[HN Gopher] Anti-royal protesters are being arrested in the U.K....
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Anti-royal protesters are being arrested in the U.K. as 'Not My
       King' tag grows
        
       Author : rntn
       Score  : 128 points
       Date   : 2022-09-12 21:16 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (text.npr.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (text.npr.org)
        
       | RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote:
       | Well, I guess this is progress.
       | 
       | In the past, anti-royal protestors used to be hung, drawn, and
       | quartered.
        
         | HereIGoAgain wrote:
         | That's looking on the bright side! A glass half full type of
         | person i'm guessing. lol
        
       | user764743 wrote:
       | > The new law allows police to act in cases which they deem to be
       | "unjustifiably noisy protests that may have a significant impact
       | on others" or seriously disrupt an organization's activities.
       | 
       | Doesn't take a political science degree to see what's wrong with
       | this law. When cops get to decide what is a justifiably loud
       | protest and what isn't you no longer have the right to protest.
       | Protests are meant to disrupt, if you can't be loud about it then
       | it no longer has its intended effect.
        
         | koheripbal wrote:
         | Protests are not meant to disrupt.
         | 
         | They are meant to convince your fellow citizens of your
         | position.
         | 
         | Being a disruptive $#@t, not only defeats that purpose, it
         | actually causes more people to vote against you.
         | 
         | Moreover, emotionally driven teenagers (or stunted "adults")
         | use these protests as a pubescent venting mechanism to smash
         | business and mistreat adults they encounter, like some
         | narcissistic violent therapy session.
         | 
         | It should absolutely be illegal.
        
           | ipaddr wrote:
           | That's literally what the word means.
        
           | [deleted]
        
           | patmcc wrote:
           | You should look up the history of protests. They _absolutely_
           | are meant to disrupt.
        
           | mhh__ wrote:
           | Looting is illegal
        
       | whateveracct wrote:
       | This thread shows that many commenters of HN can understand free
       | speech incorrectly from both ends simultaneously.
       | 
       | When it comes to government-sponsored situations, free speech is
       | very broad in the United States.
       | 
       | The OP is a good example to point to when people act like the US
       | isn't special for its Constitution.
        
       | dijit wrote:
       | They aren't being arrested for being anti-monarchy though.
       | 
       | They are being arrested for being rude about it.
       | 
       | Was the fella on radio 4 who stated to the entire nation that
       | 'King Charles and his family should be put in a council house and
       | that the Monarchy should be abolished' arrested? No.
       | 
       | If you are going to attend a funeral, any funeral, be it the
       | Queen's or anyone else's and hurl abuse or hold up signs with
       | obscenities, you will be arrested.
       | 
       | There were arrests in which the arrestee has been unarrested,
       | when the police made a mistake. Like the fella who stated that
       | 'we didn't vote for him' when King Charles was pronounced King.
       | 
       | You can, quite legally, protest the Monarchy. Being a dick about
       | it and trying to upset people mourning will however be considered
       | a breach of the peace or some other public order offence.
        
         | jj90 wrote:
        
         | closewith wrote:
         | > They aren't being arrested for being anti-monarchy though.
         | 
         | > They are being arrested for being rude about it.
         | 
         | Got it. Arrested for poor taste.
         | 
         | Hard to see the justification for that in a democracy?
        
           | dijit wrote:
           | You will be arrested for hurling obscenities at mourners
           | regardless of who the dead person is.
           | 
           | People were arrested at Margaret Thatchers funeral for the
           | same thing.
           | 
           | It's not rocket science. You're not allowed to do that.
        
             | KptMarchewa wrote:
             | Once again, Americans are proud of the fact they can
             | protest at funerals.
        
               | defen wrote:
               | The alternative is that you can be arrested for saying
               | something mean at a funeral. I prefer the American
               | system.
        
               | munk-a wrote:
               | I don't - my father's funeral is literally two weeks
               | away. Some relatives that my mother doesn't get along
               | with at all aren't invited - they've never been
               | particularly close and it'll be healthier for everyone if
               | they don't stir shit in a time of healing.
               | 
               | This isn't a case of protestors being repeatedly ignored
               | - the public discussion about the monarchy is unfolding
               | in most media outlets right now and other forms of
               | protest are still quite available.
        
             | throwawaymanbot wrote:
        
             | mytailorisrich wrote:
             | In Oxford someone was arrested for shouting " _who elected
             | him_ " during the proclamation of the new king so it's not
             | just about respecting a funeral (which is understable) or
             | unacceptable language.
             | 
             | But in fairness to the police there seems to be a mass
             | fervour at the moment and they may actually be doing the
             | hecklers a service by taking them away for their own
             | safety...
        
