Offence by Another Name: Suppressing
Anti-Royal Protest in Britain
The right to protest, fragile and meekly protected by the judiciary in Britain’s common law tradition, did not really hold much force till European law confirmed it. In the UK, condemning other countries for suppressing rights to protest is standard fare. So it was with some discomforting surprise – at least to a number of talking heads – that people were arrested for protesting against the monarchy after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Such surprise is misplaced. In the UK, protestors can be marched away before the operation of vast, and vague discretionary powers wielded by the police. An old, ancient favourite is the breaching of the peace, something many a blue-clad officer is bound to see in any gathering of human beings.
In addition to that general power available to the police, the Public Order Act 1986 UK also covers public order offences. Section 5 enumerates instances where a person is guilty of such offences: where “they use threatening or abusive words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour or disorderly behaviour” or display “any writing, sign or visible representation which is threatening or abusive.”
An additional, emotive ingredient is also added to the legislation. Such conduct should take place “within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby.” During times of government declared mourning, the abuse of such wording is nigh boundless, despite the imprecise defence of “reasonable accuse” available to the accused party.
It is precisely in such wording that suppression of protest can take place with relative ease. The conditions of grieving were so utterly total in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death as to be sinisterly oppressive. The slightest show of disagreement with the grievers was treated as abnormal and offensive. It was, as Jonathan Freedland wrote, “our collective moment of madness, a week when somehow we lost our grip.”
The police can count upon another weapon in their already vast armoury of quelling protest. The latest Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act of 2022 is yet another tool, adding “noise-related” provisions. It grants police powers to limit public processions, public assemblies and one-person protests “where it is reasonably believed that the noise they generated may result in serious disruption to the activities of an organisation carried on in the vicinity or have a significant impact on people in the vicinity of the protest.”
The public nuisance element in the legislation is also troubling. Police powers are granted to enable arrest and charging of individuals responsible for knowingly or recklessly doing something that risks or causes serious harm to the public. This also covers obstructions to the public “in the exercise or enjoyment of a right that may be exercised or enjoyed by the public at large”. The legislation defines serious harm as death, personal injury or disease; loss of, or damage to, property, or; serious distress, serious annoyance, serious inconvenience or loss of amenity.”
While the degree of mourning for the Queen’s passing has lacked the intense and grotesque mawkishness shown at Diana’s death, those wishing to sport a different view have also been singled out for their dissent. There are a good number who see little merit in the monarchy continuing and have expressed disagreement with the new occupant. One anti-Royal protestor, holding the sign “Not My King” in a peaceful and dignified manner, was removed by police in an incident that caused a flutter of concern.
A protestor in Edinburgh was also arrested for holding up the somewhat spicier “Fuck imperialism, abolish monarchy” placard in front of St. Giles Cathedral. According to a police spokeswoman, the arrest was made “in connection with a breach of the peace”. Conservative commentator Brendan O’Neill saw it rather differently, calling it “an alarming, almost medieval act of censorship” and “an intolerable assault on freedom of speech.”
Despite initiating a number of arrests the Metropolitan Police insist, as they tend to, that, “The public absolutely have a right to protest and we have been making this clear to all officers involved in the extraordinary operation currently taking place.”
For those believers in Britannic exceptionalism, this was disturbing. It troubled University of East Anglia academic David Mead, who found it difficult to identify “what criminal offences protesters might have committed by shouting ‘not my king’ or ‘abolish the monarchy’ as the royal procession of the casket made its way along the streets”.
Mead poses a few questions. Was there threatening or abusive language likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress within the meaning of the Public Order Act? Seemingly not. Were the chants or placards in question threatening or abusive? Again, the case did not stack up. Even the public nuisance charge would fail to stick.
Perhaps the only ground left was that unclear power of taking proportionate action to prevent breaches of the peace. Even in an absence of violence, the police might still decide that violence to a person or property might imminently arise. Best step in before it’s too late.
This is hardly a satisfactory state of affairs, showing, yet again, that the Sceptred Isle can hardly be counted as an impregnable bastion of free speech and public dissent. “If people are not allowed to quietly, if offensively, protest against the proclamation of a king,” reflects O’Neill, “then clearly our country is not as free as we thought.”
Queen Elizabeth II and 70 Years of UK Wars, Atrocities
Colonialism, neo-colonialism, wars, mass mortality & genocide
Queen Elizabeth II has died, and there is immense public affection for the Queen for her dignified but warm conduct in 70 years of dedicated service as a constitutional monarch. That affection is most marked among her pro-Apartheid Israel and hence pro-Apartheid British, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand Subjects, as well as among some other British Commonwealth loyalists. However resolutely ignored is the Royal heading of British imperialism, slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism, war and genocide for centuries up to the present.
The English have invaded 193 of the world’s present-day countries over the last 1,000 years, as compared to Australia 85, France 82, the US 72 (52 after WW2), Germany 39, Japan 30, Russia 25, Canada 25, Apartheid Israel 13, China 2, North Korea arguably zero, Iran zero and indeed most Developing Countries, zero. These invasions, from the Normans invading England in 1066 to the UK-backed US devastation of the Muslim world in the 21st century, have often involved genocide that is defined by Article 2 of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.”
