The Student Room Group

Police should be allowed to do anyting to stop violent protestors?

The recent violence towards police and recent damage caused to shops in london is unjustified. I think we can all agree with that?

However, because of the lack of force the police can use this violence can continue for many hours. The police should have the right to defend themselves and the shops getting damaged by any means necessary.

These protestors have made the decision to damage property and harm police so shouldnt the police be able to make the same decision without them getting in trouble for harming a not so innocent protestor?

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Reply 1
Original post by Sebastian Bartlett
The recent violence towards police and recent damage caused to shops in london is unjustified. I think we can all agree with that?

However, because of the lack of force the police can use this violence can continue for many hours. The police should have the right to defend themselves and the shops getting damaged by any means necessary.

These protestors have made the decision to damage property and harm police so shouldnt the police be able to make the same decision without them getting in trouble for harming a not so innocent protestor?


Stop being such a chicken and say what you really mean. Are you a man or a mouse?
Reply 2
You used a question mark inappropriately?
Reply 3
Original post by qasman
You used a question mark inappropriately?


Who invited you?
Reply 4
They seem content enough to do what they bloody well want to peaceful ones, so why not the violent ones?
Oh wait, that's right; they might actually put up a fight.
Reply 5
Original post by Sebastian Bartlett
The recent violence towards police and recent damage caused to shops in london is unjustified. I think we can all agree with that?

However, because of the lack of force the police can use this violence can continue for many hours. The police should have the right to defend themselves and the shops getting damaged by any means necessary.

These protestors have made the decision to damage property and harm police so shouldnt the police be able to make the same decision without them getting in trouble for harming a not so innocent protestor?


The majority of these people aren't proper protesters but retard anarchist ****-wits who think beating up police and attacking landmarks and shops will "bring down the government". As such I think the police are perfectly justified in cracking them round the head with a nightstick and chucking them in jail for a few days to see how tough they are.

Proper protesters are the 250,000+ people who marched peacefully through central London.
Reply 6
Original post by Sebastian Bartlett
The recent violence towards police and recent damage caused to shops in london is unjustified. I think we can all agree with that?

However, because of the lack of force the police can use this violence can continue for many hours. The police should have the right to defend themselves and the shops getting damaged by any means necessary.

These protestors have made the decision to damage property and harm police so shouldnt the police be able to make the same decision without them getting in trouble for harming a not so innocent protestor?


Any means necessary goes to far. The police are allowed to use reasonable force to defend themselves and thats fine I think.
Reply 7
Original post by Maker
Who invited you?


No. (one) I invited, myself...!
Reply 8
Disagree...

can you see what saudi police and army forces are doing to the people of bahrain?
Reply 9
There weren't enough police on the streets, obviously they can't even begin to control that amount of protesters - violent or not. Also, go and look at what is happening in Bahrain.

Original post by Aj12
Any means necessary goes to far. The police are allowed to use reasonable force to defend themselves and thats fine I think.


This.
Original post by Sebastian Bartlett
The recent violence towards police and recent damage caused to shops in london is unjustified. I think we can all agree with that?

However, because of the lack of force the police can use this violence can continue for many hours. The police should have the right to defend themselves and the shops getting damaged by any means necessary.

These protestors have made the decision to damage property and harm police so shouldnt the police be able to make the same decision without them getting in trouble for harming a not so innocent protestor?


I think that the rules regarding "sufficient force" are flimsy and harmful to the effectiveness of policing. However they cannot do whatever they want. That would be just as dangerous. I agree that they should be able to batter em though if they are fighting with them. If you don't want to get beaten up, don't get in a fight. Simple.
Should they be allowed to do anything? No.

This morning someone went on LBC Talk radio this morning and said the protesters should have been shot, he then said with rubber bullets that is still extreme. He also suggested the use of water cannons but even that might be considered extreme.
I guess the question is, when would it be deemed acceptable to use water cannons on violent protesters?
They (water cannons) were used in Northern Ireland and it didn't always work.
Original post by thunder_chunky
Should they be allowed to do anything? No.

This morning someone went on LBC Talk radio this morning and said the protesters should have been shot, he then said with rubber bullets that is still extreme. He also suggested the use of water cannons but even that might be considered extreme.
I guess the question is, when would it be deemed acceptable to use water cannons on violent protesters?
They (water cannons) were used in Northern Ireland and it didn't always work.


Any humane person would not back the use of water cannons. This is why:

Spoiler

Reply 14
Original post by qasman
No. (one) I invited, myself...!


I am not surprised.
Original post by WelshBluebird
Any humane person would not back the use of water cannons. This is why:

Spoiler



Yikes, I'm guessing he got it full on in the face.
Honestly I'm not sure where I stand with water cannons, but at least they are a better incentive than rubber bullets.
Either way the police shouldn't have to resort to water cannons unless the situation really gets messy and violent.
Reply 16
Violent protest involving a significant % of the population is the only way said protest will have any palpable effect.
When the police are impotent in the face of anarchists and students causing criminal damage then it sets a bad example.

You find a lot of these left wing students will say they are standing up against capitalism etc, and focus on 'police brutality' if the police try to get in the way and so on, and enjoy getting one over on the police by showing what they can do.

I wonder how they would view it if they turned on the TV and saw a load of skinheads smashing up banks and businesses because they are associated with Jews, or immigrants. Would they be so keen to slag off the police for taking steps to intervene?
A uniform and a nod from the PM does not give you some kind of moral authority to go to whatever lengths to stop protestors.
Reply 19
The police need to be tougher, but not to tough. If you give these people (protesters) an inch they will take a mile, in the 60's/70's union picketing transformed into throwing bricks at the bus taking workers in who broke the strike and the police/courts just looked the other way and even starting giving the nod of approval since they thought they could do nothing against it.

But if the police start shooting people that is also to far

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