Police to ask home secretary to approve use of water cannon across country

[BelgianMadCow]

Source: The Guardian

Chief constables are to press the home secretary, Theresa May, to authorise the use of water cannon by any police force across England and Wales to deal with anticipated street protests.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) says that the need to control continued protests "from ongoing and potential future austerity measures" justifies the introduction of water cannon in Britain for the first time.

The London mayor, Boris Johnson, has already announced a consultation on the introduction of water cannon on to the streets of London ready for use by this summer.

A new Acpo/College of Policing briefing paper makes clear that chief constables across England and Wales have also been asked to discuss water cannon with their police and crime commissioners and "it is anticipated that the home secretary will be approached in early 2014 in respect of water cannon authorisation".

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/22/police-home-secretary-approve-use-water-cannon-austerity-protest

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This comes on the heels of planned laws designed to curb protest, reported earlier:

All this is about to get much worse. On Wednesday the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill reaches its report stage (close to the end of the process) in the House of Lords. It is remarkable how little fuss has been made about it, and how little we know of what is about to hit us.

The bill would permit injunctions against anyone of 10 or older who "has engaged or threatens to engage in conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to any person". It would replace asbos with ipnas (injunctions to prevent nuisance and annoyance), which would not only forbid certain forms of behaviour, but also force the recipient to discharge positive obligations. In other words, they can impose a kind of community service order on people who have committed no crime, which could, the law proposes, remain in force for the rest of their lives.

The bill also introduces public space protection orders, which can prevent either everybody or particular kinds of people from doing certain things in certain places. It creates new dispersal powers, which can be used by the police to exclude people from an area (there is no size limit), whether or not they have done anything wrong.

The law wasn't passed the first time around, but couple these things with Spain's huge fines for protesting, and the outlawing of striking in Greece, and you start to see how ugly the EU has become, and how hypocritical its stance on the protest in Ukraine.

[Dustlawyer]

1. We saw with OWS what they were prepared to do to discourage us from protesting.

I am sure it has been modified and made more severe since. OWS caught them off guard, they are ready now!

[BelgianMadCow]

2. A fair assessment

The US is there, the UK is going there. The UK public is awake, (judging by the overwhelming & "bi"partisan commenting at the Guardian). The US is not.

And the EU is disintegrating. Barriers are being raised to intra-EU immigrants, capital controls remain in place and the TTIP has just been put on hold (didn't bother to post that last fact yet).

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. And Ukraine has gone wayyyyyyy beyond there.

Laying out a path for others to follow:



(thanks to n2doc's post)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024370897

[BelgianMadCow]

6. and Belgium has passed the GAS(sic)-law, which has been used to fine perfectly peaceful

Last edited Wed Jan 22, 2014, 07:18 PM - Edit history (1)

anti-Monsanto protest in Antwerp. Protest which also went on in Brussels, in the thousands, and NOT A WORD in our MSM. Spanish law is about half way in between Belgium and the Ukraine.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. TPTB are very fearful, aren't they?

I think Egypt scared the hell out of them. They have been so very very quick to over react on such a grand scale.

Fortunately, there is this:

[BelgianMadCow]

8. I hear you

and I agree.

[FiveGoodMen]

9. Yes, but they're also VERY well armed!

[blkmusclmachine]

3. Dissent is dangerous to the Police State

[1000words]

4. They know how this ends ...

Like it always does.

[davidthegnome]

10. Depressing.

Years ago, I was a member of an online support group (personal stuff) that had a great number of Europeans - primarily they were from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. We used to talk about the differences in social safety nets, things like insurance, education, paid leave for pregnancy and so on. I was often shocked when they told me about not having to pay outrageous amounts of money for tests, doctors visits, medications - and so on. I was intrigued by their public transportation system and their (in many areas) more modern infrastructure. They often pointed out to me what they saw as the flaws of capitalism, and I frequently agreed with them.

I used to think to myself, that if things ever became more desperate here, I would consider moving to a European Country. Now it seems that they're quickly falling into the same sort of condition that we're in. I've heard that several Countries are leading the way in regards to liberal policy now... Sweden, Finland, possibly Denmark and Norway.

I need to do my research. This American dream I'm dreaming is a frigging nightmare I can't wake up from.