Monday, November 27, 2006

Police want power to crack down on offensive demo chants and slogans

Guardian Unlimited reporteed 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. The country's biggest force, the Metropolitan police, is to lobby the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, because officers believe that large sections of the population have become increasingly politicised, and there is a growing sense that the current restrictions on demonstrations are too light.

Good luck. Britain doe have a bigger Islamist problem that we do, and they don't have a 1st Amendment Freedom of Speech to worry about, but there is article 10 of the European convention on human rights which protects freedom of expression which might get in the way.
Trouble at recent protests involving Islamic extremists has galvanised the Met's assistant commissioner, Tarique Ghaffur, into planning a crackdown. His proposals are due to be sent to Lord Goldsmith, who is reviewing how effective the current laws are in tackling extremists.

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