A man was fined for buying a birthday card in a supermarket, whilst buying groceries, as the birthday card was ‘not essential’.
Derbyshire Police flew a drone over a remote beauty spot to identify dog-walkers they deemed were not obeying the rules.
Buxton Police purposefully destroyed a beauty-spot to deter visitors by pouring black dye into the water, destroying wildlife as it did.
Corner shops told not to sell Easter eggs or Hot Cross Buns as they don’t count as ‘essential’.
These are just some of the cases reporting to the media following the Authorities being handed new powers to fine or arrest those being outside their homes or doing what they deem non-essential. But it gets worse: The Police have even set up a COVID-19 hotline that you are encouraged to ‘snitch’ on your friends and neighbours with if you see them breaking these rules.
Whilst these seem petty and laughable, there is actually something far more sinister happening here. Britain has very rapidly descended into a Stasi-style Police State. Like the darkest days of the East German regime; friends, colleagues and neighbours are encouraged to report you to the authorities whilst the increasingly militarised police force is now turning its efforts to suppressing the masses, abandoning their pursuit of criminals (as we’re all potential criminals now) in favour of enforcing political will. No Longer are they adhering to the Peelian principle of policing by consent, they are carrying out direct orders from the government and that should concern us all more than the Coronavirus pandemic.
The chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation has today urged shoppers to apply “common sense” over what goods can be classed as essential. Ken Marsh denied allegations that his officers had been vetting bags at supermarket checkouts to make sure they contained only essential items. But Marsh clearly has no idea what is going on in the streets of Britain and needs to wind his neck in. Asking the public to “use common-sense” when it is his own police officers performing ridiculous overzealous acts shows how out of touch Marsh clearly is.
As we reported yesterday, a growing number of human rights groups, political commentators and legal experts are raising their concerns over this issue. Former Supreme Court Justice LORD SUMPTION said on Radio 4 yesterday:
"The real problem is that when human societies lose their freedom, it’s not usually because tyrants have taken it away. It’s usually because people willingly surrender their freedom in return for protection against some external threat. And the threat is usually a real threat, but usually exaggerated"
"And that’s what I fear we are seeing now. The pressure on politicians has come from the public. They want action. They don’t pause to ask whether the action will work. They don’t ask themselves whether the cost will be worth paying. They want action anyway. And anyone who has studied history will recognise here the classic symptoms of collective hysteria."
"Hysteria is infectious. We are working ourselves up into a lather in which we exaggerate the threat and stop asking ourselves whether the cure may be worse than the disease."
Listen to the whole interview