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Arrests come as Trump lands in UK for second state visit

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[–] snooggums@piefed.world 140 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Thames Valley Police said four people were arrested on suspicion of malicious communications after the images were seen.

Oh look, the truth is malicious!

[–] doctortofu@piefed.social 67 points 11 months ago (3 children)

"Malicious communications"? A heinous crime indeed! So when is Trump getting arrested for it, together with most if not all politicians?

[–] FerretyFever0@fedia.io 25 points 11 months ago

Yeah, that's the UK for ya. A ton of random bullshit laws lol

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 3 points 11 months ago

If that's malicious communication then Tommy Robson probably is up for the death penalty. Except strangely not.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Well Trump is American and they adhere to free speech to the point of insanity so nope there.

[–] FundMECFS@anarchist.nexus 4 points 11 months ago

They don’t really. People are losing their jobs, getting kicked out the country, etc. For saying the wrong words.

It’s “free speech only if you agree with the government”.

[–] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 11 months ago

"malicious communications" reads like something straight out of Orwell

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 26 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Translation 4 inconvenient people were silenced by officers. By forcibly removing them from the scene. Knowing full well the CPS will likely not press charges.

Given there is no way any court will consider the purpose as causing distress. As required by the act.

[–] Hector@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Do not overeatimate the cps they are cynical cunts. Or the judges.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The judges can only rule according to the legislation. They don't have a lot of interpreting power, if these people have genuinely not committed a crime there isn't a lot that courts can do with them maliciously (unless they want to go full America and just straight up ignore the law which I don't think labour could get away with)

[–] Hector@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

Ruling that protesters could not tell the jury about their motivation was all the judiciaries decision.

Don't pass the buck on this. England's judiciary, and their lawyer class in general, has betrayed the freedom of speech and expression that florist in England hundreds of years before the rest of the continent and made it to Envy of the world.

All for some chiseling cunts busy stealing our lunch and freedom with the help of that same judiciary. They think what remained of democracy is already dead.

[–] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 17 points 11 months ago

were arrested on suspicion of malicious communications

It's just performative. An exercise to waste time and make it look like the police and state are "doing something". They probably take their cues from the Home Office.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 104 points 11 months ago (5 children)

What even is the crime? Is projecting light onto a surface now considered vandalism?

[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 74 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Hurting bourgeois feelings is a crime now I guess

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

How is that even possible? How can you hurt something that doesn't even exist?

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 5 points 11 months ago

Callousness is a poor facade to thin skin. Personality disordered people have deep, festering wounds that have never been properly addressed. Hurting others is a coping mechanism that releases pressure, momentarily, but doesn't address the cause. That's what cutting attempts, but it's directed at others, rather than self. Psychologically, it's the difference between lancing a cyst and squeezing out the ick without getting the sac that contains it, so it's never really gone - but the ick is now on others.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 4 points 11 months ago

hunting aristocrats, which are worst than the bourgeois.

[–] kautau@lemmy.world 35 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What is the charge? Projecting an image? Projecting a succulent incriminating image?

[–] Denjin@feddit.uk 23 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Take your hands off my projector sir!

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I see you know your goose-step well

[–] reev@sh.itjust.works 9 points 11 months ago

This is the bloke who got me on the projector before.

[–] tal@olio.cafe 34 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I'm not sure if it's what was used here, but a lot of areas have some kind of generic "nuisance" law, which basically serves as a general purpose "someone is doing something obnoxious that affects us and we want to provide law enforcement with a way to make them stop" tool.

kagis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuisance

Under the common law, persons in possession of real property (land owners, lease holders etc.) are entitled to the quiet enjoyment of their lands. However this doesn't include visitors or those who aren't considered to have an interest in the land. If a neighbour interferes with that quiet enjoyment, either by creating smells, sounds, pollution or any other hazard that extends past the boundaries of the property, the affected party may make a claim in nuisance.

Legally, the term nuisance is traditionally used in three ways:

  • to describe an activity or condition that is harmful or annoying to others (e.g., indecent conduct, a rubbish heap or a smoking chimney)
  • to describe the harm caused by the before-mentioned activity or condition (e.g., loud noises or objectionable odors)
  • to describe a legal liability that arises from the combination of the two.[2] However, the "interference" was not the result of a neighbor stealing land or trespassing on the land. Instead, it arose from activities taking place on another person's land that affected the enjoyment of that land.[3]

The law of nuisance was created to stop such bothersome activities or conduct when they unreasonably interfered either with the rights of other private landowners (i.e., private nuisance) or with the rights of the general public (i.e., public nuisance)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuisance_in_English_law#Public_nuisance

EDIT: Okay, found a news article that mentions what they're being investigated for:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/four-arrested-uk-projecting-photos-trump-epstein-windsor-castle-rcna231804

Thames Valley Police said in a statement Tuesday night that they arrested four adults “on suspicion of malicious communications following a public stunt in Windsor.” The police added they will conduct an investigation into the incident, and that all four people arrested remain in custody.

