Protest Rights

[songbird36]

Picking up the paper this morning, it was full of coverage about Prince Charles's visit to New Zealand and the resultant "anti-colonial" protests.

Maori and other women were baring their breasts, emblazoned with anti-colonial messages and messages in support of extra funding for breast cancer screening.

To lighten this otherwise dour scenario there was a hilarious cartoon showing Camilla Parker-Bowles yanking Diana's gold wedding ring off Charles's finger, causing him great pain and agony.

Recently in the city where I live two other women were arrested for chaining themselves to a digger, which was engaged in demolition work for an unpopular motorway extension.

Should these women have been arrested for their naked protest and for disrupting the peace? How far should protest rights go?

[Claverhouse]

How far should protest rights go?
Very far indeed, no matter how I may dislike the loons involved. In this case they can be safely ignored until Death comes for them or me.

Still, the point about protesting is that it rarely achieves anything, not even the overt wishes requested. Action Directe is the best method. But protesting at least shows that people are concerned about a subject.



Claverhouse :ph34r:


[ Believers in the establishment --- no matter what it currently is --- always whinge that whilst peaceful lawful protest is to be encouraged, providing it doesn't achieve anything, or beastly law-breaking such as assassination and annoyance is to be deplored: will always point out that all requests for change of any sort should go through the regular democratic institutions of government; eg: a body of people must convert sufficient mps or congresspersons to their view and then wait for the law to be changed. To which I would reply: 'Fuck'em'. ]

[Geoff]

Picking up the paper this morning, it was full of coverage about Prince Charles's visit to New Zealand and the resultant "anti-colonial" protests.

Maori and other women were baring their breasts, emblazoned with anti-colonial messages and messages in support of extra funding for breast cancer screening.

To lighten this otherwise dour scenario there was a hilarious cartoon showing Camilla Parker-Bowles yanking Diana's gold wedding ring off Charles's finger, causing him great pain and agony.

Recently in the city where I live two other women were arrested for chaining themselves to a digger, which was engaged in demolition work for an unpopular motorway extension.

Should these women have been arrested for their naked protest and for disrupting the peace? How far should protest rights go?


I saw the coverage of the incidents concerned in the news. Seems a bit daft to me. It must suck being famous for things like this - Charles must be stood there thinking "and I did what to deserve this *today*?"

-Geoff

[songbird36]

A few years ago the Queen had rotten eggs and tomatoes thrown at her at Waitangi.

We are such wild and unruly colonials...

[coffeezombie]

This should probably be the flag of New Zealand, not the present one.

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/n/nz!sfern.gif

[Hypnos]

I dislike protests that cross into physical contact and taking over/destroying property. If those become necessary tactics, call it what it is: insurrection.

Then again, many who protest in such a manner don't have much respect for person or property to begin with, and are probably asking for entitlements.

[songbird36]

This should probably be the flag of New Zealand, not the present one.

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/n/nz!sfern.gif

Yeah there is a strong movement afoot to get us a new flag. The silver fern is certainly less colonial, and mirrors our national netball team's name and the All Blacks logo.

[misutii]

Should these women have been arrested for their naked protest and for disrupting the peace? How far should protest rights go?

no, its stupid to waste tax money on such things. furthermore 'baring' one's breasts is 'indescent' mostly only in backwater countries so new zealand should change its laws anyways, i think in ontario we already changed our law. theres not topless women running around everywhere but atleast if they want to they have the right. furthermore she was promoting breast-cancer research and so to arrest for doing something so harmless would be an offense in itself

[Eileen]

I don't know that I think that they *should* be arrested, but when someone participates in something like that and does something that's illegal (though hopefully nonviolent), she has to acknowledge the possibility of being arrested for that illegal action. That's what civil disobedience is all about--acknowledging the possible consequences and making a conscious decision that whatever you're protesting is more important.

[songbird36]

no, its stupid to waste tax money on such things. furthermore 'baring' one's breasts is 'indescent' mostly only in backwater countries so new zealand should change its laws anyways, i think in ontario we already changed our law. theres not topless women running around everywhere but atleast if they want to they have the right. furthermore she was promoting breast-cancer research and so to arrest for doing something so harmless would be an offense in itself

Yeah well let me declare my hand -this is my position on the issue too. I think there are far better things to be spending policing resources on.

And I sort of admire those women for their audacity and their principles. I'm not sure if I'd have the guts to do it myself.

[jimkopelli]

Now, if only they'd combined that demonstration and Sturgis...