BBB News Saturday, 28 October 2006, 19:00 GMT 20:00 UK
Flag-burning could become crime
| By John Pienaar Chief political correspondent for BBC Radio Five Live |
Police chiefs are urging the government to make flag-burning a new criminal offence, as part of a drive to crack down on Islamic extremists and others preaching violence and religious hate, the BBC has learned.
The proposals also include action to ban demonstrators from covering their faces to avoid police scrutiny, and tougher powers to arrest demonstrators seeking to inflame tensions.
They have been drawn up by Scotland Yard, and submitted to the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, by Britain's most senior muslim police chief, Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur.
He is responsible for public order in the capital as commander of central operations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6095260.stm
---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Subject: Police Want to Criminalise Flag Burning
Date: Saturday 28 October 2006 22:43
From: Gary D Chance
To: news24@bbc.co.uk
It's a sign that the police cannot do their job and must find something that they can do to appear to be doing something.
If the police can get flag burning equated to terrorism, then they can point at increased statistics for tackling terrorism given a terrible record so far.
Since I am experiencing faking it for creating the illusion of doing something with the use of surveillance technology, I am quite familiar with this illusionary law enforcement.
The police would do better to subject those who burn flags to surveillance to see if there is anything deeper and more serious. Criminalising flag burning would just hide the problems all the more.
If my experience of the past eight years is any indication of what's to occur in the future, we will have the fart police and the ejaculation police. This is the reality of those using the surveillance technology and their calls to the police thousands of times during the past eight years. It still goes on.
It's no surprise to me that the police are calling for flag burning to be an offence. It makes them look better but does nothing to address the real problem of terrorism and organised crime.
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