Probably this law, though it doesn't sound to me, on the face of it, like it'd qualify:

Malicious Communications Act 1988

It addresses communications "in electronic form", but I don't think that in the everyday sense of the word, a projection would count.

EDIT2: I also wouldn't be terribly surprised if they don't wind up with this actually going anywhere, and just wanted some sort of legal rationale to make them stop it for the moment.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 17 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Apparently Malicious communications.

So basically the officers knew full well they have 0 chance of a successful trial. As no way any court will consider the intent to cause distress.

But instead are openly acting to silence inconvenient speech. Having had it made clear by the PA law that the gov wants that.

[–] Luckaneer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 11 months ago

It's considered vandalism only when it's not a projection of Gail Porter's arse, apparently.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Porter

[–] MonsterMonster@lemmy.world 76 points 11 months ago

Apparently it wasn't a static image it was a ten minute movie of images of Trump, Epstein, Maxwell, Prince Nonce Andrew and expose interviews.

Well done.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 71 points 11 months ago

The crime of making rich people uncomfortable. That's literally it.

[–] blackn1ght@feddit.uk 55 points 11 months ago

Arrested for displaying a picture onto a stone wall? Fuck off

[–] slickgoat@lemmy.world 45 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Interested in knowing the charge?

"Criminal misuse of light ", perhaps?

[–] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Oi! You got a license for those photons?

[–] JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca 3 points 11 months ago

Well copper, have you got a loicense for that billy club!?

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 9 points 11 months ago

Enjoying a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 3 points 11 months ago

I think it was something to do with electronic communications

[–] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 45 points 11 months ago

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”

[–] lmdnw@lemmy.world 41 points 11 months ago

If it’s illegal to peacefully protest, then it’s time for violence against the oppressors.

[–] Denjin@feddit.uk 35 points 11 months ago

This government seems to see the "beneficial" trade deal with the US as one of the key successes of their tenure. If it breaks down, they've got exactly zero wins and only a series of disasters they've lurched between since taking office.

Ignoring the fact that the deal seems entirely one sided and allows US tech giants to snap up contracts across whole swathes of British institutions, despite not being able to find any reasons for things like LLMs in government departments, without any reciprocal benefits like lifting steel or car tariffs which are all still in place and were what starmer used as examples of how good the trade deal is.

Doing "deals" with trump is like grabbing a snake by the tail, sure you might look for a while like you have control but at any moment the snake can turn around and bite you. So now we're stuck in a situation where we have to collectively suck trumps cock lest he decide to just say "50% tariffs for you bitches now".

Hence the strong arm tactics by the home office to scare people into not doing things like showing foreign visitors our contempt for them, which has been a long standing tradition of the British people.

[–] rayquetzalcoatl@lemmy.world 32 points 11 months ago

Awh yeah nice let's just bend the knee even further shall we Starmer you pie-faced bellend

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 30 points 11 months ago

Good to see they’re hard at work going after the ringleaders of the huge white power riot.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 30 points 11 months ago

nice going. make peaceful protest illegal. surely this won't have completely expected repercussions

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 27 points 11 months ago

Trump's here for two days, I think. I imagine all four will be released without further charge on the third day.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Oi you got a loisence for that projector?

[–] beejboytyson@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago
[–] Bloomcole@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago

Understandable, in true Britain first spirit they should've projected the royal nonce Andrew.

[–] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

This is what peak trolling looks like guise. It has all the elements for a perfect recipe. Bloated and petulant narcissist target, check. Corpulent and obsequious hosts, check. Incredibly damaging and embarrassing open secret that nobody wants to publicly discuss but everyone is dying to find out what's in the dossier, chef's kiss.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I hope they don't get convicted with anything and it was just a case to stop them.

Without looking, this looks like the work of Led By Donkeys. Pretty good activists I must say

[–] Lastangel@feddit.uk 1 points 10 months ago

So peacefully projecting an unedited picture that doesn't breach anyone's privacy or spill any secrets, is 'malicious communication'.

And telling thousands of rioters-in-waiting that they need to 'kill or be killed' isn't.