Oh the irony. All of that guff about freedom (from having to temporarily wear a piece of cloth over your face) on the very same day that "dangerous and draconian" anti-protest laws were backed by a majority of MPs. If it passes through the House of Lords, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will make "public nuisance" an offence, effectively criminalise Travellers on the grounds of trespass and give the police the authority to shut down peaceful protests if they're deemed too noisy. There is also, of course, a special section addressing the heinous crime of damaging statues.
The bill's successful passage through the House of Commons came despite the fact that the police didn't specifically demand the powers and, more significantly, in the face of opposition from a broad coalition of critical voices including human rights experts, civil society organisations, academics and even some Tory MPs (well, David Davis, at least).
It's the epitome of creeping fascism, and blood-boiling evidence of a cowardly, corrupt government seeking to insulate themselves from criticism and the consequences of their actions and policies - all while draped in an England flag and making a PR spectacle of cheering on a football team whose boots they're not fit to lick.
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