The Student Room Group

Caroline Lucas (Green MP) arrested

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Does this mean the tax payer can claim back a portion of her parliamentary salary for failing to do her job as she's locked up?
Reply 2
I hope she's given a very strong sentence if found guilty, nobody should be above the law, especially not politicians.
Reply 3
Caroline Lucas MP has been arrested for not moving when told to by the police despite demonstrating in a laudably peaceful and pacifist way. Arguably, had the government properly listened to and addressed the concerns of Ms Lucas and the villagers, such a costly police presence would not have been needed. At this protest, police have shown no regard for the disabled, young children and indeed all other factions of protesters; however vulnerable. Once again the government are enabling corporate gain at the expense of the people of this country; aided by in many ways a corrupt and immoral police service. As you can see on the BBC footage, nobody has done anything 'wrong'- the law is not always the best indicator of just practise! Since the police imo have acted wrongfully, I would have resisted arrest as you can't appeal against being arrested- particularly if the police are in the wrong; yet, Ms Lucas allowed herself to be removed quite nastily by the police and was still co-operative. As a similar thread earlier today discussed are we becoming a 'police state', given that frequent events such as these and similar ones with the student protests and the death of Ian Tomlinson for which the police, who took the life of an innocent in the name of defending government cuts, wasn't prosecuted but simply apologised are allowed to occur? Quis custodiet ipsos custodes- who polices the police? What are your thoughts on today's events and the wider implications they may have?
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by BELLACIAO
I hope she's given a very strong sentence if found guilty, nobody should be above the law, especially not politicians.


It says she was "arrested by police today after taking part in peaceful, non-violent direct action at Balcombe." I didn't realise it was against the law to take part in peaceful protest. But you're right, she definitely deserves a long custodial sentence for standing up for her beliefs. :rolleyes:
Original post by BELLACIAO
I hope she's given a very strong sentence if found guilty, nobody should be above the law, especially not politicians.
Why should that make her deserve a strong sentence? Her crime was refusing to leave a peaceful protest. It's not as if she committed an assault, or fraud, or anything - and hardly something likely to end up in a trial.
Reply 6
Original post by Futility
It says she was "arrested by police today after taking part in peaceful, non-violent direct action at Balcombe." I didn't realise it was against the law to take part in peaceful protest. But you're right, she definitely deserves a long custodial sentence for standing up for her beliefs. :rolleyes:


The police tried to move her on, she refused, is that not a public order offence? Tommy Robinson, the leader of the EDL was arrested under similar circumstances.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/edl-leaders-tommy-robinson-and-kevin-carroll-arrested-in-london-8679741.html
Original post by Futility
It says she was "arrested by police today after taking part in peaceful, non-violent direct action at Balcombe." I didn't realise it was against the law to take part in peaceful protest. But you're right, she definitely deserves a long custodial sentence for standing up for her beliefs. :rolleyes:


If what she did is illegal, then yes she deserves punishing. People seem to forget that protesting doesn't mean disrupting.
Reply 8
Such a costly police presence would not be needed if the people didn't protest, too. You've not evidenced your claim that the police mistreated vulnerable people.

Who polices the police? That would be the IPCC.

This isn't a 'police state' in the way you're spinning it out to be, try living in DPRK, Russia or China, try protesting there.

You have the right to protest peacefully, but if the police have good reason to ask you to move, you must move. If you don't like the law, protest for it to be changed.
Reply 9
Original post by BELLACIAO
The police tried to move her on, she refused, is that not a public order offence? Tommy Robinson, the leader of the EDL was arrested under similar circumstances.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/edl-leaders-tommy-robinson-and-kevin-carroll-arrested-in-london-8679741.html


