*promote

Self promoting this video and sending it back into the queue for one more try; last queued Thursday, April 14th, 2011 2:32pm PDT - promote requested by original submitter alien_concept.

Oswald Mosley has finally triumphed.

Is it the same in Britain as in the U.S. where you must get a demonstration permit in order to legally protest? Yeah, we're all sooooooo freeeee!

I don't know if it's only me but every time I see a video like this I dream of seeing a truck with a mounted .50 cal machine gun roll out of an alley and start mowing down the police... Black Hawk Down style...

Whatever you say those cops are well trained automatons. You have to be a special kind to want to be a police officer these days.

"If you are organising a march, you are legally required to notify the police six days in advance, or as soon as it is reasonably practical to do so. If you are organising a protest rally that will not involve a march, you are not obliged to notify the police, but you may still want to let them know."

- Right to protest : Directgov - Government, citizens and rights

It does seem like the need to acquire a permit, or negotiate with the authorities to have your protest undermines the point of the protest in the first place. The other option is civil disobedience; which by definition requires you to break the law. The sad difference is, it never used to be illegal to congregate and march, which has moved the most popular form of protest to be civil disobedience.

If you just want to be heard and show a headcount of support for an issue, then you can get a permit. In that situation you pretty much have to hope (and prepare) for wrongful police brutality and that media coverage will follow; otherwise the protest is completely pointless as you would have achieved the same by signing a petition.

The whole part of a march is to cause disruption and inconvenience. When the government has put aside a small budget for helping in the organisation of marches; then that disruption and inconvenience that forces your government to pay attention to your issues is completely gone; and is replaced by a convenience to the government in that they can now completely ignore your protest without consequence.

Of course, you always have the traditional route of civil disobedience; simply don't get a permit and break the law; but people are in large unwilling to do this.

As in America, I don't think it's something that will change for a very long time. People will have a good moan about the state of affairs but are far too busy either consuming and running the rat race; or feeling completely isolated from society; to be able to pull together the organisation required for a true protest of civil disobedience.

Only when people are unable to perform their most basic functions without interference would there be any serious resistance. Like say... it becomes illegal to join the queue for an iClover 5.

Which I guess makes me a futilist; and therefore part of the problem >> ^shagen454:

Is it the same in Britain as in the U.S. where you must get a demonstration permit in order to legally protest? Yeah, we're all sooooooo freeeee!

My free speech zone is in my house...so I can't cause any trouble