Police in the UK accused the government of attempting to ban 10,000 officers from marching through Westminster in a mass protest over their pay award. The demonstration would be the force’s biggest since 1919.

The high-profile demonstration, intended to highlight the force’s anger over its recent below-inflation, 1.9 per cent pay rise, is threatening to become a major political flashpoint in the new year. The police claim their preferred route for their march is set to be banned under archaic ‘sessional orders’, laws drawn up in the early 19th century to combat large-scale radical protests that threatened a disturbance of the peace.

Gordon said using archaic orders to ban or reroute the march on law-and-order grounds would widen the rift between the police and government. ‘To think there is a likelihood of public disorder from 10,000 police officers marching through central London is a nonsense,’ he said. ‘I can only assume they are doing this because they do not want the embarrassment. It will just raise the police’s anger and mistrust of this government.’

Because they function on behalf of the state, folks tend to forget that coppers are working people with problems in common with all workers.

True – they needn’t worry much about being clobbered over the head while demonstrating. But, they get to experience the same lies and deceit designed to shut down dissent that the rest of us expect as standard operating procedure.




  1. JPV says:

    Poetic justice as far as I’m concerned.

    I wonder how many of these creeps beat up anti-war protesters over the last few years.

  2. moss says:

    Yeah, I’m of two minds on this one.

    On one hand, I have a couple of noticeable scars from being clouted by ignorant pricks in blue uniforms – over decades of putting it on the line for civil rights, civil liberties, any number of causes unpopular with whichever political turd is in charge.

    On the other, some members of my family have been straight arrow cops who stood by the law, stood up for decency and respect for other human beings – including one uncle who quit the NYPD back in the 60’s over local government that wouldn’t touch his corrupt commander.

    What we’re faced with is an issue of principle, folks. Standing up for public dissent means we have to back the same rights for everyone – not selective enforcement. We get enough of that from the White House and Downing Street, Kongress, Parliament and other assorted opportunists.

  3. Janky-o says:

    These guys are used to doing it to all the other protesters here in chicago. Why do cops (and firemen) always feel like they should be more privileged than the average joe?

  4. AdmFubar says:

    uhm wait a minute… who is gonna stop THEM from protesting??

  5. eyeofthetiger says:

    That’s a lot of bobbies.

  6. eaze says:

    what a sausage fest that would be. sure would be a shame if all those pigs don’t get slaughtered while they are all together in one place at the same time

  7. Joshua says:

    This is another Gordon Brown blunder. The independent commission that recommends pay raises for all goverment employee’s(from janitor’s to MP’s) recommended they get a 2.5% raise and that was alright, until Gordon became PM and he stuck the Home Secretary with the job of cutting the increase to the 1.9%. Mostly it’s because the police have had no problem investigating corruption charges with-in the Labour goverment. It’s payback.

    This is just another nail in the coffin of Labour’s hopes of winning the next election.


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