               | krona wrote:
               | This is the point. 'Fear or provocation of violence' is
               | an offence since it precipitates violence, its a
               | provocation that 'might cause a reasonable individual to
               | lose self control', which would be quite dreadful!
        
               | account-5 wrote:
               | And then de-arrested.
        
             | ISL wrote:
             | In the United States, with certain limits [1], one can
             | picket funerals and be massively disrespectful.
             | 
             | [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church#L
             | aws_l...
        
               | metacritic12 wrote:
               | That section you linked shows that free-speech is indeed
               | limited within a certain radius of certain funerals.
        
               | peyton wrote:
               | I suggest you read the whole section.
        
               | mc32 wrote:
               | But this is a case in the UK. They have different laws
               | and observe different decorum.
               | 
               | Even in the US I would think protesting a funeral to be
               | in extremely poor taste, no matter the target. What's
               | that Latin phrase about the recently dead?
        
               | HideousKojima wrote:
               | Yeah but the UK is where you can get arrested for making
               | your girlfriend's pug do a Nazi salute as a joke (but
               | somehow _Father Ted_ doing similar Nazi jokes gets a
               | pass)
        
               | kingsloi wrote:
               | https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-
               | way/2011/03/02/134194791...
        
               | mc32 wrote:
               | I mean, the WBC is a well known agitator and not
               | representative of people or even protestors at large. In
               | any case, I contend it's in extremely poor taste and does
               | not help further the cause, and actively creates
               | antipathy.
        
               | wutbrodo wrote:
               | The article describes an activist who specifically took
               | pains to avoid any disparagement of the outgoing Queen,
               | limiting his protest to the incoming coronation.
               | 
               | If that falls under the rule you're describing, doesn't
               | that render it impossible to protest a ceremony, as long
               | as it happens after a funeral? It seems you're defining
               | the protest of hereditary office holding has been defined
               | away as unacceptably rude?
        
               | azalemeth wrote:
               | This is a very clear distinction in the UK. There are a
               | number of constraints on someone's rights to make loud
               | noises in the UK, of which probably Section 5(1) of the
               | 1986 Public Order Act reads                  "(1) A
               | person is guilty of an offence if he/she:         (a)
               | uses threatening (or abusive) words or behaviour, or
               | disorderly behaviour, or         (b) displays any
               | writing, sign or other visible representation which is
               | threatening (or abusive)"
               | 
               | with all of the usual lawyerly finness about what (b)
               | means being defined by common law precedent and the right
               | to freedom of expression largely being worked out by the
               | courts together with reference to the EHCR. Note that
               | things like animal rights protestors making loud noises
               | at university graduations (where the graduates have
               | nothing to do with animal experiments) have successfully
               | been challenged under this statute - the usual remedy is
               | a high court injunction relocating them to somewhere
               | visible and nearby, but out of earshot, of the thing they
               | are protesting against.
               | 
               | It is worth noting that a long-running tradition in the
               | UK is that if a policeman disagrees with a piece of
               | legislation and the opportunity arises to challenge it
               | favourably in court, he arrests somebody under the
               | legislation in question in what may be favourable but
               | reasonable circumstances (favourable to the defendant) in
               | order to circumscribe the limitations of the act in
               | question. As a consequence, in many ways, I therefore
               | think that this may also be a challenge by police
               | officers to the validity of the conservative government's
               | latest legislation that aims to ban "disruptive"
               | protests, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act
               | 2022, which was largely modified to deal with the (IMO
               | effective) protests of the Insulate Britain campaign who
               | recently brought major motorways to a crawl. It is a
               | deeply divisive and very authoritarian bill, and would
               | cover this situation. Specifically, it provides that:
               | "[...] police forces are allowed to place restrictions on
               | protests they believe would otherwise constitute an
               | existing offence of public nuisance, including imposing
               | starting and finishing times and noise limits, and be
               | able to consider actions by one individual as protests
               | under provisions of the Act. Protestors disobeying such
               | instructions from the police may be committing a criminal
               | offence."
               | 
               | In my opinion, this has already been used to stifle what
               | I find to be legitimate protest - "on 28 June 2022, the
               | day the act came into force, anti-Brexit activist Steve
               | Bray had his amplification equipment seized by police
               | under the 2011 Police Reform Social Responsibility Act.
               | The 2022 act extends the area around the House of Commons
               | in which protest is restricted under the 2011 act." [1].
               | 
               | As recognised by the police, positing the possibility of
               | transitioning to a republic (from a constitutional
               | monarchy) is almost certainly a clear-cut case of a
               | legitimate piece of protest, and so if someone _did_
               | protest accordingly _without_ being rude and disruptive I
               | think this would be a perfect opportunity for the courts
               | to throw out the charge.
               | 
               | Edit: Further bits of fun law - "public nuisance" is both
               | a tort and a _very_ old legal concept, recommended
               | effectively for removal and updating from the criminal
               | statutes by the Law Commission in 2015 [2]. It is
               | described quite formally in many words (c.f. [2]) but
               | more usefully defined by the fact that
               | typically consists either of an environmental nuisance,
               | such as carrying on         works producing excessive
               | noise or smells, or of offensive or dangerous behaviour
               | in public, such as noisy parties and hanging from
               | bridges.          It also includes obstructing the public
               | highway, though now this is also a statutory offence.
               | 
               | Public nuisance therefore is a _much_ lower bar to
               | offence than either the public order act or breach of the
               | peace would be; and unlike those acts there is no
               | requirement for a _mens rea_ : there is no requirement
               | that the defendant intended or was reckless about whether
               | his conduct caused the relevant kind of harm. This is
               | quite a key point as it de facto lets the police decide
               | what the line is, with no input required on the part of
               | the defendant. I would be very interested to see a
               | reconciliation of these rights with that of freedom to
               | expression and the broader constitutional right to
               | protest in the UK.
               | 
               | [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police,_Crime,_Sentenci
               | ng_and_...
               | 
               | [2] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/u
               | ploads/...
        
