Paramilitary Police State & Private Prisons

Martial Law: UK Police Chief Mulls Banning Protests

Despite police being behind provocations that enraged demonstrators, Metropolitan commissioner considers using Public Order Act to kill free speech

December 15, 2010

PrisonPlanet.com - UK police chief Sir Paul Stephenson is considering whether to ask the British government to ban protest marches altogether in response to last week’s student riots, a move that would place Britain under a de facto state of martial law.

“It is one of the tactics we will look at and something we will keep under review, and if we think it is the right thing to do then we will do it,” said the Metropolitan Police commissioner.

NUS president Aaron Porter responded:

“Peaceful protest is an integral part of our heritage and it is the responsibility of the police to help facilitate that.”

Although the establishment media in Britain dutifully blamed the protesters for the violent scenes witnessed during the demonstrations, it later emerged that police had been behind a number of provocations that caused the running street battles, including pulling a disabled man out of a wheelchair and dragging him across the street, as well as repeatedly beating protesters on the head with batons.

The use of “kettling” to confine protesters into a tight area has also been heavily criticized for only heightening rage amongst the demonstrators.