’s good to hear Mike, all you have to do now is to stop acting like one.

[SydneyRover]

Senior officers doing the government's bidding?

''Their arrests were instead directed by more senior officers at Hertfordshire constabulary, who had formulated a policing plan that failed to take into account the likelihood that journalists may be on the scene, the review said''

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/nov/23/senior-officers-ordered-unlawful-arrests-of-journalists-at-just-stop-oil-protests