‘Is anyone governing this country or does anarchy rule?’ - Telegraph readers on Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion’s blockading of the printing plants where The Telegraph, and a number of other titles, are produced which prevented newspapers from reaching shops on Saturday was branded by Boris Johnson as “completely unacceptable”.
Home Secretary Priti Patel also strongly condemned the actions of the group tweeting: “This attack on our free press, society and democracy is completely unacceptable”. However, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was criticised for his slow response. Questions were also raised over the police’s failure to halt the demonstration and remove protestors.
Telegraph readers responded to the news, including those who were unable to read their weekend newspaper. Read on for Telegraph readers on Extinction Rebellion and the police response, as well as the vital importance of the free press.
Remember to share your view in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
‘Speak up! Speak boldly!’
@Jeff Brandt:
“I'm an American who has a deep appreciation and admiration for Britain, and it pains me to see our countries going through similar hardships; I don't like to comment on British domestic issues since I'm not a Briton, but I'll just quickly say this.
“We've been accommodating of opposing points of view in our societies because we're open, liberal societies. But the opposition has participated dishonestly in civic debate and it's now clear that – in America and Britain – they want to remove our government structures, erase our histories, and upend our societies and enforce their strange postmodernist worldview on everyone.
"We must begin the push back; not with violence, nor with aggression, but with boldness in our discourse. We cannot be afraid of their insults or their tactics of character assassinations. We're losing our countries and they're winning with us not even putting up a fight. Speak up! Speak boldly! Speak honestly and with truth! We're in the right and we must act like it.”
‘The Government needs to get a grip’
@Jim Bob:
“My kids can’t get a proper education and I can’t get to church without adhering to ridiculous regulations. But protestors go totally unchallenged. Something is very, very wrong in this country. The Government needs to get a grip before there is a proper revolt.”
‘The police need to reset themselves’
@Paul Miller:
“The police press release says they are there to facilitate peaceful protest, no. They are there to deal with illegal protest as peaceful and legal protest does not require facilitation. The police need to reset themselves and uphold the law first.
“People organising raves are fined £10k but people organising groups to stop newspapers being published aren't – that's plainly unfair and unacceptable application of the law under Covid-19 measures.”
‘You were warned’
@Elizabeth Harper:
“All I can say is: you were warned. There was an in-depth report about Extinction Rebellion a couple of years back calling for them to be outlawed as a terrorist organisation. Yet politicians, the media, celebrities and many more kept encouraging their nonsense.
“The only way back from this is some honest and factual investigative reporting on XR and the dubious claims of the climate change lobby.”
‘Is anyone governing this country or does anarchy rule?’
@Alan Scott:
“I am more alarmed at the fact that these so-called activists seem to have a free hand to disrupt the lives of the general populace, Extinction Rebellion, Black Lives Matter and the many climate change protesters seem to be handled with kid gloves.
“These are all minority movements who seem to think they can behave as they wish regardless of the inconvenience caused to the general public. Is anyone governing this country or does anarchy rule?”
‘There is a responsible case, but this is not the way to do it’
@Colin Stewart:
“They have lost their focus, and these actions will lose them support. Just like the BLM movement: a bunch of racing drivers and football multimillionaires campaigning for the end of capitalism.
“There is a responsible case for drawing attention to climate change issues, but this is not the way to do it.”
‘People are already making up their minds about Mr Johnson’
@Michael John Hardgrave:
“The Prime Minister follows his usual script and condemns the miscreants just as he did with those who toppled statues and who smuggle people into the country and of course our friends at the BBC who banned certain pieces of music.
“I detect a pattern, waffle and hope the people forget, very little, if any action. I get the feeling people are already making up their minds about Mr Johnson.”
‘What is the point of an 80 seat majority?’
@Stuart McCullough:
“Boris. I voted for you on the basis that you were a Conservative and that you would uphold conservative values. I’m sure you have a busy agenda with many issues to deal with, but let me tell you, you are making a complete mess of things. Deal with Extinction Rebellion and deal with them now.
“What is the point of an 80 seat majority if all you are going to do is behave as incompetently as your predecessor?”
‘Police are exactly the same as the BBC leadership’
@Alan Ro:
“Unfortunately the top echelon of police leaders are exactly the same as the BBC leadership. They are not particularly interested in delivering their core responsibilities. They are more interested in preaching their moral views and upholding the rights of the people breaking the law.
“We saw it with the BLM demonstrations and again we see it with the Extinction Rebellion demonstrations.”
‘This protest has made me see red’
@Matthew Summers:
“I have the Telegraph delivered every Saturday and I look forward to spending the morning perusing the paper. Today I am outraged. I have never really lost my temper and am quite a calm person but this protest has made me see red.
“The police response has been a joke and I believe one journalist called it pathetic. I believe in free press and I trust the Telegraph with its reporting in a fair, non-biased manner.”
‘If the police won’t do anything, who will?’
@jean fulcher:
“Once again Priti Patel does nothing. Our wonderful police are trying to engage with them but the protesters won’t.
“How pathetic can we get? If the police won’t do anything despite having the laws to remove them, who will?”
‘They intend not to argue and debate but to intimidate and terrorise’
@Gary Lafferty:
“Extinction Rebellion, like BLM, behind their activism seek to destroy our economy, society, and culture not to reform it. We in normal society have a 'false consciousness' which means that we are incapable of understanding that we are wrong. Therefore they intend not to argue and debate with us but to intimidate, disrupt and terrorise us until they bring about our collapse. And they are winning.
“They have useful fellows in the BBC and left wing press, they have cowed the police and the justice system and they are misunderstood by our conviction-less, supine political establishment.”
‘They want socialism and misery for all’
@Mal Hunitop:
“There is simply no future for democractic societies, this is what they want.
“They've continually lost the democratic argument so seek to destroy democracy and capitalism. They want socialism with identity politics and misery for all.”
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