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Coronavirus

Coronavirus - The Poll


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Perhaps a poetry reading about three centuries of division, being a second class citizen in your own country, where people feel nothing will ever change, would have lasted a considerable period.
I still blame Dom.
 
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It's weird though how we're told we shouldn't attend mass protests, but mass celebrations about the war are fine.

The mass attendances on the beaches will also lean towards further spikes, not just this.

And again, people are protesting in this country because we're not much better than the Americans. It's both in support and to show a voice against the things that occur on a day to day basis.

I would say we need a separate topic for this though.
 
It's weird though how we're told we shouldn't attend mass protests, but mass celebrations about the war are fine.

The mass attendances on the beaches will also lean towards further spikes, not just this.
This has been pointed out loads on social media... but... I don't actually remember anyone encouraging mass celebrations for VE day? In fact I remember it actively being encouraged against? Of course (to an extent) they still happened, but they weren't 'condoned' as so many of these posts on FB etc suggest.

Equally with beaches - there's pretty widespread condemnation of the number/density of people rushing to the beaches in good weather, no one's saying "it's OK, that doesn't matter".

Whether we're talking the idiocy of people gathering on beaches, or non-thinking of people gathering for celebration, or the just cause of coming together to protest, I think it's fairly clear cut that mass gatherings of any variety are a bad idea, and are condemned.
 
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The biggest problem people don’t understand is that the government are powerless to stop a protest. Unless it’s been organised by a banned group there’s nothing they can legally to stop it.
 
The media was very, very active in promoting 'socially distanced street parties' for VE day. In reality these parties were never, ever going to stay that way especially once the sunny weather and alcohol were introduced.

As far as I'm concerned this is very, very different to people protesting a cause which is sadly still all too relevant in today's society. Yet the media (and government, who continued to host VE day events) were active in encouraging the former whilst condemning the latter.
 
The biggest problem people don’t understand is that the government are powerless to stop a protest. Unless it’s been organised by a banned group there’s nothing they can legally to stop it.
Well except in this case surely they can, not because it’s a protest, but because it’s a mass gathering in breach of the coronavirus laws.

Of course whether they do or not is another matter - to stop any protests would send a massive, awful signal. Not that that’s bothered the government recently.


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The biggest problem people don’t understand is that the government are powerless to stop a protest. Unless it’s been organised by a banned group there’s nothing they can legally to stop it.

This isn't true. If people are breaking any social distancing *laws* (not guidance) then of course they can intervene. In reality though, these protests are so huge (and a lot of people taking part are still social distancing / wearing masks etc) that this is deemed ineffective.
 
The media was very, very active in promoting 'socially distanced street parties' for VE day. In reality these parties were never, ever going to stay that way especially once the sunny weather and alcohol were introduced.
We celebrated VE day like this. No one broke social distancing. It was good fun. Actually I'd say it was very good for our mental wellbeing.
Everyone that took part took their chairs and a table to the front garden / driveway. Those that had bunting set it up as a barrier in front of their patch. As we live in a cul-de-sac everyone could talk even though we were a roads width away from most others. We even played music (And did the Macarena) in the evening.
We all had a blast and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Just because the media cherry pick the bad examples doesn't mean that most the celebration that day was irresponsible.
 
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Big news; AstraZeneca has reportedly begun manufacturing doses of the Oxford vaccine: https://apple.news/AwyyTeGGjQAWxhM-Dp8_xcA

They are doing this at great risk, as it is still not known whether it works or not. They will know by August whether or not it works. However, if the Oxford vaccine does work, then it can be distributed very quickly, with 100 million doses promised for the UK and 300 million for the USA being pledged in total.
 
Generally, and I live right on the border, people with driveways, front gardens and cul-de-sacs celebrated V E day and kept social distance.
Those without gardens, driveways and cul-de-sacs didnt celebrate as much, but those that did didnt keep their distance after a few beers.
 
I find it quite funny that people are trying to compare the VE day scenario to the protests. The two situations are so different yet trying to validate one whilst pointing out the other suggests one rule for one thing and one for the other.

We've established that the reason for the protests is not to be argued with, and no one has. No decent person would think anything different. That black people, no matter where they are from deserve to have the same rights as the rest of society. It's a simple right. And in 2020 we shouldn't need any protests to drive this point home.

It doesn't matter if people are gathering and wearing masks.... if you are within 2 metres of the next person, you shouldn't be. It doesn't matter if everyone was keeping two metres.... groups of more than six different people is not allowed. (Unless something has changed recently and I missed it).

