This day Setting Orange the 39th day of Confusion in the Year of Our Lady of Discord 3171.
The Goddess Dances…
Law enforcement relies on crime and criminals for its very existence, which sure looks like a symbiotic relationship to me.
A modicum of excitement today. I took a wander along Princes Street in the afternoon and got caught up in the first deployment of riot police in Scottish history (so claimed a policewoman when asked by a member of the crowd about her fetching nomex coveralls and kneepads).
The number of Filth and vehicles was rather impressive. The vehicles and uniforms having markings indicating places from all over the UK. Interestingly, those wearing Metropolitan Police jackets seemed to be the ones taking charge. Some of the policewomen were barely as tall as their riot shields - lucky for them there was no violence, they'd have been trampled underfoot. (Said shields carried a warning that they should not be allowed to become contaminated with petrol, diesel or solvents - I thought that somewhat bizarre.) The Filth were armed with two batons, one telescoping baton and one something like 18" - 20" long. Some had 2 cell Maglites. Also on their utility belts they had CS/Pepper Spray canisters. A few also carried small fire extinguishers on the belts.
What little violence I saw and heard of could be squarely lain at the door of the heavy-handedness of the Filth. Well, perhaps that's not entirely true but the only people I did see throwing bottles were clearly local Neds who'd had a few swallies and who would ordinarily be doing acts of random violence in the course of the day. In any case it's for sure that the numbers of Filth deployed were out of all proportion to the numbers of protesters. They certainly didn't look comfortable in all that gear in the sunny weather.
Two of the people trapped for two hours inside a Filth cordon (helmets, riot shields backed by protected vehicles and mounted officers) with me were tourists from New York who had accidently wandered into the so-called "riot." They seemed impressed by the remarkable restraint of the policemen. I asked them why they thought it might be necessary to beat up people who were standing around doing nothing, to which they had no reply. I guess it's just the American way. A woman sat down on the pavement in front of a line of armoured Filth to change her wean's nappy.
I note from the Sky News coverage that pictures of the Filth in riot gear are not being shown - though where they managed to find pictures of Filth without it mystifies me and I was there and saw what really happened right up close.
Democracy sure takes a lot of police.