Posted on 08/11/2007 9:40:04 PM PDT by balch3
armed police will use anti-terrorism powers to "deal robustly" with climate change protesters at Heathrow next week, as confrontations threaten to bring major delays to the already overstretched airport.
Up to 1,800 extra officers will be drafted in to prevent an estimated 1,500 people disrupting the airport over the period of the camp for climate change, which is due to begin on Tuesday. The police have been told to use stop and search powers against the protesters, who have pledged to take direct action on August 18 and 19 but not to endanger life.
Article continues The Metropolitan police chief, Sir Ian Blair, has said he fears a minority of protesters intent on breaking the law could cause massive disruption as Heathrow prepares for its busiest week of the year. Yesterday Met commander Jo Kaye, in charge of the specialist firearms unit, said some people would "want to get their message across using criminal means".
(Excerpt) Read more at politics.guardian.co.uk ...
oh, if there was a protest at a major airport in the US that disrupted service you can bet there would be a swift and severe response. riot gear, people!
the English talk funny
...agreed. I’ve discussed global warming with quite a few “Conservatives” there—some rather well placed. They were all angry that the USA hadn’t signed the Kyoto Treaty.
It’s a dangerous thing to advocate the use of sweeping state powers against opposing political viewpoints.
No, we should not! protesting is a good thing, just use this against the morons who get violent..
You mean like those 'Eagle' idiots? I'm sure La Presidenta will be happy to oblige.
Will, “ Sod off, Swampy! “, be the rally cry of the Bobbies?
What happens when a group of protesters decide to over-run a security checkpoint? What happens when even one protester is carrying a homemade bomb, gun, chemicals? What happens when all the alarms go off?
It’s a dangerous thing to advocate the use of sweeping protests against the general public too. The people at Heathrow are not the political opposition, they are bystanders who will be caught up in the ensuing melee. The shame will be it will be the police that get held responsible for the public safety and not the protesters who started the whole mess.
Of course they are. Most countries would like to see the US handicapped by the treaty. The treaty was intended to make the US the big loser.
The busiest week of the airport year is not "routine", and this smarmy leftist knows it. No matter what country, lefties are lying hypocrites.
It's not their viewpoint; it's their choice of timing and venue that are the problem, which is to cause a major disruption at a very dangerous time. When the airport is overloaded with traffic already, and it is the busiest week of the year, the article is saying that the safety of all passengers is compromised when the overburdened security people are hampered in trying to locate and screen out terrorists.
When the lefties stand outside Walter Reed and make the families of the wounded upset instead of going down to the Capitol or White House to make their protests, they are about as effective as a loud fart at a nice party. They have a right, but why didn't they use the bathroom so as not to disgust everyone?
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