My arrest story

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Canrider

Guru
"Never mind that these were shown to be largely misidentifications and half-truths later, the situation is that if it's been decided that you look like a terrorist, your appearance and actions are then reinterpreted (at the time by the racist, twitchy officer) and then afterwards by tabloids or the kind of armchair know-nothings who inhabit web fora.

If you are a normal person going about your legal business, you don't know you are 'acting like a terrorist' until someone arrests you for it - and why would it occur to you? You are innocent. The only people who would be concerned about not being seen to 'act like a terrorist' would be:

1. terrorists; and
2. people who have so much bought into the state line on the need for repressive measures that they repress themselves in advance and become nice compliant little subjects. They then try to impose these new 'social values' on the rest of us and try to paint those who don't comply as latent terrorists or legitimately suspicious."
 

col

Legendary Member
I still think racist is a bit over the top,otherwise any innocent who is stopped,and happens to have a different colour skin can call it as the reason.?
 
Location
EDINBURGH
Ben Lovejoy said:
From your site:

"When I was walking through Horse Guards parade, an armed police officer wondered upto me (Well, he could have just been patrolling, who knows?), so I just start speaking to him - I ask him the usual stuff like hows he doing and hows his day going, he says its really hot and he wishes he was at home instead of out here in this heat, carrying all his stuff (He had a rather large MP5). I ask him how long does he have to stand around in this heat(*), he says a few hours yet, I ask him cant you hide in the shade(*), he says no he can’t."

So you started speaking with him, not the other way around, and specifically you start asking him about where & when he patrols. Not illegal, but certainly not sensible.

Ben

I don't see him asking where and when he patrols, just how is he doing in the heat with all his gear on, a normal everyday question I would say.
 

CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
Catrike UK said:
I don't see him asking where and when he patrols, just how is he doing in the heat with all his gear on, a normal everyday question I would say.
I ask him how long does he have to stand around in this heat(*), he says a few hours yet, I ask him cant you hide in the shade(*), he says no he can’t.

Ben
 

CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
Not a 'normal conversation' I would recommend engaging in with an armed police officer ...

As I say, the OP did nothing illegal, but I would say that he could have exercised more commonsense.

Ben
 

wafflycat

New Member
Well, the real terrorists have already won. Our current level of utter OTT paranoia has done the job. On a hot day, I may well have said to a plod out in the sun something similar, not because I'm a terrorist, but simply concern of one human being for another looking as if he or she could suffer being out in the heat. You might as well cart me away to the cells now. :tongue:
 

Rhythm Thief

Legendary Member
Location
Ross on Wye
wafflycat said:
Well, the real terrorists have already won. Our current level of utter OTT paranoia has done the job. On a hot day, I may well have said to a plod out in the sun something similar, not because I'm a terrorist, but simply concern of one human being for another looking as if he or she could suffer being out in the heat. You might as well cart me away to the cells now. :angry:

+1
 

CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
wafflycat said:
Our current level of utter OTT paranoia has done the job.
No argument there; you'll find a rant on that very topic on my website here:
http://www.benlovejoy.com/opinions/antiterrorism/

But when we live in a paranoid world, I wouldn't personally go out of my way to encourage people to point guns at me.

Ben
 
Ben Lovejoy said:
No argument there; you'll find a rant on that very topic on my website here:
http://www.benlovejoy.com/opinions/antiterrorism/

But when we live in a paranoid world, I wouldn't personally go out of my way to encourage people to point guns at me.

Ben

Yes I did read it!

I agree with a lot you say, and yes the answer is not easy to find. I would not think that any steps taken are paranoia.

It can seem that way but really the steps taken are minimal really.

Yes there is always another target but the steps seem to be to take away the chance of such a "trophy" bombing. (it would not be such news if an office was blown up instead of Buckingham Palace or a Bus instead of a Jumbo Jet) so in that way it is a success.

Clearly if you start blowing up a terrorist's home you will just get more terrorists. All you are then left with is to try to minimise their activity in bombing. I agree that comes at a price: most things do.

Any enforcement of any law works the same way.

Do you have locks on your doors? If so are you in a state of paranoia about having your house robbed or simply taking measures to stop it happening. Terrorists are there. Robbers are there. Neither will go away but both can be discouraged. The lock on your door will not guarantee you will not be robbed but it helps.
 

CopperBrompton

Bicycle: a means of transport between cake-stops
Location
London
That article began as a rant to a group of friends after a particularly irritating airport experience, and within five minutes we'd come up with half a dozen different ways to blow up a plane with the security procedures now in place. The simple truth is that we cannot prevent it.

We end terrorism by (a) not allowing it to change our values or the way we change our lives and (:biggrin: understanding the motivations for terrorism and tackling those.

Ben
 

Canrider

Guru
Ben: The word you're looking for is 'security theatre' -- giving people the impression they're safer by a song-and-dance routine meant to reassure people that Something Is Being Done. Identical to stepping up police foot patrols in an area *after* a crime has been committed, to reassure the locals that there are, in fact, cops on the beat (pity they weren't out in force *before* the crime took place).

All of which Over The Hill would class as 'necessary steps-we-should-all-be-grateful-our-masters-are-taking' (or something), while someone's making sure none of his gels or liquids are in bottles bigger than 100ml, irrespective of how much fluid is actually in them.
 
Location
EDINBURGH
Ben Lovejoy said:
Not a 'normal conversation' I would recommend engaging in with an armed police officer ...

As I say, the OP did nothing illegal, but I would say that he could have exercised more commonsense.

Ben

You mean he should have basically ignored the other person and remained insular like much of the screwed up society. But he made polite conversation which you think lacks common sense? I don't see it and I don't know why you see it that way, I talk to all people I meet, I often talked to armed police near Victoria station in London, big deal, they should be able to function as people.
 
Location
EDINBURGH
Ben Lovejoy said:
and within five minutes we'd come up with half a dozen different ways to blow up a plane with the security procedures now in place.

Ben

Why were you thinking of ways to blow up a plane? Now that is worrying. Are you a terrorist sympathiser?
 
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