I have had a poster in my front window saying "Starvation is being used as a weapon of war" for ages. I suspect that it has little effect because it has been there so long. I can no longer go on marches or demonstrations - I can barely walk to my local shops. I have considered what the impact of me having a heart attack on a march might be, but I don't really think it's a good idea!
I do support everyone's right to protest about things that are patently wrong. If that protest causes inconvenience I can accept that. We have a proud history of protest in the UK;-
- The Tolpuddle Martyrs 1834
- The Suffragettes & Suffragists in the 19th 20th centuries
- The anti apartheid movement in the 1970's - 1090's
- Access to the Countryside mass trespass 1930's
- LGBT Section 28 marches 1970's - 2000's
- Justice for Gurkhas 2004
- Grenfell 2017
- Fracking 2011
The point is the public can make politicians take action about wrong. The mass voice of the public is very effective, because politicians know that it is us who elect them to power. Without that vote they are nothing. If we lose that power there is nothing to act as a check & balance to political power. The lobbyists will win & the public will be relegated to a voice crying in the wilderness.
There are so many things happening today that are wrong. Despots wreaking death, injury & destruction all over the world. Bad actor counties interfering with due process & democracy. The climate emergency threatening our very existence. Species loss. Criminals seemingly rampant because law enforcement isn't effective. Huge international companies using great wealth & power to lobby & increase their profits...It's seemingly never ending.
If there is one thing that is important today it is the right of populations to protest. It is the only way that mass opinion can be heard on really important issues. If we allow that to be subsumed politically we only have the vote every 5 years & our voting system is unfair & not representative.
You can't stop it, it became law this year. It is meant to tackle antisocial behaviour, knife crime, retail theft, public order, and violence against women and girls as part of the government's Safer Streets mission. But it does more than that. It gives the police powers that are quite concerning. It can curtail our right to protest drastically. Yes, there are people who deliberately disrupt peaceful protest & they need to be dealt with. But that is no reason to include those who have a legitimate right to protest & are behaving peacefully. They are actually risking a lot in order to make their voices heard.
Protest & Democracy are inextricable linked. It is arguable that disrupting people's lives is a way to get their attention to important issues.
