Allira
No-one is attacking Quakers.
Cariad what in earth are you on about?
Quakers are peaceful but, as I said earlier, possibly rather naïve and always look for the good in everyone.
They probably let their room to a group of what they thought were peaceful women, little knowing they were part of a much wider protest organisation planning to disrupt London on a daily basis.
As I said - this group are not peaceful Quakers.
If they joined the Quakers it was with ulterior motives.
Quite possible in terms of letting the room.
But you cant just "join" the Quakers like you do a political party. You can attend a meeting for worship.
The process of becoming a Quaker is like with many other Quaker processes, long and earnestly pondered by experienced long term Quakers. People like those quoted gleefully planning harm would never be able to join.
We're on the whole rather an earnest lot, and I think you are right there can sometimes be a certain naivety politically.
I don't trust the Sun at all. It's a shock horror scandal rag. I saw the pictures they claimed to be the Quaker door but did not give them credibility. You only have to look at a few Sun headlines to take anything with a pinch of salt.
In this one for example it accuses 4 in 10 police of being more interested in being "woke" than solving crimes
www.thesun.co.uk/news/34149868/cops-free-speech-crimes-police/
I see no reason not to trust the statement in the O/P about the break in and that there was no need to break in when there was a person on the door and the meetings inside were peaceful. They would not lie about the breaking in, end of. why would we want to make it up? Quakers are not anti police per se and indeed have a young community policeman attending a local meeting
Yes, the Sun found examples of a few extremists to say outrageous things and with any group you find some who just want to cause trouble and be martyrs.
I suspect, from my own student days, many young people are attracted to "right wrongs" and there are always the few who really want to attention seek who ruin it for everyone else.
It's not OK to say what they did, of course not. I don't know any Quaker that would speak like that, ever, after 40 years.
Allira You are right to say, "Not what I thought Quakers were like at all"
Yes, one older Quaker took part on a road protest - I don't agree with what she did, but it was as I have said a matter in Quakers for individuals to make this kind of decision.
We're much more inclined to peaceful candlelit vigils or standing with banners outside the local town hall, or organising interfaith meetings with other faiths to promote peaceful interaction, or for many the just the silent prayer and fellowship that meetings for worship consist of.
We don't have preachers or a leadership structure although people are chosen by mutual consent to take upon the duties or elders or pastoral care or clerical work. A few paid organisers. We were the first faith group to marry gay couples and so on.
Going back have been times when groups of Quakers have organised as in the Faslane protests against nuclear arms when were arrests for blocking the road, and of course arrests for conscientious objection to war.
