When the Founding Fathers wrote the Bill of Rights, they knew just how important it would be after living under tyrannous British law. Securing the right to freedom of speech as the First Amendment to the Constitution, they wanted to ensure the government couldn’t limit what our people had to say.
Now, residents in the United Kingdom are being reminded why that was such an important decision.
Niyak Ghorbani, a 38-year-old Iranian-born man, calls London home and found himself in cuffs for carrying a sign to an anti-Israel protest. There, as a counter-protestor, his sign was simple: “Hamas is terrorist.” According to the Metropolitan Police, “The man was arrested after an altercation was ongoing, and officers intervened to prevent a breach of the peace. He was arrested for assault. Officers then fully reviewed footage provided of the incident, and he was later de-arrested. The arrest was not made in relation to the placard.”
“The police destroyed my sign and told me that I had harassed someone in the protest and that is why they arrested me. They arrested me because someone who supports Hamas attacked me, and I defended myself. After 10 minutes, my friends showed them a video of what I was doing, and they released me. The person who attacked me was not arrested.”
Officers across the UK have been under fire for their double standard for Palestine and Israeli protesters. Using “preventative” arrest measures to detain counter-protestors they deem could be a risk, officers hide behind their badges and the King’s robe like children when called out for the practice. Under their interpretation of stopping the peace from being breached unnecessarily, they have been arresting people left and right.
Thank God we live in a country that broke away from the monarchy. Our Founding Fathers saw the writing on the wall back then, and as we watch the English deal with the results of the ruling family, it is nothing less than shameful. This kind of nanny police state censorship would never make it here in the US, and we should be grateful we live in such a free nation.
