• Frank [he/him, he/him]@hexbear.net
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    8 days ago

    Yeah so the UK doesn’t actually have any protections for speech, assembly, or protest. It barely did twenty years ago and successive governments have crushed whatever legal protections were left. The protections people assume they have can be rescinded without recourse at the whim of the crown. They’re norms, not actual laws.

    Also, the Metropolitan Police are probably one of the most repressive police forces in the world and directly and fully integrated with the UK’s domestic counter-intelligence services.

    • WeedReference420 [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.net
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      8 days ago

      Not surprising to people here I’m sure but a lot of these new “Counter Terrorist” units are increasingly militarised brute squads for the British establishment, too. Pretty sure they cross train with private military companies.

      • Frank [he/him, he/him]@hexbear.net
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        7 days ago

        I would be shocked if they didn’t cross train with Israeli counterparts and are in dialogue with equivalent brute squads across the NATOsphere. The whole NATOsphere cop soup is deeply integrated when it comes to training, theory, and doctrine. They all share toys and study each others methods.

      • VILenin [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        8 days ago

        Most Americans have deluded themselves into thinking that words on paper can protect them against the barrel of a gun, so they think they’re free there :)

        It’s no different from the UK, your “””rights””” can be revoked at any time should the ruling class desire it. No state is going to allow its fiercest opponents to organize and speak freely.

        • Frank [he/him, he/him]@hexbear.net
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          7 days ago

          In many regards the US does have radical speech rights compared to much of the world, and often they are respected by the courts. That’s become much less true in the 21st century, and much less true in the last 5 years, but you can still say almost anything as long as you don’t directly threaten the POTUS or actually start organizing. We have libel laws but like compared to the UK we might as well not, the standard for libel is vastly higher than in the UK. There are a lot of laws on the books about sedition and dissent that, up til recently, weren’t a serious legal concern. What Trump is doing really has been a huge breaking of norms around speech.

          Afaik on paper the US free speech regime is one of the most radical on the planet in terms of the limits of what you can say and write before the state comes after you, or you’re civilly liable. On paper.

        • sictransitgloria [she/her]@hexbear.net
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          8 days ago

          yeah it’s kind of insane that even in niche extremely commie leftist boards like hex amerikan brainworms are still so pervasive. weird american pride that rears its ugly head every so often

  • KimJongGoku [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    8 days ago

    Thank you, brave 30+ officers, for keeping us safe from 6 unarmed women belonging to a group best known for being pacifists menacingly having a small religious gathering about how murdering people is bad. True bravery and justice on display here

  • DragonBallZinn [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    8 days ago

    frothingfash: “This is a Christian nation and all non-believers must be purged!”

    Quakers: “Aww shucks, good to hear, friend!”

    frothingfash: “NOT YOU! YOU’RE UNDER ARREST FOR ILLEGALLY NOT BEING RACIST ENOUGH!”

  • Palacegalleryratio [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    8 days ago

    Hypothetically; If London’s Quaker community gets on The Mayflower 2 in 2025 where do they go to start anew? Mars? The moon? Antarctica? America, again, but this time it’s personal? I think something like them trying to colonise Taiwan would be a good watch. Seeing world leaders adopt a 3 Chinas policy recognising the governments sitting in Beijing, Taipei and New Jamestown.

  • tocopherol [any]@hexbear.net
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    8 days ago

    UK competing to be the most fascist western state, I guess they are jealous of the attention the US is getting from deporting students. Really the only appropriate thing to say in response to news these days is:

    amerikkka ukkk qin-shi-huangdi-fireball

  • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    8 days ago

    Anyone know who Youth Demand is a front org for? It carries all the signs of a front org but I don’t know who they are.