What crime are you okay with people committing?

@peterlee Expressing opinions are not offences. It is how people express them - or claim they are expressing them - that matters.

@ArishMell
Certain phrases are illegal to chant, sorry.

‘From the …… to the sea ….. will be free’.

Praying silently within so many metres of an abortion clinic is illegal, if someone perceived this to be obstruction.

Singing carols outside department store in Oxford Street and in Regent Street at Christmas has provoked bizarre police response.

Amnesty International expresses concern about banning a certain pro Palestine Organisation.

@peterlee I agree the Police do not always handle such situations well, and they are put in an invidious position, but the primary reason for these limits is to try to protect people from intimidation.

Sometimes too, supposed reports of the police over-reacting turn out to be, the Police responded to complaints. If something is reported to them, they have to respond even if it transpires no-one had done anything illegal - i.e. the complaint was just vexatious.

That second problem is likely to worsen too, because society at large seems becoming far too sensitive - turning genuine attempts to be nice to each, to a murky self-righteousness in which no-one must be "offended".

Also of course there have always been liars and cowards, now hiding behind nick-names on Twitter &c., who love to use any excuse to foment trouble remotely - and the managers of those sites do little or nothing to stop them. And people of similar lack of mind, who go along for a fight or to wreck others' property for the sheer hell of it.

Protests ARE legal in Britain, and are usually peaceful and never do anyhting useful anyway; but they must never be an excuse for intimidation, violence or damage; even just for needlessly and pointlessly upsetting people such as gynaecology patients.

@ArishMell Difficult to see whether there will be reactions this summer. Not much money about for most people.

@peterlee Reactions to what, though? And why? They won't achieve anything - perhaps, hopefully, those who might have have "reacted" have realised that.

@peterlee Yes - there is a growing threat from individuals who act without actual affiliation to any organisation.

I am not sure if anyone knows why - we know they let themselves become brainwashed by Internet sites that attract them, but not really why they do it. The types who act as part of some group, are encouraged by a sense of "belonging" to fellow-disaffected types; but the loners cannot use that excuse.