               | bawolff wrote:
               | So? the US is a weird, barely functioning, democracy. Why
               | would anyone want to emulate it?
        
               | deskamess wrote:
               | What makes it weird? Why is it barely functioning?
        
               | peyton wrote:
               | Not arresting protestors is probably a good thing to
               | emulate regardless of your feelings about the US.
        
               | gambiting wrote:
               | Why does everything have to be so extremist with the US?
               | Everything taken to the absolute maximum imaginable?
               | 
               | Protests should be allowed, but it's not an absolute god
               | given right - if you're being a dick, destroying public
               | property, advocating violence or hate - then no, you
               | shouldn't be allowed to protest. I know in America you
               | let even neo nazis march your streets and boast how
               | that's "freedom" but that's not freedom - that's blindly
               | following certain ideology(freedom to do anything AT ALL
               | costs) without any consideration as to what that does to
               | your society.
        
               | mwint wrote:
               | USAian here:
               | 
               | > Protests should be allowed
               | 
               | They are.
               | 
               | > destroying public property
               | 
               | Is illegal and you can be arrested for it.
               | 
               | > advocating violence or hate
               | 
               | Is illegal and you can be arrested for it.
               | 
               | You just can't be arrested for "being rude". You have to
               | commit a crime.
               | 
               | Protesting does not mean you're immune to prosecution for
               | non-free-speech crimes. What happened with the BLM riots
               | was simply governments deciding, for one reason or
               | another, not to stop the crimes being committed.
        
               | bawolff wrote:
               | as another example, US lets you bring guns to protests, i
               | am 100% on board with how my government (canada) arrests
               | any idiots who show up with a firearm to a protest.
               | 
               | I generally like the right to protest, but i dont want
               | 100% free for all.
        
               | renewiltord wrote:
               | This is exactly why I refuse to walk. I'm told that
               | Hitler once walked.
        
               | koheripbal wrote:
               | Regardless of the legalities, it's not a behaviour anyone
               | should be proud of.
               | 
               | If shitting in the street were legal would you complain
               | when people passed a law to stop your bad behaviour?
        
               | thomassmith65 wrote:
               | That's hardly something to be proud of. God, I hate
               | ideology.
        
               | LilBytes wrote:
               | I was about to quote the same church. Personally I think
               | the UK law got it right on this one.
        
           | zardo wrote:
           | A democracy certainly doesn't need rules to protect the
           | dignity of it's royal family.
        
             | ysleepy wrote:
             | Not a royal privilege though, the commoners enjoy the right
             | to an undisturbed funeral too.
        
               | misnome wrote:
               | Ah, so the entire country counts as the site of a funeral
               | now?
        
               | yellowapple wrote:
               | It does if it's for a royal, I guess.
        
           | ben_w wrote:
           | In a democracy? Sure, arrests can still occur, but one needs
           | to be a lot more careful than the argument OP used.
           | 
           | However, the UK is a _kingdom_ in various important ways, and
           | this was the funeral of the head of state and the head of the
           | official state religion.
        
