When salt is still salty

From the Guardian:

Police have raided a Quaker meeting house and arrested six women attending a gathering of the protest group Youth Demand.

More than 20 uniformed police, some equipped with Tasers, forced their way into the Westminster meeting house at 7.15pm, according to a statement by the Quakers.

“No one has been arrested in a Quaker meeting house in living memory,” said Paul Parker, the recording clerk for Quakers in Britain.

“This aggressive violation of our place of worship and the forceful removal of young people holding a protest group meeting clearly shows what happens when a society criminalises protest.

“Freedom of speech, assembly, and fair trials are an essential part of free public debate which underpins democracy.”

I hope this sparks a deeper discussion of the role of religion, ethics, and how those values should be manifested in society.

Even though it’s a right-wing talking point, anarcho-tyranny is a relevant concept. The police don’t have the resources to stop obvious and blatant crime on the streets, yet they have the resources to raid a church to arrest youngsters planning a protest.