Masked protesters could soon face arrest, says Home Office
www.theguardian.com
Rights groups say proposed police powers for England and Wales are pandering to ‘culture war nonsense’

"Protesters who wear masks could face arrest, up to a month in jail and a £1,000 fine under proposed measures that human rights campaigners claim are pandering to “culture war nonsense”.

Police in England and Wales will be given the power to arrest people if they are wearing face coverings at specific demonstrations, the Home Office has said."

Been a bad 18 months or so for privacy in the UK. Online Safety Bill passed, the right to take strike action curtailed, people in receipt of benefits (including disabled people) will soon (as from 2025) have their bank accounts open to the government, the right to protest curtailed and now this.

  • Tangent5280@lemmy.world
    347·
    10 months ago

    Nah, not this rhetoric. Masks were mandatory because of COVID, and that was the right move. Get out of here with your bad-by-association argument. Making masks mandatory then was the right move. Banning masks during protests is not the right move. Both these facts are not mutually exclusive.

    When you make such weak, bad faith arguments, you only give fuel for the other side to break down even your valid arguments.

    There are plenty of reasons to call UK clowns, but masks during this centuries worst version of the black death (so far) isn’t one of them.

    • RobotToaster
      91·
      10 months ago

      I think I need to clarify.

      I support mask wearing, I wore one despite being legally exempt on health grounds (autism).

      The fact is covid is still here, if anything wearing masks at a large scale gathering like a protest is still a very good idea on health grounds, especially for those with weakened immune systems, the unvaccinated, etc. It’s utterly mad to ban a protection device you once mandated when the problem it protects from never went away.