           | koheripbal wrote:
           | Screeching profanities at a funeral march should be a minor
           | crime. ...but perhaps more importantly, you should just be
           | ashamed of your childish behaviour.
        
           | googlryas wrote:
           | It's not being arrested for poor taste. They're being
           | arrested for their actions, not their beliefs.
           | 
           | Is there some democracy somewhere which doesn't have a public
           | nuisance/breaching the peace style law?
        
             | mytailorisrich wrote:
             | Let's just say that the hecklers have been arrested much,
             | much faster (pretty much instantly, apparently) than the
             | "eco-activists" who recently blocked roads, petrol
             | stations, even motorways...
        
               | koheripbal wrote:
               | I think we agree that all disruptive assholes should be
               | arrested quickly.
        
           | metacritic12 wrote:
           | Is stealing someone else's wallet also in poor taste? Yes.
           | 
           | If that thief gets arrested, is it just because it is poor
           | taste? No.
           | 
           | Same thing with hurling obscenities at a funeral.
        
           | dqh wrote:
           | Do you really think you should have the right to disrupt the
           | funeral of someone you don't like?
        
             | pharmakom wrote:
             | What if the funeral is a 10 day extravaganza at tax payer
             | expense whilst some families are choosing between eating
             | and heating?
        
               | gambiting wrote:
               | I think we're reaching some insane point in this
               | discussion when a funeral of one of the most well known
               | people in the world, where leaders of literally every
               | major superpower are coming over to pay their respects is
               | called an extravaganza.
        
               | dTal wrote:
        
               | rlpb wrote:
               | Since about half the country seem to want to show up, it
               | seems reasonable and proportionate. I wouldn't have a
               | problem with some celebrity's funeral being a huge affair
               | either, even if I didn't care for that celebrity myself.
               | 
               | In case I'm misunderstood, I don't feel strongly either
               | way about the British royalty, but I'm OK with allowing a
               | significant proportion of the population being left alone
               | to get on with what ceremony they want to do, given that
               | they want to do it.
        
             | alasdair_ wrote:
             | Yes. Absolutely. Assuming it's being held in public and,
             | especially, if it's a state figure.
             | 
             | Even more so if the public is the one paying for the
             | funeral in the first place. You're definitely allowed to be
             | rude at a funeral you're footing the bill for.
        
             | lupire wrote:
             | USA has the famous Phelps family, a fake religion who
             | attack funerals and then sue the victims for fighting back,
             | and win.
        
               | alasdair_ wrote:
               | This happens less so now that large numbers of bikers
               | show up each time they try and stand directly in front of
               | them, holding large flags to block their signs.
        
               | bawolff wrote:
               | So in your view, the Phelps family is morally right?
               | 
               | If not, why did you respond with this to a question about
               | is it morally right to protest at a funeral?
        
           | babypuncher wrote:
           | I think it's fair to make certain events, like funerals, off-
           | limits to protest.
           | 
           | Freedom of speech does not mean you are free to say anything
           | you want wherever you want. I can't just walk into the Oval
           | Office and start hurling obscenities at the President, and
           | attempting to do so is likely to get me shot by the Secret
           | Service.
        
             | jakelazaroff wrote:
             | _> Freedom of speech does not mean you are free to say
             | anything you want wherever you want. I can 't just walk
             | into the Oval Office and start hurling obscenities at the
             | President, and attempting to do so is likely to get me shot
             | by the Secret Service._
             | 
             | For trespassing. This example has nothing to do with
             | speech.
        
               | bawolff wrote:
               | It has the same amount as the thing this article is
               | about, which makes it a good comparison (the article also
               | has nothing to do with the content of the speech)
        
             | tastyfreeze wrote:
             | You can hurl all the obscenities you like at the President.
             | You might be removed from the property but you won't be
             | shot.
        
           | munk-a wrote:
           | I was absolutely in favor of opposing funeral protests when
           | they were happening in America[1]. Freedom to protest doesn't
           | mean the freedom to abuse people when they're in an
           | emotionally fragile state. I think it's perfectly fair to
           | have a discussion about the validity of the monarchy moving
           | forward - and I think it's also perfectly fair to let those
           | folks who had some emotional connection (whether reciprocated
           | or single-directional) attend a funeral to remember the queen
           | in peace.
           | 
           | 1. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-
           | xpm-2006-04-20-060420... - the government didn't directly
           | step in in this case but the protestors were effectively
           | silenced by way to crowds of decent folks with loud
           | motorcycles.
        
