More Crime Khanage on our London streets

Robbers with machetes stopping bystanders intervening

Yes, there was some unnecessary disorder outside the Iranian Embassy when police arrested a demonstrator for switching flags on a long-unused embassy building. But was it really sensible to respond to such a minor transgression with heavy-handed force? To many watching, it looked less like policing and more like the authorities protecting the interests of a barbaric regime. This action was harmless compared to the rampant London crime. We are told that there are no resources to be on the streets, but a mass of police around the disused embassy of a fascist regime.

Largely good humoured

Hundreds of officers were deployed outside the embassy, despite the fact that—until this arrest—the demonstrations had been peaceful and well-ordered. Protesters have also complained of being photographed by police, raising fears that images could end up in the wrong hands. For people protesting an authoritarian regime, that is no small concern.

And then comes the real absurdity.

While a small army of police idles outside the embassy, a mile or two down the road machete-wielding gangs are roaming free—terrorising staff and passers-by as they raid the Rolex store, stealing watches worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

This is policing turned upside down. Peaceful demonstrators are treated like a threat, while violent criminals run amok. This isn’t public order—it’s khanage on our streets.