Under the circumstances, that strikes me as a very effective form of protest. No illegal actions of any kind. No shouting. No holding signs. Just sitting there silently. The police would have no valid reason and no pretext to stop them.
Maybe. I’d think these folks are more forgiving than vindictive. So they can all be friends over a cuppa and some scones.
I understand the outrage but on balance I would prefer if religious buildings didn’t have special rooms which civil authorities are forbidden to enter. If a crime is being committed in a Meeting House, synagogue, church, mosque, gudjawara etc. my default stance is that it’s ok for the police to be able to go in and arrest people.
Which isn’t to say that in this particular instance the cops weren’t being heavy handed, or they couldn’t have arrested people as they left rather than kicking in the doors etc. just that “we will rent this space out to any group, and in doing so offer them temporary immunity for any crimes they happen to commit within its walls” isn’t really a viable position.
Protest isn’t vindictive. The Friends have a history of non-violent protest.
I don’t know how things are these days, but the question of hierarchy and ministers/sermons used to be a hot topic at Friends General Conference, with west coast skewing toward that structure.* I have found Meetings in the west that are leaderless and silent, which is my preference.
*I don’t know the history, but wonder about this as possible syncretism of the religious practices of the non-Friends midwestern pioneers.
That is a very British and very sick burn. Those police officers could be off work for months while they try to process the emotional damage.
Quakers in the UK are mostly known for Cadburys and being pacifists. Quite a few served during WWI as stretcher bearers as they didn’t believe in violence, but did believe in national service and duty.
Fry’s (chocolate) and Rowntree’s (chocolate) too - those quakers loved our livers, but didn’t serve our waistlines well.
In fact, they are 49% of the world’s Quakers.
Yeah it pretty hard to hold up the US as a benign example in any area of governance and law right now, but this is a good example of why the US constitution, with it’s small number of absolute rights, is better than the more wordy ambiguous protections in other countries.
Also I am ironically enough reading (or is it apropos?) Blazing World a history of the English civil war and it’s aftermath. And the main theme of the chapter I’m reading is the legal persecution of the Quakers by the restored English monarchy for their liberal political and religious beliefs. One of the few things were the political spectrum has not shifted in the last four centuries (except the government doing the persecution here is nominally socialist)
I’d say persecuting Quakers is a bit of a stretch here!
This has nothing to do with Quakers other than they rented a room to the protest group Youth Demand.
The sky news (Murdoch) also had this
One quaker (Quaker you non-editor-having-murdochs) was so incensed by the police tactics that he pointedly did not offer any officers a cup of tea, in a very British protest.
I LOL’d. Good on Mr. Woolford!
Scotland Yard surely has a PR person and if the BBC don’t get lost on the way to Scotland, surely The Guardian will have a reporter and photographer there. Get a photo with some director type detective (who knows, maybe a Quaker himself) shaking hands and sharing tea and scones, jam or cream on top, either way is legal and you win the day with that photo.
The Quaker’s were hosting (allowing to use a room) of about twelve women plus a couple more I suppose curious-first-comers. Even if they had a undercover cop recording this “conspiracy to shut down London” (typically some kind of blocking of traffic) if this “case” goes to trial, Lionel Hutz would be enough to have it dismissed.
Otherwise:
“Why are all those old gentleman sitting on chairs staring at Scotland Yard?”
“They are silently protesting the heavy-handed actions of the Metro Police.”
“Is anything going to happen?”
“Probably not.”
How does Scotland Yard arm the Flying Squad to cope with these situations?
(imaging shrieks of outrage, with flung gobs of hummus and spilt tea creating a serious health hazard)
My brother in NYC, an advocate for groups related to this one, says it’s definitely on.
As do the Quakers:
Open invite:
Please do join us and spread the word. There’s a warm welcome to people of all faiths or none - whatever your beliefs, we can all come together in solidarity with those who stand for truth and integrity.
The group “Youth Demand” say more people have signed up.
The Metro Police HQ and Scotland Yard are adjacent, yet if you’re going to protest go for the latter.
To paraphrase Lisa Simpson, “You’ve got the Yard, but we’ve got the power!”