The most horrendously super-deadly, English-complicit events (deaths in brackets) include the 16th-19th century onwards Amerindian Genocide in North and South America (90 million deaths) the 17th-19th century North American Indian Genocide (up to 18 million deaths), the 15th-19th century African Holocaust of the trans-Atlantic slave trade (6 million deaths), the 19th century Chinese Holocaust (20-100 million deaths), WW1 (1914-1918; 40 million deaths), the 1918-1920 Influenza epidemic (50-100 million deaths), WW2 (1939-1945, 90 million deaths) and the 2-century Indian Holocaust (1,800 million Indian deaths from violence and imposed deprivation under the British) that commenced with the 1769-1770 Great Bengal Famine (10 million deaths) and concluded just prior to Indian Independence with the British-imposed and Australia complicit but “forgotten” 1942-1945 WW2 Bengali Holocaust (WW2 Indian Holocaust, WW2 Bengal Famine; 6-7 million deaths).
While the 2-century British-imposed Indian Holocaust (1757-1947) was quantitatively the worst man-made atrocity in human history (1,800 million Indian deaths from violence and imposed deprivation), from a qualitative perspective the 1788 onwards Australian Aboriginal Genocide and Ethnocide was the worst such atrocity in human history. Of 350-700 Indigenous Australian languages and dialects in 1788 only 120 survive today, and of these all but 25 are endangered.
Queen Elizabeth II was Queen for 70 years, from 1952-2022, and during that time the UK was regularly involved in wars that were horrendously deadly for the Indigenous people that the UK and its allies were attacking.
There are presently 15 countries having the Queen as head of state (UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica, Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Of these 15 countries only the 4 White Anglosphere countries (the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand) have been involved in invading other countries during the Queen’s reign (1952-2022).
Summary list of the last 70 years of egregious UK violence and prior impositions: (1) Afghanistan (1838-2021); (2) Argentina (1806-1982); (3) Bahrain (1861-1971); (4) China (18th century onwards); (5) Cyprus (1878-1960); (6) Egypt (1882-1956); (7) Indonesia (1963-1965); (8) Iran (1914 onwards); (9) Iraq (1914 onwards); (10) Jordan (1918-1958); (11) Kenya (1884-1960); (12) Kiribati (1892 -1979); (13) Korean War (1950-1953); (14) Kuwait (1897-1961); (15) Libya (1943-2012); (16) Malaysia (1786-1960); (17) Mauritius (including the Chagos Archipelago, and Diego Garcia) (1810-onwards); (18) Nigeria (16th century – 1970); (19) Oman, 18th century-1971); Palestine (1917 onwards; Queen Elizabeth II never visited Apartheid Israel/Palestine); (21) Qatar (1868-1971); (22) Sierra Leone (16th century – 2000); (23) Somalia (1870- onwards); (24) South Africa (1795-1994) (25) Sri Lanka (Ceylon) (1798-1972); (26) Sudan (1881-1958); (27) Syria (1916 onwards); (28) Uganda (1890-1962) (29) United Arab Emirates (1892 – 1971); (30) Yemen (1839- onwards); and (31) Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) (1889-1980).
The worst circa 1952-2022 atrocities included (dates and deaths from violence and imposed deprivation in brackets): the Afghan Holocaust (2001-2021; 6 million) Iraqi Holocaust (1990-2011; 6 million); Indonesia (1965; 1 million); Kenyan Genocide (1952-1960; 1.1 million); Korean War (1950-1953; 5 million); Libyan Genocide (2011-2012; 0.1 million); Malayan Emergency (1950-1960; 1.0 million); Nigeria’s Biafran Genocide (1967-1970; 3 million); ongoing UK-backed Palestinian Genocide (1916 onwards; 2.2 million); Sierra Leone civil war (1991-2001; 1.1 million); Somali Genocide (1990s onwards; 2 million); Sri Lanka’s Tamil Genocide (1971-2009; 0.1 million); Sudan civil war (1955-2005; 12 million); Syrian Genocide (2012 onwards; 0.5 million); Yemeni Genocide (2012 onwards; 0.4 million); Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) (1965-1980; violent deaths 25,000 with excess mortality from deprivation of 0.7 million); UK complicit, “US-imposed post-9/11 Muslim Holocaust and Muslim Genocide” in 20 invaded countries (see my book of the same name): 32 million deaths from violence, 5 million, and imposed deprivation, 27 million.
How many people died avoidably from imposed deprivation in countries variously occupied or otherwise impacted by the Queen-ruled UK in the post-WW2 era?
Whether a child is killed violently (by bombs, bullets, and bashing) or non-violently through avoidable deaths from imposed deadly deprivation (from war, colonialism, neo-colonialism and hegemony), the death is just as final and the perpetrators just as guilty. Avoidable deaths (excess deaths, deaths that should not have happened) can be readily estimated from UN Population Division demographic data that have been made available and continually revised since 1950.
