Cressida Dick under pressure after clashes tarnish vigil for Sarah Dame Cressida Dick is facing growing pressure to quit as Metropolitan Police commissioner after a vigil for Sarah Everard descended into chaos. Police arrested women and dispersed the crow

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  • I think this Sunday Times headline is in every Sunday newspaper.

    Does anyone on this forum have a view about it?

    Do forumbox members think it is relevant only to those living in London?

    BTW: in offering this thread I don't know what "tags" mean, nor "thread labels " (and I'm none the wiser by clicking on Help & Info! - but hopefully the subject/headline is clear enough

  • The crowd was breaking the law, they were gathering in great numbers with no social distancing. The police have a job to do and broke up the dangerous mob.. The mob attacked the police when they were trying to disperse the gathering. The police did nothing wrong. The mob had been warned not to gather but ignored the warning. People breaking the law were arrested... End Of.

    Ron , I agree with you about that woman's name. It sounds like a genital illness. ^^^^^^

    The Voice of Reason

  • The crowd were breaking the law, but it was outside, and I think we need some sensitivity here. I doubt that the crowd dispersed any quicker by handcuffing and arresting a few people.

    Boris would do well do abolish restrictions on outside gatherings on 29 March. Forget the rule of six. The chances of catching the virus in this way are absolutely minimal.

  • I'm getting sick of the personality traits of people who want to join a crowd, who need to have their feelings shared and endorsed by strangers, who hold placards for others to see which are glib slogans stating the obvious.

    It is becoming increasingly difficult for citizens to communicate with and influence the government when just about anything and everything generates crowd protesting, where the overriding thought that gets through to the government is that it is presiding over a population who seem to be in a continual state of over- excited if not manic dissatisfaction and civic disorder. It's straight out of the film Network, 45 years ago, where a self-appointed mad messiah on TV made his rant about something or other and fired up his viewers to open their windows and shout "I'm as mad as hell and I ain't gonna take it anymore". And here we are today with an exponentially-growing band of deranged citizens standing outside their home clapping or banging saucepans as a way of applauding the NHS for ….. doing its job.

    It is of course citizens' democratic right to protest and practically everyone worships the concept of democracy, with little or no ability or interest in defining its limits or fine tuning it for the 21st century. Thus, pulling down statues, holding up traffic, preventing aeroplanes from taking off and getting violent with those who question their position, all of that is under the halo of democracy.

    With endless demands and protests from active-minded citizens (or those with nothing better to do with their lives) it's hardly surprising that government gets into a state of decision-paralysis, obfuscation, deflection, vote-seeking lies and deceits, incompetence, self-serving ambition or career-protection. However, the awful truth to be faced is which comes first, the chicken or the egg. Maybe our feral over-indulged population has been getting the politicians it deserves and votes for.

    We need government leaders that fall somewhere between libertarians or anti-capitalists and right wing despots, whose idea of the truth is on a higher level than estate agents, financial advisers and public relation executives, with the assertiveness, courage and common sense to make decisions (actions, not reviews and enquiries). We need public services that are not so demonstrably inferior to their privatised equivalent, especially where there is no privatised equivalent (such as a police force with the sensitivity of Robocops with burnt out fuses, led by a dickhead).

  • I'm getting sick of the personality traits of people who want to join a crowd, who need to have their feelings shared and endorsed by strangers, who hold placards for others to see which are glib slogans stating the obvious.

    I agree.

    Does anyone on this forum have a view about it?

    Yes. Either the police enforce lock down rules or they don't. The fact that Boris seems to have made some public comments having sympathy for the protestors, totally undermines the police.

    So, we seem to be in a world where we all have to obey lockdown rules unless we are protesting on whatever woke matter is the issue of the day, then, we can all break the rules and do whatever the fuck we want. Good to know.

  • Either the police enforce lock down rules or they don't. The fact that Boris seems to have made some public comments having sympathy for the protestors, totally undermines the police.

    So, we seem to be in a world where we all have to obey lockdown rules unless we are protesting on whatever woke matter is the issue of the day, then, we can all break the rules and do whatever the fuck we want. Good to know.

    Boris's sympathy for the protestors is just another example of what he and his supporters claim reflects his libertarianism.

    I certainly agree with that last comment, I think the Met has become increasingly politicised and PC, but on the specific matter of protests, whether this one or the BLM ones you mention, if we are in lockdown, that is the law and the police should damn well enforce it.

    As for the judge, it was a cop out. The court didn't rule on anything and nor should they because the law was clear. Actually, I take that straight back. The judge should've just restated what the current law is, but instead chose to absolve himself of the matter. Sign of the times really.

    I think that's a cute but deceiving label to confer upon onself - or accept that description by others - when the truth is that he can't make up his mind on those issues where he hasn't yet determined if he will gain more votes than he will lose

    To some degree this makes him both a fake and a flake

    Then I look at the alternatives and maybe Boris is the least worse. It's awful that we have to console ourselves that way

    Of course, Boris has Priti Patel to make the ugly decisions. The trouble is that if she does Boris's dirty work and there are howls of protest, he may have to dissociate himself from Pritti Patel by making her the scapegoat, reshuffling her into oblivion.