             | [deleted]
        
           | throwawaylinux wrote:
           | They arrested a person for making a video of his dog doing
           | nazi salutes. It's not that the royal family is singularly
           | fragile about being upset by other peoples' expression, the
           | whole of the UK is like that.
        
             | lupire wrote:
             | Fragile, civilized. Potato, potato.
        
             | alasdair_ wrote:
             | > They arrested a person for making a video of his dog
             | doing nazi salutes. It's not that the royal family is
             | singularly fragile about being upset by other peoples'
             | expression, the whole of the UK is like that.
             | 
             | And yet at the same time one of the biggest movies in the
             | cinema was a Nazi spoof comedy with jokes in far poorer
             | taste. But the movie producers have money.
        
               | gambiting wrote:
               | That's like complaining that you will get arrested for
               | having sex in the middle of the street, but sex in a film
               | is somehow fine(surely it's because movie producers have
               | money and are in cahoots with the government, and not for
               | any other, more logical reason, like the fact that art
               | forms, no matter how poor in taste, are protected by
               | society).
        
         | bhk wrote:
         | I immediately suspected it was a misleading headline. (NPR was
         | a clue.)
        
         | throwawaymanbot wrote:
        
         | matthewh806 wrote:
         | I see this exact same comment did pretty well on Reddit too:
         | https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/comments/xckw5v/comme...
         | 
         | 1. Not all of the arrests have been made at a "funeral" 2. It
         | wasn't a funeral 3. If you're going to have a very public
         | precession, parading a body through the streets with all the
         | obedients lapping it up, surely you have to have a level of
         | tolerance for dissenting voices? I imagine the disruption this
         | event caused on Edinburgh was pretty large...
         | 
         | There's wall to wall coverage of this event happening worldwide
         | right now, we need room for the dissenting voices too.
         | Otherwise it's just outright sycophancy
        
         | nimbius wrote:
         | i see quite a few confusing or ill spirited comments so I
         | suppose most of this thread is from a distinctly United States
         | American perspective. Its worth kindly pointing out the UK has
         | its own law and order, much of which applies to your character
         | and conduct in the public sphere.
         | 
         | Conversely Whilst considered in egregiously poor taste, burlish
         | crass and offensive protests are generally permitted in the USA
         | provided they are performed on public property. a prime example
         | is the Westboro Baptist Church, a cavalcade of questionably
         | religious zealots who protest everything from LGBTQ funerals to
         | the funerals of war veterans. They shout, scream, and generally
         | send mourners into distress and misery for the duration of
         | their service.
        
         | mhh__ wrote:
         | Oh well that's all right then...
        
         | bjourne wrote:
         | The queen was a public figure whose lavish livelihood were paid
         | for by British tax-payers. So it seems to me that British
         | people should have the right to celebrate her death in any way
         | they please. Curtailing people's freedom of speech by misusing
         | public order laws (the queen's funeral is not comparable to any
         | normal funeral) is curtailing freedom of speech.
        
         | pera wrote:
         | Note that the arrests happened during the proclamation ceremony
         | of the new king. The funeral will be next Monday.
        
         | wutbrodo wrote:
         | True of the first two examples, but:
         | 
         | > in London, a woman was led away by four uniformed officers on
         | Monday after holding up a sign reading "Not my king" -- which
         | has become a trending hashtag -- near Westminster Hall.
         | 
         | If you count that as rude, you're essentially counting any
         | dissent as rude, no?
        
         | mhh__ wrote:
         | You should be allowed to have a sign with swearing on it.
         | 
         | If prince Andrew gets to parade around in public give the
         | peasants some leeway as well
        
         | bendbro wrote:
        
         | kazinator wrote:
         | Police are looking for barrister Paul Powlesland who held up a
         | blank sign and only said we was _going_ to write  "not my king"
         | on it:
         | 
         | https://twitter.com/paulpowlesland/status/156935177260655002...
        
         | Havoc wrote:
         | >They are being arrested for being rude about it.
         | 
         | Which is substantially worse.
         | 
         | Rudeness is so subjective and context sensitive that it really
         | shouldn't form the basis for arrests
        
           | Gigachad wrote:
           | This is the UK. You get arrested for taking a plastic knife
           | outside or making mean tweets.
        
           | tills13 wrote:
           | It's likely for "disturbing the peace" which is a little more
           | cut-and-dry than rudeness. So many weird people on both sides
           | of this event, though. I don't care about the queen but props
           | to you if you do. Let's just not make it a thing more than it
           | needs to be.
        
           | lliamander wrote:
           | It may not be good that people are being arrested for
           | rudeness, but it is definitely better than them being
           | arrested for their political views.
        
