Two Tiered Policing Is A Racist Lie

A new and very specifically worded soundbite has been introduced to the lexicon of those supporting the far-right while whipping up hatred against Scary Muslims™, and that is the claim that there is something called “Two-Tiered Policing”. This is not only a pack of lies, it is yet another attempt to undermine confidence in the Police, by claiming that they have ceased to be even-handed and are siding with followers of The Prophet.

Martin Daubney

The phrase appeared around the time of the Speakers Corner gathering last weekend at which Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, appeared, and from which he was duly frogmarched by the Met’s finest, bundled into a waiting Meat Van™, and taken to that oft-quoted Central London Police Station.

And it was not the far right who sprang to Lennon’s defence, but the supposedly respectable and mainstream people who had been part of the Brexit Party, that vehicle for the advancement of Oberscheissenführer Nigel “Thirsty” Farage. Specifically, it came from the Twitter feed of one Martin Daubney, who was briefly one of the party’s MEPs.

“Whatever your views on Tommy Robinson, why was he arrested for breaking ‘coronavirus regulations’ today, whereas 100s protesting outside the French embassy on Friday were not? It’s this kind of two-tiered policing that causes huge resentment. Without consistency, we have nothing”. The lack of consistency was all in the mind. His own mind.

But already, the soundbite had spread and the claim taken root. “from a distance (I don’t live in London) there really does appear to be a two tiered approach to policing the left and the right … his two-tiered policing plays right into his hands … if you are happy for a two tiered policing system then fine but people with actual common sense can see the corruption and will speak up”. And there was more. Rather a lot more.

“Harassment. Two tiered policing … Terrorism & two tiered policing … And as usual you've gone down the appeasement route. Two tiered policing. We can all see this. We're not stupid. You've betrayed the British people … As usual two tiered policing... If you are a white working class patriot who wants to go to our most sacred monument - The Cenotaph then we'll be arrested! You're a disgrace and have lost the support of the people”,

As Sir Sean nearly said, I think we got the point. But not only was the claim wrong, it was strangely put. Not “two tier” but “two tiered”. In any case, Lizzie Dearden of the Independent was on hand to put Daubney straight. “This is false - the French embassy protest was shut down by police as an illegal gathering after they violated coronavirus rules. By 5pm on Friday two people had been arrested for breaching coronavirus regulations and 13 others reported for fines”. Same treatment for both gatherings.

By this point, Daubney was just ranting. “Point, missed. These arrests were for clear public order offences. Also it was the day after a multiple murder by a terrorist. Free speech should be universal, it’s a cornerstone of democracy”. The lack of even-handedness is not how the Police behave, it is how he behaves. But he’s not racist, really, and to show this in action his next guests were Laurence Fox and Richard Kemp.

It’s not two-tiered anything, it’s plain old-fashioned racist bigotry. No change there, then.

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