But since public toilets are provided by the man, then they surely wouldn't want to use them anyway?
your humour excels
well the circus is over
the g20 leaders have saved the day
the protestors can go home satisfied that a window got broken
the suits got a mufti day
the journos got some frontline action
the police got to stomp some crusties
cfh had a whole potted calf for lunch
and most importantly stwers got to proclaim their wildly unsubstansiated opinions on .....
the parental income and personal hygiene of youre average protestor
police crowd control tactics
the casual dress sense of bankers
it is very effective in screwing up a demo
The kettle is indeed a very effective tactic, and the police can go home feeling 'job well done'.
Only .... in the long term it is extremely counterproductive. I have seen 'the kettle' become a real reality check for some people. Suddenly people who have never been in trouble with the police, often respectable middle-class, middle-aged people who wouldn't even risk getting a parking ticket, find that they are been held against their will, unable to even get a drink or go to the toilet. When they eventually leave they have a completely different attitude towards the police.
And Munqe-chick you might well think that it's absolutely fine to punish everybody because according to you there's a "few minority idiots that like to riot", but I don't believe that this is a principle which is generally recognised under British law - you don't punish a whole group of people with the intention of including the guilty ones.
It also doesn't help my cause when I try to tell some idiot "yes I know, but only 'a tiny minority' of coppers are ****s, most are alright - you can't throw that brick hoping that it will hit one of the horrible ****s" 😯
It just gives fuel to the morons. And fails to distinguish the guilty from the innocent.
The kettle is one of the most longterm counterproductive tactics used be the police. I have been at the scene of countless 'disturbances', specially at Wapping. I have seen bricks, scaffold tubes, the lot, thrown at the police (usually in response to police charges) of which I totally disapprove, and I have also witnessed indiscriminate police violence. But I have always believed that even though I was in the thick of it, not breaking the law was essential - I have never been arrested.
However after recent experiences where even though I have fully cooperated with police requests, I have been held for hours against my will and denied basic rights, despite having broken no laws and been on a perfectly legal demo, I can't be completely sure that I wouldn't support attempts to break through police lines - something which I have never considered before. Sod not being allowed to go home, and being treated like a criminal 😕