         | AndyMcConachie wrote:
         | Oh ok. Does that mean if we ask nicely we can dissolve the
         | monarchy?
        
           | ipaddr wrote:
           | No nor can you dissolve the cia, close down US prisons
           | operating in Cuba or get the truth about ufos. Nor can you
           | vote for whoever you want to run the country you are given
           | two choices.
        
           | haunter wrote:
           | I mean yes? Elect MPs, vote for parties that support the
           | republic movement for a starter. It doesn't really help when
           | all the mainstream parties in the Westminster are royalists.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | datalopers wrote:
       | I didn't know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous
       | collective. [1]
       | 
       | [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8bqQ-C1PSE
        
       | bawolff wrote:
       | Im totally A-ok with arresting people disrupting a funeral.
       | 
       | Like sessh. These are people too. Let them have a funeral, you
       | can protest them afterwards.
        
         | alasdair_ wrote:
         | Disrupting a funeral is one thing. Disrupting a funeral the
         | public is forced to pay millions of pounds for, while other
         | members of said public can't afford food and electricity, is a
         | completely different matter.
        
           | bawolff wrote:
           | I don't think that it is. The rich and powerful are still
           | real people with real grief. I'm not opposed to people
           | protesting parliment or whatever, but let the mourners mourn
           | in peace.
        
             | kennend3 wrote:
             | I think you missed his point.
             | 
             | The public paid for this funeral, and therefor they have
             | every right to participate in it.
             | 
             | They should show some respect, it is a funeral after all.
             | If they wanted a "private funeral" they should pay for one.
        
               | bawolff wrote:
               | Is it your view that just because the state pays for
               | something the public has every right to do whatever they
               | want with it?
               | 
               | This seems obviously false. Try walking into the petagon
               | some time proclaiming "the public paid for this military
               | base and therefor i have every right to participate in
               | it." And see how far that gets you.
        
         | prvc wrote:
         | I'll bet vanishingly few of the people with their hackles up
         | over this spoke out in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church
         | when it was in the news for their funeral protests.
        
         | mhh__ wrote:
         | This "funeral" is basically shutting down lots of the country
         | for a week.
        
       | AnimalMuppet wrote:
       | For all its faults, I love the US. I can go downtown with a sign
       | that says "Not my president", and I may get some cheers, may get
       | some boos. What I _won 't_ get is arrested.
       | 
       | This is true no matter who is president.
       | 
       | Now, if I were saying this about President Harris, say, when she
       | came to visit Biden's body while it was lying in state, that
       | would be _deplorable_ taste. It would be worse if my sign
       | criticized Biden while his family came to pay their respects.
       | That 's pretty extreme levels of being a tasteless jerk. It's not
       | grounds for arrest, though... in the US.
        
         | Gordonjcp wrote:
         | But you can be arrested for crossing the street in the wrong
         | place, and you can be shot by the police for any reason,
         | including because they feel like it.
        
           | tialaramex wrote:
           | To be fair the British cops sometimes shoot black people for
           | dubious reasons too. It's taken a bit more seriously here
           | (there will automatically be an investigation if anybody dies
           | after police contact not only the extremes of "a cop shot
           | them" or "he apparently committed suicide while in police
           | custody" but even something like "Police called for a welfare
           | check, decided everything was fine, but an hour later her
           | boyfriend strangled her to death") - but it does happen which
           | isn't great, and it is more notable since the vast majority
           | of British cops don't have guns, so this means they
           | specifically brought in armed police.
        
         | Kukumber wrote:
         | That's indeed very worrying, considering their stance on
         | "political arrests":
         | 
         | Not too long ago: (Anti-war protesters arrested and beaten in
         | Russia) https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60641749
         | 
         | And i suspect the US will follow the UK in the upcoming midterm
         | election, 2024 is shaping up to be very interesting too
         | 
         | Democracy is taking a huge hit in the west
        
           | cies wrote:
           | When a govt allows itself to be professionally lobbied, and
           | those lobbiest are well know by political science profs to
           | have "more say in policy decisions than the voters", do you
           | think such a govt can ever be truly democratic?
           | 
           | At what point "democracy: becomes a facade, an empty ritual?
           | 
           | (And sadly, more an more a justification to go at war)
        
         | klyrs wrote:
         | > I can go downtown with a sign that says "Not my president",
         | 
         | Try that at the next ex-President's funeral.
        
           | cies wrote:
           | I recently saw a video of the current one, I was afraid he
           | would not make it will christmas.
           | 
           | Unless of course Liz to him her trick. :)
        
         | codefreeordie wrote:
         | You would probably not get arrested, but depending on what city
         | you did this in, and under what circumstances, you might get
         | dead.
        