The summary data provided below are of 1950-2005 excess mortality/ 2005 population (both in millions, m) and expressed as a percentage (%); this ratio is given for the UK (as a major Occupier), for each country occupied, and as a total for all the countries subject to UK occupation. The asterisk (*) below indicates a major occupation by more than one country in the post-WW2 era.
UK [4.411m/59.598m = 7.4%] – Afghanistan* [16.609m/25.971m = 64.0%], Bahamas [0.007m/0.321m = 2.3%], Bahrain [0.054m/0.754m = 7.2%], Bangladesh* [51.196m/152.593m = 33.6%], Barbados [0.015m/0.272m = 5.5%], Belize [0.014m/0.266m = 5.3%], Bhutan [0.908m/2.392m = 38.0%], Botswana [0.443m/1.801m = 24.6%], Brunei [0.020m/0.374m = 5.3%], Cameroon* [6.669m/16.564m = 40.3%], Cyprus [0.054m/0.813m = 6.6%]; Egypt* [19.818m/74.878m = 26.5%], Eritrea* [1.757m/4.456m = 39.4%], Ethiopia [36.133m/74.189m = 48.7%], Fiji [0.054m/0.854m = 6.3%], Gambia [0.606m/1.499m = 47.6%], Ghana [6.089m/21.833m = 27.9%], Greece* [0.027m/10.978m = 0.2%], Grenada* [0.018m/0.121m = 14.9%], Guyana [0.086m/0.768m = 11.2%], Hong Kong [0.125m/7.182m = 1.7%], India [351.900m/1096.917m = 32.1%], Iraq* [5.283m/26.555m = 19.9%], Israel [0.095m/6.685 = 1.4%], Jamaica [0.245m/2.701m =9.1%], Jordan* [0.630m/5.750m = 11.0%], Kenya [10.015m/32.849m = 30.5%], Korea* [7.958m/71.058m = 11.2%], Kuwait* [0.089m/2.671m = 3.3%], Lesotho [0.951m/1.797m =52.9%], Libya [0.785m/5.768m =13.6%], Malawi [6.976m/12.572m = 55.5%], Malaysia [2.344m/25.325m = 9.3%], Maldives [0.015m/0.338m = 4.4%], Malta [0.019m/0.397m = 4.8%], Myanmar [20.174m/50.696 = 39.8%], Nepal [10.650m/26.289m = 40.5%], Nigeria [49.737m/130.236m =38.2%], Occupied Palestinian Territories [0.677m/3.815m = 17.7%], Oman [0.359m/3.020m =11.9%], Pakistan [49.700m/161.151m = 30.8%], Qatar [0.029m/0.628m = 4.6%], Saint Lucia [0.012m/0.152m = 7.9%], Saint Vincent & Grenadines [0.018m/0.121m =14.9%], Sierra Leone [4.548m/5.340m = 85.2%], Singapore [0.113m/4.372m = 2.6%], Solomon Islands* [0.050m/0.504m = 48.5%], Somalia* [5.568m/10.742m =51.8%], Sri Lanka [0.951m/19.366m = 4.9%], Sudan [13.471m/35.040m = 38.4%], Swaziland [0.471m/1.087m = 43.3%], Tanzania [14.682m/38.365m =38.3%], Tonga [0.020m/0.106m = 18.9%], Trinidad & Tobago [0.052m/1.311m = 4.0%], Uganda [11.121m/27.623m = 40.3%], United Arab Emirates [0.087m/3.106m =2.8%], Vanuatu [0.037m/0.222m = 16.7%], Yemen [6.798m/21.480m = 31.6%], Zambia [5.463m/11.043m = 49.5%], Zimbabwe [4.653m/12.963m =35.9%], total = 727.448m/2247.711m = 32.4%.
The avoidable mortality (excess mortality) from deprivation for the whole world totalled 1.3 billion for the period 1950-2005, but that associated with countries variously occupied by the UK in the post-WW2 era totalled 727 million or 56% of that in the whole world. The excess mortality for the whole world during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1952-2022) totalled about 1.5 billion (including 1 billion under-5 deaths) with about 50% in countries variously occupied by the UK. Thus about half of this post-1950 Global Avoidable Mortality Holocaust of 1,500 million people (including 1,000 million under-5 year old children) during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II can be attributed to British colonialism and neo-colonialism.
History ignored yields history repeated. Presently 7.4 million people die avoidably from deprivation each year (5.3 million being under-5 infants) on Spaceship Earth with endlessly greedy First World One Percenters in charge of the flight deck. However it is predicted that in the absence of requisite action a worsening Climate Genocide may kill 10 billion people this century en route to a sustainable human population of only 1 billion by 2100 (see Gideon Polya, “Climate Crisis, Climate Genocide & Solutions”).1
- Please disseminate this to everyone you can. Silence is complicity. All people are created equal, and we must all adhere to the fundamental imperatives of Humanity, namely Kindness and Truth. For details and documentation see Gideon Polya, “Queen Elizabeth II & 70 years of UK colonialism, neo-colonialism, wars, mass mortality & genocide,” Countercurrents, 18 September 2022. [
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