This is how we support the protesters supporting their families and friends back in Burma? Utterly disgusting. When did these kinds of actions suddenly become commonplace in Australia? I've just seen TV coverage of similar protests in London, there didn't seem to be any need for concerted police action to barge people off the street there.The PM says there's little we can do. I would have thought the first thing would be to allow relatives and friends of Burmese people to demonstrate. This is a free country isn't it? WELL?
4 comments:
Hi Phil
I'm guessing you might have been around Brisbane in the late 70s (your published musical 'likes' mirror the play list of a certain Brisbane indy radio station circa 1976?) I apologise if I'm off the mark here!
The demos against the Springbok tour and later civil liberties marches were notable for their brutality. I think you're right though. From what I know of the Fitzgerald Inquiry, the pathological elements in the Queensland Police are long 'retired'.
I've lived in Britain 25 years so I was here during the miners' and print workers' strikes which were incredibly brutal. Riot police frequently charged at lines of protesters, often led by mounted police.
Protests in Britain at the moment tend to be quite good natured. I went on the big Iraq anti-war march in 2003. It was huge and entirely trouble-free - almost like a parade. I agree though that the trend is worrying.
xxx
Pants
Hi Pants
No, we're not long term Brisbane people - been here just over 10 years. The demo pictured was in Canberra, outisde the Burmese embassy, yesterday. Burmese protests tend by nature to be peaceful so why the apparent police overereaction I don't know. Just because they were blocking the road? THat's not enough justification.
Hi Phil
Sorry about the mistaken identity. I agree, we should all be worried about any escalation in what the police like to term 'reasonable force'. My point was that this level of brutality is far from unprecedented and in places like Britain and Australia, tends to depend on who's doing the protesting and against whose interests they are protesting.
It takes very little for the police to justify causing serious bodily harm to citizens exercising their democratic rights to free speech. Americans have even been known to adopt a shoot to kill policy against protesters on home ground (Kent State University, 1970 - 4 dead, 9 wounded).
xxx
Pants
It's also been reported that the policer were - again - not wearing badge numbers.
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