           | soupbowl wrote:
           | Any examples of that happening?
        
             | potta_coffee wrote:
             | Well, you may be killed but that's incidental to whatever
             | speech you're practicing; you'll just be killed for your
             | wallet.
        
             | troutwine wrote:
             | Trolling for violent reaction was one of the reasons the
             | Westboro Baptist Church would post up outside of funerals.
             | So far as I know it rarely worked, if ever.
        
             | mjhay wrote:
             | There has been a examples of this happening in the US, yes.
             | 
             | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hampton
             | 
             | https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/20/us/protests-policing-
             | geor...
             | 
             | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/29/us-police-
             | br...
        
             | teachrdan wrote:
             | https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/seattle-protester-
             | hit-...
             | 
             | "As protesters took to the streets in Indiana on July 6 to
             | decry an alleged hate crime at Lake Monroe, a red Toyota
             | Corolla sped toward them, dragging two protesters along, on
             | the hood and on the side of the car. Both suffered non-
             | life-threatening injuries. A few days later, a 66-year-old
             | white woman was arrested and charged in the incident."
             | 
             | It was a point of pride for many right wingers to threaten
             | to crash their cars into non-violent protestors.
        
         | tmpz22 wrote:
         | You say this but IMO its not exactly true.
         | 
         | By far my favorite example is the UC Davis pepper spray event.
         | Where sitting sedintary protestors were pepper sprayed by
         | campus police (the school then engaged a PR firm to attempt to
         | wipe evidence from the internet...)
         | 
         | [1]:
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UC_Davis_pepper_spray_incident
        
           | miles wrote:
           | "The three dozen student demonstrators, meanwhile, were
           | collectively awarded US$1 million by UC Davis in a settlement
           | from a federal lawsuit, with each pepper-sprayed student
           | receiving $30,000 individually."
        
         | carabiner wrote:
        
           | googlryas wrote:
           | reddit.com comment material right here.
        
         | Jabbles wrote:
         | > It's not grounds for arrest, though... in the US
         | 
         | Are you sure? It's not absolutely certain.
         | 
         | https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1112/funeral-pr...
        
         | haunter wrote:
         | That reminds me to my favorite Soviet-era joke
         | 
         | An american reporter visits a communist country and asks a
         | person on the street about freedom. He says "America is so free
         | I can stand up on the subway and criticize and say anything
         | about the president, no one would care about it. How is the
         | situation here?" The person replies: "Well I can can stand up
         | on the subway and criticize and say anything about the US
         | president here too, no one would care about it!"
        
         | vkou wrote:
         | > What I won't get is arrested.
         | 
         | You must have missed the summer of love that we had two years
         | ago, when crowds of protesters were regularly beaten and
         | gassed, and often arrested (Charges would, of course, get
         | dropped, because it's not actually illegal to protest.)
         | 
         | But you are correct, it's possible to protest the British
         | monarchy as much as you want in the US, with next to
         | consequences. :)
        
           | thrown_22 wrote:
           | mostly-peaceful.jpg
           | 
           | https://www.nationalreview.com/wp-
           | content/uploads/2020/08/CN...
        
         | tialaramex wrote:
         | _Maybe_ what this says is that you 're not paying attention,
         | _maybe_ it says you belong to a group who US police are less
         | likely to target for arrest. Or maybe you 'd just end up dead
         | in a ditch instead of arrested, which doesn't seem better than
         | getting arrested.
         | 
         | Bad taste isn't grounds for arrest in the UK either. In the
         | unlikely event any of these people end up actually in court,
         | they'll be charged with something else, in most cases it seems
         | like public order offences. The same sort of charge you'd get
         | if the cops arrest you drunk outside a bar yelling abuse at
         | people and they decide you won't just sober up and go home with
         | a caution.
         | 
         | Here's what the ACLU were able to have released from the White
         | House (in the Bush era) about what the Secret Service do to
         | prepare before a presidential visit:
         | 
         | "As a last resort, security should remove the demonstrators
         | from the event site"
         | 
         | It doesn't say they get arrested, but of course if you're not
         | free to go about your business, then does it really matter
         | whether you were "arrested" or not ?
        
           | sokoloff wrote:
           | When later answering questions on a security clearance SF-86
           | application or other background check "have you been arrested
           | in the last seven years?" would be one way in which it could
           | matter.
        
             | ipaddr wrote:
             | That is not a question you would be asked. You would be
             | asked if you have ever been convicted of a criminal offense
             | a pardon wasn't granted for.
        
