Well it seems that the police have been arresting demonstrators at the ExCel centre which is hosting DSEi – Defence Systems & Equipment International. Strangely the ExCel website doesn’t seem to mention it, but of course, being Europe’s largest exhibition of this nature it does have it’s own site (this should not be mistaken for this very similarly named website!).
As I’m not a member of the “bona fide defence and aeronautical press” I probably wouldn’t get it, although I could try as a member of the broadcast media.
Obviously demonstrating outside a commercial trade fair is tantamount to planning the next major terrorist act, and anyone who does anything of this sort should be instantly locked away.
Well that’s what David Blunkett must think, since he had to authorise this use of the Act.
Police State? Surely not. 79 arrests so far.
UPDATE: It seems that now Blunkett’s had something of a change of heart, or maybe he’s only just found out about something he should have had to authorise (surely it wasn’t just rubber-stamped by someone in the Home Office?). He wants to know why Counter-Terrorism laws were invoked rather than public order ones. Good question. I look forward to the answer.