shockedcanadian
Diamond Member
- Aug 6, 2012
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When a clearly left wing outlet is finally coming to terms with this, she still can't help the hyperbole of calling America as potentially "becoming a police state" or attacking Vance personally (has she visited Canada or spoken to Canadians?), which illustrates just how difficult it must have been for her to be honest about free speech issues in the U.K; it's clear there is a problem that only a few are honest enough to admit.
America needs to lead the way and demand this of their allies. American media have to also demand it. This was Vances brightest and most impressive moment on the world stage and he must not become a shriveled violet after speaking the truth. He must embrace it and demand it of allies, double and triple down, make civil liberties the cornerstone of any 2028 run and he will expand the GOP net wider.
How is a nation suggested as one who "shares values" if well, they DON'T share your values?
They will stifle speech and opinion to maintain power. The concept of democracy is waning. Even China says "we are a democracy with Chinese characteristics". They are weakening these nations and it must stop.
www.theguardian.com
Hello from the US where, if youāre a fan of things such as civil liberties and not getting shot in the leg by masked thugs sporting law enforcement badges, the situation is somewhat suboptimal. Over in Los Angeles, national guard troops have been brought in to rough up protesters who are demonstrating against immigration raids. There were at least 27 attacks on journalists by law enforcement recorded at the protests between 6 and 8 June, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
One of the most alarming things about the crackdown against protesters in LA is the memo greenlighting it. It acts pre-emptively, a first in the US, authorising the military to be deployed in locations where protests are ālikely to occurā. Scarier still, Donald Trump has said he wonāt rule out invoking the Insurrection Act: an 1807 law that empowers the president to deploy the military inside the US and use it against Americans. All this, of course, comes amid a wider crackdown on campus protests and free speech (particularly pro-Palestine speech).
As a British-Palestinian in the US ā one with a green card that Iām in the process of trying to renew ā Iāve been spending a lot of time lately wondering whether I ought to self-deport before the thought police come for me. I have, after all, engaged in naughty behaviour such as publicly stating that genocide is bad, actually.
But fleeing to the UK from the US because I value free speech and the right to protest doesnāt make much sense. The US may be turning into a police state, but its constitution (for now) provides far more freedom of speech than there is in the UK. I hate to say this ā like, I really, really hate to say this ā but JD Vance had a point when he told Keir Starmer that Britain has a free speech problem during an Oval Office meeting in February. Vance made a similar accusation during the Munich Security Conference, accusing Europeās leaders of (among other things) censorship.
............................................
The right to protest is also under attack in Britain. Look at the crime and policing bill, which looks likely to come into law later this year and is one of a number of sweeping anti-protest laws recently passed. āThanks to this authoritarian legislation, police can define almost any demonstration as āseriously disruptiveā and impose restrictions on it,ā Amnesty International UK warned in March. āPeaceful tactics ā¦ have been criminalised. New powers have been created to issue orders banning people from even attending protests.ā
And look at the case of William Plastow, who is accused of taking part in a Palestine Action protest against an Elbit Systems (an Israeli arms manufacturer) factory near Bristol last year. Plastow faces 21 months in jail before his case goes to trial. His mother recently told the Guardian she believes it is the longest anyone will have been held in jail awaiting trial on protest-related charges. Thereās also the case of Liam Ćg Ć hAnnaidh, who was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in London. Kneecap have described this as āpolitical policingā that is intended to stifle criticism of Israelās war in Gaza.
America needs to lead the way and demand this of their allies. American media have to also demand it. This was Vances brightest and most impressive moment on the world stage and he must not become a shriveled violet after speaking the truth. He must embrace it and demand it of allies, double and triple down, make civil liberties the cornerstone of any 2028 run and he will expand the GOP net wider.
How is a nation suggested as one who "shares values" if well, they DON'T share your values?
They will stifle speech and opinion to maintain power. The concept of democracy is waning. Even China says "we are a democracy with Chinese characteristics". They are weakening these nations and it must stop.
I really hate to say it, but I agree with JD Vance. Britain has a free speech problem | Arwa Mahdawi
Despite the ongoing crackdown on protesters in Los Angeles, the US constitution (for now) provides far more freedom of speech than there is in the UK, writes Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi
www.theguardian.com
Hello from the US where, if youāre a fan of things such as civil liberties and not getting shot in the leg by masked thugs sporting law enforcement badges, the situation is somewhat suboptimal. Over in Los Angeles, national guard troops have been brought in to rough up protesters who are demonstrating against immigration raids. There were at least 27 attacks on journalists by law enforcement recorded at the protests between 6 and 8 June, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
One of the most alarming things about the crackdown against protesters in LA is the memo greenlighting it. It acts pre-emptively, a first in the US, authorising the military to be deployed in locations where protests are ālikely to occurā. Scarier still, Donald Trump has said he wonāt rule out invoking the Insurrection Act: an 1807 law that empowers the president to deploy the military inside the US and use it against Americans. All this, of course, comes amid a wider crackdown on campus protests and free speech (particularly pro-Palestine speech).
As a British-Palestinian in the US ā one with a green card that Iām in the process of trying to renew ā Iāve been spending a lot of time lately wondering whether I ought to self-deport before the thought police come for me. I have, after all, engaged in naughty behaviour such as publicly stating that genocide is bad, actually.
But fleeing to the UK from the US because I value free speech and the right to protest doesnāt make much sense. The US may be turning into a police state, but its constitution (for now) provides far more freedom of speech than there is in the UK. I hate to say this ā like, I really, really hate to say this ā but JD Vance had a point when he told Keir Starmer that Britain has a free speech problem during an Oval Office meeting in February. Vance made a similar accusation during the Munich Security Conference, accusing Europeās leaders of (among other things) censorship.
............................................
The right to protest is also under attack in Britain. Look at the crime and policing bill, which looks likely to come into law later this year and is one of a number of sweeping anti-protest laws recently passed. āThanks to this authoritarian legislation, police can define almost any demonstration as āseriously disruptiveā and impose restrictions on it,ā Amnesty International UK warned in March. āPeaceful tactics ā¦ have been criminalised. New powers have been created to issue orders banning people from even attending protests.ā
And look at the case of William Plastow, who is accused of taking part in a Palestine Action protest against an Elbit Systems (an Israeli arms manufacturer) factory near Bristol last year. Plastow faces 21 months in jail before his case goes to trial. His mother recently told the Guardian she believes it is the longest anyone will have been held in jail awaiting trial on protest-related charges. Thereās also the case of Liam Ćg Ć hAnnaidh, who was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in London. Kneecap have described this as āpolitical policingā that is intended to stifle criticism of Israelās war in Gaza.
