Communists protesting against King Charles’ visit to Durham last Thursday were intimidated and harassed by the police, for the ‘crime’ of carrying communist literature and wearing a mask and hoodie.
The state did a fine job of showing us the true nature of ‘democracy’ under capitalism on this special occasion.
Charles Windsor, our reigning royal parasite, was in Durham as part of the pageantry surrounding Maundy Thursday – ironically, a Christian festival symbolising the importance of humility and service to others!
Local media were at pains to describe the supposed ‘jubilant’, ‘red, white, and blue’ atmosphere ahead of the visit; in fact, the numbers turned out were relatively small, demonstrating the fact most view the monarchy with an attitude of disregard or hatred.
A counter-demonstration was organised weeks in advance of the day itself. But the night before the planned demonstration, Durham University blocked the site outside the Cathedral where it was due to be held.
This was a manoeuvre to disrupt the demo by the uni bosses, acting in cahoots with the police. This is a flagrant violation of our hard-won rights to free speech and assembly.
On the day, a few dozen protestors gathered. People wearing masks were identified and asked to “have a chat” with police away from the crowd.
When ignored, the police threatened baseless arrests on the basis of “anti-social behaviour”. The policeman who ejected one comrade from the city centre used the justification that he was carrying communist literature, as well as wearing a hoodie and mask.
This is what our ‘rights’ amount to under capitalism. The capitalist state will not hesitate to use repression when their interests are threatened.
We will not be deterred; we will continue to fight. To make our rights worth the paper they are written on, we need to end capitalism, and sweep away all the feudal rubbish that remains in Britain today.