These protests are not all socially distanced. Not everyone is wearing a mask. This is not OK. It doesn't matter why you are protesting. It's still not OK.

If I saw anything like what was on the news in Liverpool on a street for the VE day celebrations that wouldn't have been OK either. I seriously doubt social distancing for VE day was any worse than some of the hot weekends we've been having and what's been going on in back gardens. And that's not OK either, |'ve ranted about that before. And the news were hammering into people to keep your distance for VE day. It's like they've only just caught up with the protests.

I've not seen numbers of people together since the last sporting events. Which incidentally the football match in Liverpool in March, has contributed to Liverpool being a hotspot with a high incident and death rate.

If we find out on the opening day of the AT that there are crowds gathering, wearing masks or not we wouldn't be sitting here saying OK then.

The reason is never going to be good enough in the current climate to have mass groups. And yet they won't let zoos open who are ready to keep everyone away from each other.
 
I don't get it. Protests are for something specific that can actually be changed.

Take Hong Kong for example. They were protesting a specific law that would mean they could be extradited to mainland China. Yes, China does a lot of awful things, and protests also raise awareness of the bigger issues, but the protests in that case could have pragmatically changed that tiny little bit of it...and it was a ticking clock, now or never.

In this case the police officers have all been arrested including the ones who allowed it to happen. If they are found not guilty, it will be a different matter entirely but they're in jail right now. Even if their bail was set at an affordable price, I would understand the outrage more but it wasn't - the bail was in the hundreds of thousands if not a million dollars.

And here, with everything going on, I think it is terrible. We already have all the laws in place. I don't know what they hope to achieve. When those laws are broken, even by people in power, they must be enforced. There's nothing more the state can do.

If it wasn't for the virus, go for it. I find it annoying, I don't think it will solve anything, but go for it. Protests and strikes etc are necessary for a free society even though they're a pain in the arse most of the time. But really, this is not the time and nothing has even happened yet. The perpetrators haven't gotten away with it!
 
The Human Rights Act Article 11 states the following...
Freedom of assembly and association
1 Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

2 No restrictions shall be placed on the exercise of these rights other than such as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. This Article shall not prevent the imposition of lawful restrictions on the exercise of these rights by members of the armed forces, of the police or of the administration of the State.

From the Liberty site..
[
The State can’t interfere with your right to protest just because it disagrees with protesters’ views, because it’s likely to be inconvenient and cause a nuisance or because there might be tension and heated exchange between opposing groups.

Instead it must take reasonable steps to enable you to protest and to protect participants in peaceful demonstrations from disruption by others.

The right to protest and freedom of association can be limited in certain circumstances.

Any limitation must:

  • be covered by law
  • be necessary and proportionate
  • pursue one or more of these aims:
    • the interests of national security or public safety
    • the prevention of disorder or crime
    • the protection of health or morals
    • the protection of others’ rights and freedoms.

Whilst you could have the view that we have the right to protest enshrigned in Law, and would counter any laws regarding mass gatherings making them meaningless, the fact that one of the reasons given which give authorities can restrict this right is for the protection of health, as long as it is necessary and proportionate, which in the case of ensuring we contain covid 19, would be.
 
about 50 people gathered in London's Hyde Park as part of a sparsely attended nationwide lockdown protest. Nineteen were arrested, according to London's Metropolitan Police.
 
about 50 people gathered in London's Hyde Park as part of a sparsely attended nationwide lockdown protest. Nineteen were arrested, according to London's Metropolitan Police.
...I don't think we're talking about the same thing? Not the lockdown protests, but the George Floyd protests. I know Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens saw a crowd of around 15,000. Haven't seen an actual figure for London, but here's a shot from the US Embassy in Vauxhall:

_112751767_usembassyprotests1.jpg


That's definitely not 50-odd people...
 
.....but as long as their cause is just and they're wearing masks apparently this is OK. Because wearing masks is 100% proof, because no one is adjusting their masks multiple times with their hands, touching their face and other objects, so we're all good.

Considering we know the virus is affecting black people and other ethnic groups quite badly..... someone didn't think this through properly.

Australia is a joke, not sure when they suddenly became caring towards their native people but apparently they are now.
 
I think honestly for the next few day I might have to come off social media. I’m tired that if you dare criticise the protests you are made out to be the bad person. I made my point clear I don’t care what you want to protest about that’s your right but jaysus we are in a middle of a serious situation. Why couldn’t this honestly wait just a few weeks when this blows over and it’s more safer to do it. This will definitely have an effect on the numbers as it only takes one person to spread it far enough.
 
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