Not really similar circumstances at all; Tommy Robinson and the EDL had planned to march past a mosque at a time when tensions were already high due to the murder of Lee Rigby. This was obviously highly likely to lead to violent clashes and the arrest was for his own protection more than anything.
Reply 10
Oi, I already made a thread on this :tongue: Police behaviour today, especially in the arrest of Ms lucas and barging of disabled/vulnerable people was unacceptable. Disgusting! Who policed the police? No-one. Caroline did nothing wrong, and should have been able to appeal against arrest but Cuadrilla wouldn't have been very happy, eh? I personally would have resisted arrest. Instead of trying to damage Caroline and protesters' reputations and argument, the government should have listened to their and the villagers' concerns. 82% of residents oppose Cuadrilla's operations! Never has the law been skewed more in favour of the corrupt police against peaceful demonstration and protest. Public disorder and illegal occupancy for refusing to move? PFFT! As with the student protests and murder of Ian Tomlinson in defence of government austerity, today's events expose just how far the police and government have betrayed normal people's rights. First illegal spying activities and now using that data in a campaign to remove all objections to a very sinister agenda. I really hope you guys and principled, caring people across the country now take a stand against these issues; knocking down and exposing these atrocious acts and the increasing corruption.
In a way this is good, because if she comes to power then the Greens wont just suck up to what the current parties in government are doing and actually oppose them and stand for what they believe in.
By making her mad you have released a true green fury.

And tbh people are idiots, why would you arrest someone for trying to save the planet, all you ***** who say the greens are awful etc, don't you understand they are SAVING your future.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 12
I saw kids in some of the footage of the protests, you've got to wonder who takes their children to this kind of thing. As well as this apparently some of the protesters had chained themselves to a man in a wheelchair as well as breaking into the company HQ, things like this are clearly designed to just make the Police's job as difficult as possible. Two sides to these things as always but I think it's far too easy to jump on the police as a whole and bring up incidents like Ian Tomlinson and try to use them to judge the entire Police force.
Reply 13
Original post by Blueray2
In a way this is good, because if she comes to power then the Greens wont just suck up to what the current parties in government are doing and actually oppose them and stand for what they believe in.
By making her mad you have released a true green fury.

And tbh people are idiots, why would you arrest someone for trying to save the planet, all you ***** who say the greens are awful etc, don't you understand they are SAVING your future.


You would arrest them because they are breaking the law. You can't just go about clamping big 4x4's cause you don't like their fuel efficiency


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Original post by MatureStudent36
Does this mean the tax payer can claim back a portion of her parliamentary salary for failing to do her job as she's locked up?


At least she has the courage to genuinely stand up for what she believes and stick to it through thick and thin, which is more than you can say for many a minister and backbencher.
I actually want an MP who gets arrested for protesting - it would prove to me that they aren't just an establishment/corporate tool. (Those two things are pretty much identical now, as the dash for fracking shows.)
Original post by Fullofsurprises
At least she has the courage to genuinely stand up for what she believes and stick to it through thick and thin, which is more than you can say for many a minister and backbencher.


Yes. Some people admire Nick Griffin and Tommy Robinson for that very same trait.

Personally, I don't have a problem with demonstrating, but if it breaks the law, then they've crossed the line.

Are MPs able to get sacked if they get convicted in office?
Original post by Jkizer
You would arrest them because they are breaking the law. You can't just go about clamping big 4x4's cause you don't like their fuel efficiency


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Say that when you don't have a ****ing planet to drive your 4x4 or no fuel.
Original post by MatureStudent36
Yes. Some people admire Nick Griffin and Tommy Robinson for that very same trait.

Personally, I don't have a problem with demonstrating, but if it breaks the law, then they've crossed the line.

Are MPs able to get sacked if they get convicted in office?


Yeah, if the party decides it amounts to gross misconduct.

Alternatively, criminal or not, if it pisses off their constituents, they will be booted out at the next election - a la Jacqui Smith - more people were pissed off about her expenses shenanigans rather than the porn film claim though.

Plenty of MPs have criminal convictions for all sorts of things though, just like normal people.
Unfortunately she will be released very quickly.

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