My small, raw offering for Jyothi, Sue, and the other peaceful protestors arrested on 9 August 2025 under Article 13, and for environmental campaigners willing to risk the same. Respect. This what it is coming to.
When I first met Magna Carta I wept—
for on that weekend,
after annexing Crimea unmarked
Russian soldiers were stirring up east Ukraine,
while in Salisbury there was peace
and habeas corpus and by the law of the land
access to justice and right
and it was in gratitude I wept.
This weekend my eyes were dry—
for Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square
had witnessed 522
peaceful protestors carted off by the Met
for the crime of free speech by placard
under Article 13 of the Terrorism Act.
Unlucky for some.
Unlucky for the 50% over 60 or 70 or 80
and the 50% far from claiming a pension.
Unlucky for the roll call
of Sir former government advisor
and the son of a Holocaust survivor.
Unlucky for the 2.1 starving millions disproportionately
penned in Gaza.
This weekend my eyes are stone—
for Hannah Arendt from her grave
is witnessing the banality of evil
rising again.
The police and the soldiers and spies
were only following orders.
Numbers and individuals taken from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/10/police-arrest-hundreds-london-protest-over-palestine-action-ban, accessed 8pm on 10th August 2025. “A total of 532 people were arrested… All but 10 were under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act for displaying supportive placards or signs.”