Police want flag burning outlawed
Police want flag burning made illegal in Britain
Police chiefs have urged ministers to criminalise flag burning in a move to crack down on extremist protesters.
Scotland Yard has submitted the idea to the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, alongside proposals to ban demonstrators from covering their faces.
Police are also asking for greater powers to arrest protesters seeking to inflame tensions under the package drawn up by Britain's most senior Muslim officer.
Tarique Ghaffur, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said that Britain was seen as soft on extremist demonstrators.
"There appears to be a growing public perception that policing of demonstrations is unduly lenient,'' he said.
"The reason this is a great country is the tolerance of people. If they start to see images of people who seem to be 'getting away with it', that starts to erode.''
Mr Ghaffur's intervention comes as Lord Goldsmith is understood to be preparing announcements on dealing with extremists, possibly in November.
Mr Ghaffur insisted the proposals would be backed by the Muslim community because they clearly targeted the extremist minority.
He made clear his proposal to prevent faces being covered during demonstrations would not interfere with women's right to wear the veil.
Instead, it was designed to target extremist demonstrators who were hiding their identities from police.
Civil rights group Liberty described the proposed new laws as "unnecessary''.
Shami Chakrabarti, Liberty's director, said: "It looks like some people have been watching too many American movies.
"We will have to look at the detail of these proposals but the police already have wide powers, especially for dealing with people wearing masks."
Labour MP Shahid Malik, whose Dewsbury constituency was home to one of the July 7 suicide bombers, backed the proposals.
He said: "The burning of flags at demonstrations or pickets is quite clearly an act which has the power to incite violence.
"It is intimidating and often allows a few thugs to hijack an otherwise legitimate and peaceful protest.''
On the Met's demand for protesters to be stopped from covering their faces, Mr Malik added: "Not only are balaclavas intimidating in a public order situation, but more importantly they will prevent the police evidence gatherer from videoing the demonstration effectively and hence reduce the amount of evidence that can be brought before a court."
British AOL poll
Should flag burning be outlawed in Britain?
Results
Yes - 86%
No - 14%
news.aol.co.uk
Police want flag burning made illegal in Britain
Police chiefs have urged ministers to criminalise flag burning in a move to crack down on extremist protesters.
Scotland Yard has submitted the idea to the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, alongside proposals to ban demonstrators from covering their faces.
Police are also asking for greater powers to arrest protesters seeking to inflame tensions under the package drawn up by Britain's most senior Muslim officer.
Tarique Ghaffur, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said that Britain was seen as soft on extremist demonstrators.
"There appears to be a growing public perception that policing of demonstrations is unduly lenient,'' he said.
"The reason this is a great country is the tolerance of people. If they start to see images of people who seem to be 'getting away with it', that starts to erode.''
Mr Ghaffur's intervention comes as Lord Goldsmith is understood to be preparing announcements on dealing with extremists, possibly in November.
Mr Ghaffur insisted the proposals would be backed by the Muslim community because they clearly targeted the extremist minority.
He made clear his proposal to prevent faces being covered during demonstrations would not interfere with women's right to wear the veil.
Instead, it was designed to target extremist demonstrators who were hiding their identities from police.
Civil rights group Liberty described the proposed new laws as "unnecessary''.
Shami Chakrabarti, Liberty's director, said: "It looks like some people have been watching too many American movies.
"We will have to look at the detail of these proposals but the police already have wide powers, especially for dealing with people wearing masks."
Labour MP Shahid Malik, whose Dewsbury constituency was home to one of the July 7 suicide bombers, backed the proposals.
He said: "The burning of flags at demonstrations or pickets is quite clearly an act which has the power to incite violence.
"It is intimidating and often allows a few thugs to hijack an otherwise legitimate and peaceful protest.''
On the Met's demand for protesters to be stopped from covering their faces, Mr Malik added: "Not only are balaclavas intimidating in a public order situation, but more importantly they will prevent the police evidence gatherer from videoing the demonstration effectively and hence reduce the amount of evidence that can be brought before a court."
British AOL poll
Should flag burning be outlawed in Britain?
Results
Yes - 86%
No - 14%
news.aol.co.uk
