With the death of Pope Francis, the world loses not only a church leader but also a moral compass
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The thin blue line: maintaining whose order?
In light of events in Clapham and Bristol, NICK WRIGHT looks at the policing of demonstrations, celebrations, protests, vigils and citizens' assemblies — and asks why the uniformed response varies so drastically and so dangerously
The breaking-up of the peaceful vigil for Sarah Everard has been a PR disaster for the police
LYNNE WALSH previews the Bristol Radical History Conference this weekend
Keir Starmer’s £120 million to Sudan cannot cover the government’s complicity in the RSF genocide or atone for the long shadow of British colonialism and imperialism, writes CLAUDIA WEBBE
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Mountains of research show that hardcore material harms children, yet there are still no simple measures in place
We face austerity, privatisation, and toxic influence. But we are growing, and cannot be beaten
THE last word is never uttered on the vexed question of policing in 21st-century Britain.
We have a long history of riots, disturbances, insurrections and demonstrations in which the public discussion is continually diverted from the substantive issues at stake — the repeal of the Corn Laws, the demand for a People’s Charter of democratic rights, the right to strike, the right to a job, against nuclear weapons and imperialist wars, against the imposition of the poll tax, anger at deaths in the hands of the police and so on.
The temper of the crowd and the tactical disposition of the police are always factors in determining what happens on the day while the attempt by authority — always buttressed by an obedient and servile media — to frame the principal issue as one of public order is always present.
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