Brickbat: Thinking Too Loudly

Video from England shows West Midlands police telling Isabel Vaughan-Spruce she had to leave a public area where she was standing alone and praying silently. He accused her of violating a buffer zone within 150 meters of an abortion facility. Under English law, "intimidation," "harassment," or  "influencing a person's decision to access" an abortion facility is illegal within such a buffer zone. The Crown Prosecution Service has ruled that silent prayer does "not necessarily" violate buffer zone laws unless it is accompanied by "overt" actions. But the officer said that because Vaughan-Spence is known to be pro-life her "mere presence" could constitute "harassment, alarm and distress."

Comments

[Vernon Depner]

her "mere presence" could constitute "harassment, alarm and distress."

I've known people like that...

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Certainly applies to cops.

[mad.casual]

Harass, alarm, and distress people into action is practically cine qua non of post-modern/progressive/Marxist political activism. Silence is violence. Looting, beating people, and burning shit to the ground is mostly peaceful.

[SQRLSY]

'...her "mere presence" could constitute "harassment, alarm and distress."'

Yes, THIS is just about precisely twat the haters and xenophobes say about the presence of illegal sub-humans!!!

Today, those who think or pray silently, AND illegal sub-humans... Tomorrow, those who WorShit Trump, or voted for Him! Twat's good for the goose...

[Adans smith]

She should have held a Quran, I hear that shields you from being bothered in the U.K.

[LIBtranslator]

Maybe a different swastika?

[Fist of Etiquette]

I blame J.D. Vance.

[Medulla Oblongata]

JD Vance is wrong about...everything. Reason says so, at least.

[LIBtranslator]

Never let Reason interfere with superstitious, coercive Faith.

[TJJ2000]

Bow down and pray to the Public 'Gun' Gods (i.e. Government).

Maybe the 'Gun' Gods will answer her prayers and FORCE those ?public-property? ?baby?-incubators to reproduce!!! /s

[Longtobefree]

No nation ever sinks so low it cannot serve as a warning.

[Quo Usque Tandem]

I think GB has sunk so low it can only serve as a cautionary tale; like the Roman Empire (it’s not coming back).

[LIBtranslator]

Weren't large chunks of Merrie Olde actual parts of the Roman Empire once upon a time?

[Vernon Depner]

Yeah, being taken over by hostile immigrants is an old story there.

[Don’t get eliminated]

What a shocking story!

[Stupid Government Tricks]

I wonder if they'd allow prayer for more abortions.

Imagine picketing with signs demanding to be paid for the free abortion.

[Vernon Depner]

How 'bout free abortions for Muslims?

[Rockstevo]

At what point do people just say F'it if I am going to jail anyway and just start blowing s$t up?

[LIBtranslator]

Finally. We now know which girl-bullying sockpuppet is posting here from Robert Dear's padded cell.

[LIBtranslator]

German laws restricting Christian National Socialist intimidation are even stricter. Enslaving pregnant girls into bearing their bullies' or rapists' offspring or die in the process are even more ingrained in Germany than in Billy Graham's Comstockist America. Both versions agree the goal is "a horrible brainless empire in which, essentially, nothing ever happens except the training of young men for war and the endless breeding of fresh cannon-fodder." If Isabel's move-along were for quietly smoking a joint or tooting a line, MAGAts would cheer. But those Vertov rights to mind one's own business have been chipped away already.

[Lester75]

If she's not there to protest, what's the point? Her silent praying with a rosary or whatnot is the same as holding a sign. If you let one do it, there will be 50 of them doing it trying to intimidate women to keep them from going in. Nightclub or bar owners might feel the same way as the clinic owners if there were frumpy women praying and staring at customers in front of their place of business.

If it was private property then she'd be loitering or trespassing and the property owner could ask that she move away. If it's public property it's a harder case to make. The clinic may just have to deal with it.