When I use a kettle, it's to heat water to boiling point.
The Police technique of kettling as a method of crowd control must surely come under scrutiny now. I was quite shocked to read Tom Brake, Lib Dem MP for Carshalton's, account of being kept in a Police "kettle" for five hours without access to food or water. It is important that notice is taken of his views as an independent parliamentary observer.
It scares me that innocent people could be caught up in something like this and it strikes me as inevitable that if this technique continues to be used disproportionately and excessively, then at some point, somebody is going to be trampled, severely injured or worse.
LibDig This!
That `without food or water` comment was interesting. What better way to quell the crowd than to hand out food and water?
ReplyDeleteHow would you like to be prevented from moving for 5 hours for no apparent reason, cooped up with strangers and not able to get a drink?
ReplyDeleteIt's bound to create tension and make things worse, not better.