    She could then be replaced by Victoria Atkins, currently posing as Minister for Vulnerability and Safeguarding (and facial expressions of empathy and distress if used as a feather cushion filler on the Andrew Marr and Sophie Ridge Sunday shows. The very existence of this piece of fluff in government is depressing to a vomit-making degree.

    Edited once, last by casablanca (March 16, 2021 at 2:23 PM).

  • We look at the crime -- The crime was related to the mob not social distancing and disobeying the Covid safety guidance rules. The police were obliged to uphold the law, which they did. That some of the mob refused to obey the law meant that our police had to take the necessary action.

    It shouldn't matter the reason that the law was being broken, to condone one reason over another would just lead to anarchy.

    The Voice of Reason

  • I think the record should be put straight here.

    As I understand it, the organisers of the event were told by the police they should not go ahead and so sought a High Court decision. The High Court did not issue a ruling but told both parties to come up with suitable arrangements.

    The Met still refused to allow the event, and when it threatened £10,000 fine, they had to pull out.

    This resulted in the chaos we saw when the police went in. It could have been an organised event with stewards, but the police went for the nuclear option.

    Any fool could see that this event needed treating with sensitivity. However, the Met chose the hobnail boot approach, and they wonder why people are upset.

    Morons. This crass stupidity only happened in London. In other parts of the country, vigils happened with the light touch approach and all was well.

    That’s why there are calls for Cressida Dick to resign.

  • The protestors were placing themselves and the police at risk of becoming infected and, thereafter imposing risk on anyone else with whom they associate. I've seen footage of the protest and the numbers show the impossibility of maintaining social distancing. This may have been claimed as being a vigil but that didn't become the reality, it became a protest mob the moment police tried to enforce the law and the judge who decided it wasn't his job to rule on needs to find another job.

  • Problem is these type of things always get taken over by the rent a mob crowd who just want to cause disruption and fight with the police, the so called innocents who then claim the police are being heavy handed sieze on it to feed thier own agenda, the fact is the law is the law we are in lockdown where ruled apply that prevent large gatherings, and there is no exception just because somone is feeling a bit upset about something.

  • Any fool could see that this event needed treating with sensitivity. However, the Met chose the hobnail boot approach, and they wonder why people are upset.

    How else could they enforce lock down rules OB? The protestors were told not to turn up, they did and then they were told to leave but they didn't.

    Women want to be treated as equals to men, except when they don't. If a woman refuses a police order and then uses resistance against the police, they should expect "robust" measures against them.

    To some degree this makes him both a fake and a flake

    As always, you do come up with some good catchlines. I like that one. I think that sums him up perfectly.

  • How else could they enforce lock down rules OB? The protestors were told not to turn up, they did and then they were told to leave but they didn't.

    Had the police allowed the organised event to go ahead, there would have been stewards and the whole thing would have gone smoothly, with social distancing.

    They did not have this problem in other parts of the country.

    The Met mucked up, I’m afraid.

  • There's so many issues here. We could argue that the majority of folk where not breaking the law and they all happened to be out on their daily exercise more or less at the same time. Everyone was social distancing to begin with before the Police kettled them in and most had masks on. The COVID laws have been written in such a way that there are many grey areas and people can find loopholes. Maybe this is done on purpose so they can rake in more fines, I don't know, but all the way through this pandemic everything the gov have said contradicts something else they have said. It's all very selective and often depends on what's in the media at the time. Allow BLM but don't allow this gathering in Clapham yet there where many other gatherings throughout the UK with no Police kettling, causing panic, and backlash against the police who have escalated things. They made things far worse than it had to be. Maybe they thought it may distract away from the current case itself as it's one of their own, so create a new disturbance to smokescreen it. Even Cresenda Dickhead's language and how she uses the word 'We' in her statements as if to detract responsibility away from her. It's a play on words to create a mindset. Something the gov are very good at, wordplay.

    FFS they had TSG vans parked up around the corner as if they went out with the intention of starting something. That's provocative in itself. There was not many more people gathered at one time on the common than on an average day with folk out and about on their daily exercise walking the dog or whatever over there. Just not quite as well spaced out but still within social distancing rules. The only difference was a few speakers, placards and bunches of flowers and of course the legal observers who we now know where justifiably required after this incident. I suppose we can count our blessings that plod at least waited for the cover of darkness when most of the children running about playing amongst the group had been taken home. And how about Kate turning up with no mask. What message does that send out, not that we are required to wear masks in public. This is just typical of MET police, they go in heavy handed with most things whether that is a stop and search or for want of a better word 'policing' gatherings where people are quite capable of policing themselves.