               | waiwai933 wrote:
               | > Section 22 - Police Record
               | 
               | > For this section report information regardless of
               | whether the record in your case has been sealed,
               | expunged, or otherwise stricken from the court record, or
               | the charge was dismissed. You need not report convictions
               | under the Federal Controlled Substances Act for which the
               | court issued an expungement order under the authority of
               | 21 U.S.C. 844 or 18 U.S.C. 3607. Be sure to include all
               | incidents whether occurring in the U.S. or abroad.
               | 
               | > 22.1 Have any of the following happened? (If 'Yes' you
               | will be asked to provide details for each offense that
               | pertains to the actions that are identified below.)
               | 
               | > - In the last seven (7) years have you been issued a
               | summons, citation, or ticket to appear in court in a
               | criminal proceeding against you? (Do not check if all the
               | citations involved traffic infractions where the fine was
               | less than $300 and did not include alcohol or drugs)
               | 
               | > - In the last seven (7) years have you been arrested by
               | any police officer, sheriff, marshal or any other type of
               | law enforcement official?
               | 
               | > - In the last seven (7) years have you been charged
               | with, convicted of, or sentenced for a crime in any
               | court? (Include all qualifying charges, convictions or
               | sentences in any Federal, state, local, military, or
               | non-U.S. court, even if previously listed on this form).
               | 
               | > - In the last seven (7) years have you been or are you
               | currently on probation or parole?
               | 
               | > - Are you currently on trial or awaiting a trial on
               | criminal charges?
        
               | sokoloff wrote:
               | See section 22 here:
               | https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf
               | 
               | It reads in part:
               | 
               | For this section report information regardless of whether
               | the record in your case has been sealed, expunged, or
               | otherwise stricken from the court record, or the charge
               | was dismissed. You need not report convictions under the
               | Federal Controlled Substances Act for which the court
               | issued an expungement order under the authority of 21
               | U.S.C. 844 or 18 U.S.C. 3607. Be sure to include all
               | incidents whether occurring in the U.S. or abroad.
               | 
               | 22.1 Have any of the following happened? (If 'Yes' you
               | will be asked to provide details for each offense that
               | pertains to the actions that are identified below.)
               | 
               | - In the last seven (7) years have you been issued a
               | summons, citation, or ticket to appear in court in a
               | criminal proceeding against you? (Do not check if all the
               | citations involved traffic infractions where the fine was
               | less than $300 and did not include alcohol or drugs)
               | 
               | - In the last seven (7) years have you been arrested by
               | any police officer, sheriff, marshal or any other type of
               | law enforcement official?
               | 
               | - In the last seven (7) years have you been charged with,
               | convicted of, or sentenced for a crime in any court?
               | (Include all qualifying charges, convictions or sentences
               | in any Federal, state, local, military, or non-U.S.
               | court, even if previously listed on this form).
               | 
               | - In the last seven (7) years have you been or are you
               | currently on probation or parole?
               | 
               | - Are you currently on trial or awaiting a trial on
               | criminal charges?
        
         | googlryas wrote:
         | You can do that in the UK too, just not during a funeral
         | procession.
         | 
         | The US has laws against protesting at the funerals of Armed
         | Service members. If you really want to rage against something,
         | why not the thing from your own society, instead of the thing
         | from some other society?
        
           | lupire wrote:
           | There is a bit of a correlation between people who are
           | ignorant of the world around them, and people who don't see a
           | need for civilized behavior.
        
           | rconti wrote:
           | Citation? I've never heard this before. I'm aware of the
           | westboro baptist protesting at funerals of gay people or
           | other "sinners" they don't like; they're wholly awful people.
           | I didn't realize it was illegal to protest at a
           | servicemember's funeral, though. Does this come out of the
           | Vietnam war?
        
       | Janicc wrote:
       | This is a country in which people who share memes mocking the
       | trans flag are arrested. At least they're being consistent.
       | Although obviously I'd prefer neither being arrested in the first
       | place.
        
         | Gigachad wrote:
         | The official reason that guy got arrested was for "a tweet
         | causing anxiety"
        
       | lern_too_spel wrote:
       | What fun is a monarchy if you can't have a revolution?
        
         | metacritic12 wrote:
         | In order to get towards that goal, Charles III should up the
         | ante and use his reserve powers to dissolve parliament. Would
         | make for a good show to see what the reaction would be.
        
           | krona wrote:
           | > Would make for a good show to see what the reaction would
           | be.
           | 
           | Mostly supportive.
        
       | Kukumber wrote:
        
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