The Tide of Dissent !

 We live in what we call a " civil society " in which the laws with which we are governed are put in place by the politicians we send to parliament to act on our behalf.   Enforcing those laws is a body of men and women in uniform which we refer to as " the police ".

Rarely does the parliament we elect speak with a united voice.  Political parties which compete for our votes have radically different views on what laws should apply and the actions of the police are directed by whichever political faction is holding office at that particular time.

Across the world we are seeing police forces becoming more violent.  This violence is more than matched by the tactics now used by opponents of the laws put in place by parliaments.  It has become the custom to demonstrate against these laws in the streets and to keep order the police now resort to water cannon and baton charges.  These clashes are violent and deliver injuries to both sides.

In recent years the police have become more heavily armed.  They have always carried a pistol but now that is often supplemented by an assault rifle and the police wear body armour to protect them from mob violence.  Their tactics have become more aggressive and we are seeing civilian deaths occurring whenever issues bring large numbers of supporters onto the streets.

  Unfortunately, arrest by police is becoming selective.   Innocent bystanders are dragged off to the cells and violence is meted out to individuals whose race, colour or disposition has earned police ire.   The police claim to be combatting gang violence, but by their very nature the police are the biggest gang roaming city streets.

In some parts of the world this coronavirus pandemic is causing public disorder.  Australia has emerged with a light death toll thanks to early lockdowns but control measures are being violently rejected in some European and American cities., descending into open warfare between demonstrators and the police.  Civil order is giving way to bloodshed and the police are being blamed.

This usually degenerates into a dogmatic standoff.  The police are enforcing the legality of the law and the mob is seeking to institute a law change. Superficially, the police have the numbers and tactics to win, but that is at the cost of public confidence and respect.

The size of those mobs demonstrating in the streets continues to grow.  The phenomenon of social media is adding to the number and in many cases the publicity that brings people onto the streets is based on fake news and lies.  We are being manipulated by clever authorities abroad whose aims and objectives are not in Australia's interest.

That is a very dangerous situation. Some aspects of society are on the brink of civil war and this can only result in added police aggress  Mostly, this is evident in countries outside Australia but this tendency to oppose the police is growing here too.

We need to avoid being provoked into hysterical reaction by the farcical content aired on social media and carefully evaluate the issues involved.  Some issues deserve street action, but in many the manipulation in play is obvious  !