Thursday 2 April 2009

Peaceful Protest?


Yesterday morning, I freely admit that I was a little disapproving if the "crusty bashing" that was being spouted in my office. The general consensus was that the protesters were lazy, lay about soap dodgers with nothing better to do. One person even commented that we should go down and do a recruitment drive as there would be plenty of people there who were unemployed, I believe the most common joke is that today will be less populated due to most of them picking up their giro.

To begin with I thought it was a little cruel to stereotype these people and think the worst of them. Sure most of them were a little hippy-ish but that's doesn't not meant that they aren't well mannered and educated people! If they choose to express themselves in a manner that includes nose rings, camouflages trousers and Mohawks, who are we to judge?

In the cold light of day, the morning after, I have changed my mind. Peaceful protest? PEACEFUL PROTEST!!! I don't think throwing a screen through the RBS window was particularly peaceful, or the fires they started around Bank station. They had to be driven back towards London Bridge at 2 in the morning, like the devil's minions being driven into the sea! All you needed was the police to carry swords instead of riot gear and you have a scene from Lord of the Rings. A man died for pity's sake, I know it was natural causes, but maybe the Paramedics could have been more help to him if they didn't have to contend with bottles being thrown at them.

What are the rest of the world going to think of us? We are supposed to be a nation of queues, crumpets and tea but we are showing ourselves recently to be more a people that enjoy riots. If it’s not hooligans being banned from football matches its peaceful protests turning into wars, as a country we appears to have “Little Island Syndrome”.

So yes this morning I have changed my opinion, lock all the Crusties up, give them a wash and a shave and make them work for a living. How about when they can honestly say that the Economic Crisis is affecting more than just the price of tobacco in their roll ups, they can have a say, until then they should keep their violent “protests” to themselves!

1 comment:

  1. I agree with your comments, as one of the 'crusty basing' people in the office I stand by all my comments yesterday.
    However, there is a vast difference between the peaceful protests last weekend and the violence taking place yesterday/today and tomorrow.

    One of the most important rights we have in this country is freedom of speech, many countries do not have this key liberty.
    My fear is that any time violent protests take place it plays into the hands of the authorities who would use this as an excuse to erode our freedoms.
    They also make the UK look bad even though the other law abiding 99% of us would never dream of hitting a Police officer.
    The terrible irony is that most of us actually agree in the core issues, we want an end to wars, poverty, global corporate curruption and outrageous greed of a few bankers but violent 'direct action' cannot help any of this and is only likely to make things worse.

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