WeX Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I saw this and it got me thinking. I generally support the rights of protesters, but we have all seen the agitators wearing masks to hide their identity. Would making it illegal to cover your face, mean people are less likely to commit crimes in such situations giving the police the power to arrest these people before they commit other crimes. I'm torn. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/06/19/pol-mask-bill-royal-assent.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staunton Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 An interesting and important question WeX. Is there a link between protest and crime? It might soon be the case that protest itself becomes a crime. How do these aspects affect the struggle for democracy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melthebell Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 errrrrm, I spot a flaw in the plan Oo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 So it's okay to riot if you're not masked ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geared Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 It's already an offence of sorts isn't it? As in you are allowed to wear a mask in public, but it is an offence not to remove it when the police tell you to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L00b Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 It is an interesting conundrum, but ultimately redundant: rioting/criminal damage has always been, and likely shall always be, illegal whereby we can reasonably expect that the prohibition of masks will be ineffective, since "perps" intent on rioting/criminal damage will still wear them, until and unless they're caught...just like now/before any such prohibition. IMHO, this proposal should be resisted, because all it would do effectively is, as with many such proposals (and ever more of them, e.g. ACTA and the like), adding its stone to the altar on which our civil liberties are being ever-more eroded, for no real progress/benefit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavegirl Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I blame the police tactics of filming everybody on protests for the rise in people masking themselves. Why should they have the right to film people that are legally protesting and to put their names on a database? For me, the cameras should only come out if the protestors break the law. I tend to see the V for Vendetta masks as a symbollic 'I'm Spartacus'- representing anonymity and strength in unity against this tyranny. What I've noticed about protests is that it's size that matters when it comes to violence. When the protests are huge (eg the Iraq war protest) and involve hundreds of thousands of people they are very peaceable- this is democracy in action. The police stay in the background and use many civilian intermediaries because they know that if it turned violent it could end in revolutionary action. They would only lose control. If however, the protests are considered manageably small-scale the police come in very heavy handed and the media make the most of any violent reaction. This is how the government tries to deter protests, it leaves the public with the view that protests are like mini civil wars rather than an integral part of the democratic process- hence the police are able to use tyrannical procedures (water cannon, kettling, personal data collection etc) to abuse protestors. An unreported violent approach by the police leads to a violent response from the protestors which is then violently put down- that's how the police make themselves appear to be in control and useful. Sadly many protestors don't realise this is the intention- as a result too many today associate protests with an opportunity to riot. That's how democracy is eroded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanerothyme Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 The insidious but inevitable use of technology in "cyber policing" is most worrying because of the totally misplaced trust placed into systems like facial recognition and behavioural movement analysis. However there are crazy, fun and imaginative ways to hide your face, without hiding your face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best sheff Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 That will foil all the SUPER-HEROS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pie n ear Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Would that include 'masking' the face with a scarf or will Canadians be allowed to wrap up when rioting in the winter months? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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