Freedom of Speech Rally | Metropolitan Police Behaving Like the Thought Police

I went to the Freedom of Speech rally on Saturday, in Trafalar Square, London. It was very well attended and as the person leading the event said, we are reclaiming the streets. However, I have to say that we are facing a big task. A chap holding up a board with a few of the Danish cartoons on it was spoken to by the police. This I thought was absolutely disgusting, especially as throughout the event they were taking pictures and video footage of normal taxpaying people like myself. This smacks of a fascist state and is a complete waste of public money. However, it also appears that this footage will be used to PERSECUTE this individual; his rights have been abused by the police. Shame on them. Their excuse was that they were responding to a complaint from a member of the public...have they not heard of discretion? Well obviously not, because the BBC News website is reporting that the footage will be passed onto the Crown Prosecution Service. This is completely hypocritical, considering the response to the appalling rally of extremist Muslims against the cartoons...when the police has subsequently only arrested three people out of large group advocating violence and killing of innocent people. Again, shame on the police. They are only going for easy targets That is pusillanimous!

I have always been a supporter of the police force, as they do a difficult job with a large degree of personal danger. However, incidents like this only serve to change my mind and I loose respect for them. Is this behaviour not like the Orwellian Thought Police? They protect Iqbal Sacranie when he calls people like me harmful to society and full of disease, but persecute a member of the public for holding up a cartoon.

Other than the police, the event was in part very amusing, especially when a "Danish Matador" was trying to slay the "Islamist Bull", holding aloft the Danish flag like a red wrag. Other comedians present were those holding placards saying "STOP TOONAPHOBIA!"

The message behind the event remains very important...that is, our freedom is being challenged by laws taking away our freedom of speech; the pernicious religious power growing in public policy and how people are running scared of religious reaction to anything it does not like. We all need to take action, before 1984 becomes 2006. If anyone is in doubt, see V For Vendetta at your local cinema.