    Saying that I am also sick of folk jumping on the media bandwagon creations sparking off social media and trying to change things or start protests etc. That stupid woman's lib baroness that said there should be a curfew for men hasn't helped matters. She should be arrested for inciting something. Stupid prat...most attacks on woman are in the home or happen in broad daylight on pubic transport with touchy feeling in crowded spaces etc. Still it's a nice break and diversion away from the BLM crap. There will be something new next week for the media and folk to latch onto and it's about time police where put in their place, Give them an inch and they take a mile and abuse their powers as they do under the terrorism act with stop and search and / taking photographs in public spaces. Something should also be done about the media who stir up shit. Yet again...saying that, the powers the police have been given are very grey much like all the rest of the COVID shite put in place so they need to use some form of intelligence and common sense. Sadly something that the majority of plod don't have. All the old school coppers with some common sense, and even some humanity, have either left or retired. Maybe that's what it is, there is no common sense or humanity and they literally follow the book. Their people skills now leave a lot to be desired and instead they now try to use psychology and play mind games to entrap people. It's not black and white so how they use the powers given to them is open to interpretation along with the rest of the COVID stuff.

    What we have to remember is that the police 9 times out of 10 are not our friends. We are a far cry away from the bobby on the beat (a different kind of beat now) and modern times have brought a more US approach to things minus the guns. It doesn't help that politically they have targets to meet and they will be more than happy to stitch someone up or create a situation where they can get arrests. Most of those coppers are only too pleased to go out and have a ruck as it takes the boredom out of the usual day to day job and paperwork. They are not called pigs for no reason. They love the power trip and bullying people around like they are boss. That's the kind of mindset that the police force attract. They are either ex forces with a chip on their shoulder or the school bully in the playground because they are bigger or they are the smaller person that hides behind them and the uniform and follows them around and when in a group get all bravado on a power trip. Even the the term 'force' in police force, what kind of mindset and idealisation does that portray and put in their head. Maybe they should be called police corp (they are corporate enforcers most of time handing out fines) or just police, why the need for force.

    This whole situation is police brutality and group mentality. They have quite simply made matters far worse than it had to be. Did you see the pics where they hard an arm on the copper in front. They do that when they line up in groups and march forward to kettle people in. There was no reason for that...they where not in a riot situation or doing the Hokey Cokey. That's a form of entrapment and intimidation so how did they expect folk to react to that. It's like cornering a wild animal and not used for dispersal purposes. They even trampled all over the flowers that had been laid out. How disrespectful. And no the people did not put the police at COVID risk, the police done that to themselves when they enclosed and kettled people into a tighter bundle. I guess they didn't want anyone escaping fines. Why couldn't they handle the situation like other police forces in the country. There's something seriously wrong with the MET police as an institution and the way they handle things. Maybe it's because the Capital has larger numbers of mixed people or they feel disconnected from the communities I don't know, but their attitude and training seriously stinks and needs looking into from the top down.

  • The protestors were told not to turn up, they did and then they were told to leave but they didn't.

    Exactly, and that's the issue the sheer bloody mindedness of some people "Oh we have been told not to do something so we are going to rebel and do it anyway" and then when they get pulled up for it they whinge about it and other bandwagon jumping rebels without a clue join in like the moronic sheep they are. :rolleyes:

  • Had the police allowed the organised event to go ahead, there would have been stewards and the whole thing would have gone smoothly, with social distancing.

    They did not have this problem in other parts of the country.

    The Met mucked up, I’m afraid.

    An event should never have been organised since it was breaking the law. Sarah Everard was not the only thing this was about.

  • An event should never have been organised since it was breaking the law. Sarah Everard was not the only thing this was about.

    That’s not what the High Court judge said. The fact is, the Covid law does allow some flexibility. The same flexibility that other police forces around the country used with these vigils and as was used in protests such as ‘Black Lives Matter’.

    I agree that it was not the wisest idea to have a vigil, but given it was going ahead anyway, the police should have used the sensitivity and discretion that most thinking people expected.

    The Met is not well led, I’m afraid, and this needs to be addressed.

  • Any time the Rent a Mob wants to cause social disruption by behaving like morons, it always ends with antisocial violent behaviour.

    Ignoring covid precautions is tantamount to attempted murder. How many people will have caught the virus because of the actions of Rent A Mob. ??

    The Voice of Reason

  • That’s not what the High Court judge said. The fact is, the Covid law does allow some flexibility. The same flexibility that other police forces around the country used with these vigils and as was used in protests such as ‘Black Lives Matter’.

    I agree that it was not the wisest idea to have a vigil, but given it was going ahead anyway, the police should have used the sensitivity and discretion that most thinking people expected.

    The Met is not well led, I’m afraid, and this needs to be addressed.

    I certainly agree with that last comment, I think the Met has become increasingly politicised and PC, but on the specific matter of protests, whether this one or the BLM ones you mention, if we are in lockdown, that is the law and the police should damn well enforce it.

    As for the judge, it was a cop out. The court didn't rule on anything and nor should they because the law was clear. Actually, I take that straight back. The judge should've just restated what the current law is, but instead chose to absolve himself of the matter. Sign of the times really.

  • Here's the way to make the judgement:

    You just have to hope none of these protestors became infected and that if they were they're in isolation rather than walking around in you local supermarket.

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