The UK isn’t the US (at least in this context) almost nobody has guns.
In very limited situations the police can, but it’s not the norm.
Don’t get me wrong, ACAB, they just don’t generally use guns a as a pretext, perhaps a knife, or perhaps there is more than an arbitrary number of people grouped together so they can claim an ‘illegal’ protest.
I didn’t mean they really thought a camera were a gun. I mean UK cops will “suspect” people filming with a camera of being a terrorist (as if aiming the camera were like pointing a gun).
Fatal police shootings in the UK are getting more common. In 2019 one man was “lawfully murdered” because an officer said the victim’s mobile phone looked like a handgun. In 2024 it was announced the officer would not be prosecuted. Not one police officer has been found guilty of illegal murder as of yet.
In the UK it means the cop wants your ID and is willing to pretend your camera is a gun to get it.
The UK isn’t the US (at least in this context) almost nobody has guns.
In very limited situations the police can, but it’s not the norm.
Don’t get me wrong, ACAB, they just don’t generally use guns a as a pretext, perhaps a knife, or perhaps there is more than an arbitrary number of people grouped together so they can claim an ‘illegal’ protest.
I didn’t mean they really thought a camera were a gun. I mean UK cops will “suspect” people filming with a camera of being a terrorist (as if aiming the camera were like pointing a gun).
“anonymous” downvotes aren’t a good replacement for an actual response, but you do you.
and I’m saying it’s not a common occurrence, intentional or not.
Guns aren’t common enough in the UK for “they’ve got a gun” to be a go-to for the police.
“They’ve got a knife” or “They’ve got a sign the ruling class don’t want people to see” are more likely.
As another poster pointed out, it has happened, but it’s by no means the norm.
Fatal police shootings in the UK are getting more common. In 2019 one man was “lawfully murdered” because an officer said the victim’s mobile phone looked like a handgun. In 2024 it was announced the officer would not be prosecuted. Not one police officer has been found guilty of illegal murder as of yet.
Sure, that seems about right and the link is interesting.
I was just saying it’s not a common excuse for cops in the UK (right now).