We have repeatedly discussed how Great Britain has been in a free fall from the criminalization of speech to the expansion of the surveillance state. The alarming rollback on free speech rights in the West, particularly striking in England ( here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here). Now, a new case shows how ambiguous laws are being used to criminalize conduct that was once viewed as simply rude or obnoxious. A woman has been arrested for leaving a furious note on an ambulance of the West Midlands Ambulance Service for parking in a reserved space during an emergency call. The note is disgraceful, but the arrest shows how England has plunged head-long into the waters of speech criminalization and regulation.
The ambulance crew was responding to an emergency call to help a person who was having trouble breathing. When they returned, they found a note that they described as “vile” reading:
“If this van is for anyone but Number 14 then you have no right to be parked here. I couldn’t give a s— if the whole street collapsed now move your van from outside my house.”
So it is a crime against “public order” to leave an insulting note on an ambulance? Presumably, the police will decide what language is sufficiently disruptive. Of course, since this was read by public employees, they simply can claim being hurt or upset to establish such a crime. Moreover, the note was not truly public (beyond being put on a windshield) until the crew posted it on social media. That is when it became a public disorder.
Once again, I fail to see how our British cousins do not see the implications of such laws and the arbitrary way that they are enforced. In this case, the putting of the note on social media and the resulting public outcry led to the police effort. The danger is that what is considered disruptive will turn on public agreement or disagreement with the written sentiments. Free speech becomes an extension of public opinion.
What do you think?