First arrests under the New Police Act preventing freedom of speech

DaisyAnne

It wasn't a man who was arrested, was it Grany. A woman was arrested for Breach of the Peace (2010).

In Scottish law, you can be charged with breaching the peace if you engage in any kind of disorderly behaviour which would have a negative effect on other people who bore witness to it. You could get into trouble for things such as swearing or shouting, and the law extends to things like using or threatening with weapons, or sending messages which could be interpreted as being abusive.

Whether you are guilty is another thing.

Yes it was a man who was arrested you can read his personal account that I shared

Then it was a man and a woman. His account ... mmm. I will wait for the police account, I think.

Footage of a young woman standing silently holding a small piece of cardboard which read, “ Not my King”

Then surrounded by at least 6-8 police and moved away- not clear to where.

We could be watching the Red Square.

Westminster

Police arresting people holding BLANK pieces of paper.

?

Amnesty Scotland

@AmnestyScotland
·
13h
It’s incredibly important that at all times – even those of national mourning – that the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest are upheld. No one should be arrested for peacefully expressing their opinion.

There is footage on twitter, of Russian police carrying out the exact same arrests as British police, over people holding blank sheets of paper as well as signs of protest.

A reminder. If we come out of the ECHR we will be the only country in Europe along with Russia who have done so.

This is not about the right to protest, campaigning to abolish the Monarchy during the mourning period is highly disrespectful. The whole nation is paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth, now is the time for republicans to keep quiet, but of course some extremists see it as a chance for publicity.

Katie59

This is not about the right to protest, campaigning to abolish the Monarchy during the mourning period is highly disrespectful. The whole nation is paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth, now is the time for republicans to keep quiet, but of course some extremists see it as a chance for publicity.

That is your opinion. It is not mine.

For now, this is a free country and nobody gets to tell anyone else they need to keep quiet about strongly held beliefs.

I honestly feel sympathy for the police in these situations they are at a time of heighten security.
I question the motives of these protesters this is not the time or the place in such an emotional setting for those that are attending. These various memorial events are not all about them and what they think I suspect the majority of the people attending have no interest in their protests and may find it offensive and unwanted.
The police obviously do not want any scuffles taking place as it takes their eye off what they are supposed to be doing.

I find your views offensive and unwanted rosie. I would support your right to say them.

I am not a monarchist but from what I have been reading the Queen was quite good at 'protest' even in a role that demanded neutrality.

Everyone has the right to protest but not to be aggressive and violent. Those people glueing themselves to the roads for instance., disrupting everyone, costing the country a fortune get no ones sympathy. Protesting and shouting abuse at the Queens procession to her resting place, tidally out if order and upsetting thousands who acted with dignity. There will never be anti abortion here, it's ridiculous suggesting it.

What do you think the motives of the protesters are rosie1959? To make their views known to a wide audience and draw attention to their cause, maybe?

Katie59

This is not about the right to protest, campaigning to abolish the Monarchy during the mourning period is highly disrespectful. The whole nation is paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth, now is the time for republicans to keep quiet, but of course some extremists see it as a chance for publicity.

Since when was being 'disrespectful' a criminal offence, Katie59?

Like many posters, I am appalled at the arrests made over this weekend.

Allsorts

Everyone has the right to protest but not to be aggressive and violent. Those people glueing themselves to the roads for instance., disrupting everyone, costing the country a fortune get no ones sympathy. Protesting and shouting abuse at the Queens procession to her resting place, tidally out if order and upsetting thousands who acted with dignity. There will never be anti abortion here, it's ridiculous suggesting it.

Somebody asked last night what havering means.

Here you go, great example.

Was the person holding a blank piece of paper being aggressive and violent? And I'm going to need some help with the "abortion" bit....

Whitewavemark2

Westminster

Police arresting people holding BLANK pieces of paper.

The man in question has just been in TV.

Do not think he was arrested.

on not in

Who will you trust to decide what is disrespectful. What if it was decided that any protests against behaviour within the police were disrespectful.

volver

What do you think the motives of the protesters are rosie1959? To make their views known to a wide audience and draw attention to their cause, maybe?

In this situation the audience are hardly likely to be interested in their views they have queuing up knee deep to catch a view of the queen.
They actually only gain any recognition if they are arrested and it hits the news

It is not a crime to be disrespectful. Clamping down on free speech and freedom of expression should be worrying for all of us. I may disagree - sometimes vehemently - with the views of some posters on here, but I would just as vehemently defend their right to express those views.

So it worked then, because we are talking about the protests they made.

The Royal Mile has seen a lot more kerfuffle in the past than a young lad shouting at a parade.

volver

So it worked then, because we are talking about the protests they made.

The Royal Mile has seen a lot more kerfuffle in the past than a young lad shouting at a parade.

We are talking about the protesters but not really about their message they were trying to convey
The protesters certainly don't affend me my personal feelings towards them are irrelevant
I am sure the Royal Mile has seen many a kerfuffle but not so many at a time of heighten security with snipers on the rooftops with the police having to prevent any disruption or disturbances.
It was quite clear how some of the crowd reacted to the man shouting his views at Prince Andrew
My views may not be PC or correct but just my thoughts of what was happening

It was quite clear how some of the crowd reacted to the man shouting his views at Prince Andrew.

Yes it was. The police dragged off somebody for shouting but didn't act at all on the two men who had physically attacked him.

As for the Royal Mile, I think things were probably pretty volatile when the Jacobite Army used it during the '45, or during the Porteous Riots. Or when James V's wife walked her children up there after he had been killed.

It is dangerous to stop people expressing opinions and feelings, unless the intention is to agitate for criminal activity. It's not a crime to be a republican.

I am a monarchist and I may become a republican if I so wish.

If silencing republican opinion gets worse the best way to support free speech is for everyone to come out as a rebel, like the King of Denmark wore the yellow star for a Jew, and like the King of England drank from his finger bowl so the foreign guest would not be shamed.

Actually I think it was James IV's wife. Sorry.