“The Tories clearly want to appear tough on crime but criminalising people who wish to vent their unhappiness in a democracy isn’t the way to do so. After all, if there is a crime crisis, it is surely because pre-existing laws aren’t being properly enforced. Coppers seem more interested in scouring Twitter for alleged hate speech and parading their own woke credentials on Instagram than hauling protestors off motorways. Even when brute force is actually deployed, it is highly inconsistent: kid gloves for BLM, but not for anti-lockdown demonstrations or the Sarah Everard vigil. The police are often clueless about using the powers they already possess. Why does Priti Patel want to hand officers further powers that they don’t need?”
Read the full article on The Spectator.