Suspicious behaviour on the tube

[moggie]

Today's Guardian has a story by David Mery about his arrest on the tube under suspicion of being a terrorist:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1575532,00.html

It makes disturbing reading. Look at the reasons he was given for his arrest:

• I went into the station without looking at the police officers at the entrance or by the gates;
  
• two other men entered the station at about the same time as me;
  
• I am wearing a jacket "too warm for the season";
  
• I am carrying a bulky rucksack, and kept my rucksack with me at all times;
  
• I looked at people coming on the platform;
  
• I played with my phone and then took a paper from inside my jacket.
  

WTF? At least he wasn't shot, but he was arrested, handcuffed, kept in a cell, and his flat was searched. And his fingerprints and DNA can now be kept on file.

[marmar]

1. That's quite disturbing...

The United States and Great Britain: We like to preach about freedom, we just don't like to practice it.

[rodeodance]

2. whow-wearing clothes thought to be to warm for 'the season" !!

[Oggy]

3. I did all of the above today

Except there were no cops. That last bit in your post is worst. ( Incidently it was the Guardian I was reading ). We are living in a Police state.

[moodforaday]

4. Whenever I read about things like these

I wonder about the "you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide" crowd. These people are officially drooling idiots.

[leanin_green]

5. Yeah, well. . .

every one of those actions are exactly what police are trained to look for as suspicious acts. Let's not get too out of hand about people trying to protect us. I know, it seems as if personal liberties are being stepped on at every turn. But perhaps it's time for uncommon actions and behaviors while in public. Maybe next time giving a friendly nod to those cops, or maybe even a smile. Or, heaven forbid, a verbal greeting as we stroll by!

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. No, some of them are meant to be the non-suspicious acts

For instance, they seem to think it was suspicious that he didn't look at the police - but it was also suspicious that he did look at other passengers. What was he meant to do? Seriously, I bet that if he'd greeted the police, they'd accuse him of trying to distract their attention from the other people in the station (and they thought him entering the station at the same time as other people was dodgy. It's public transport! What's he meant to do? Loiter in the street? Are you telling me that wouldn't be suspicious?)

And we are always to to keep luggage with us at all times - but they said that made him suspicious!

[fedsron2us]

6. Isn't a state that keeps files on innocent persons a police state ?

Well possibly, but this process has been going on a lot longer than the last few months. The intelligence agencies in the UK have been gathering data on people since the time of Francis Walsingham. Since the advent of the welfare state in the 1940s the British government has accumulated vast amounts of data on practically every aspect of private individuals lives. Whether that is a good or bad thing is a matter of debate. However, some people on the left do hold untenable positions on this subject. They want the maximum amount of individual liberty whilst at the same time expecting the government to intervene and manage all the problems in society. In this instance I think the key issue is whether the activities of the security agencies and the police are subject to due process of law controlled by an independent judiciary and properly elected democratic legislature. The main problem with Britain since 1979 is that the executive has been accumulating more and more power at the expense of the other arms of government. It is this slide into authoritarian rule that is the real threat.

[RogueTrooper]

7. fascist state

I am so glad I moved to Ireland.

[truebrit71]

9. Jeebus...that is one scary story....

Wow....