Lee Anderson has a certain way of making himself look stupid, it’s a skill we suppose…
“We have seen protesters once again in Parliament Square setting up some sort of Glastonbury-on-Thames gazebo,” Lee said to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lee Rowley in a Committee hearing.
“Don’t you think it’s time you left your ivory tower, got out there on Whitehall and sorted the people out? You’re just letting it happen. You’ve got the powers now to do this.”
Rowley told him this was wrong, as the government’s controversial Public Order Bill – giving police powers to stop demonstrations – is not yet enshrined in law.
“Those powers haven’t come in yet,” Lee Rowley told Anderson. “You’re making selective comments based on a partial understanding of the law.”
Whim
Rowley then said: “The law is very clear that protest is disruptive and to a certain extent that is allowed.
“That is why the law says at the moment you might not like that but I have to work to the law rather than whim.”
He told Anderson: “You might want to believe the law says that no disruption is allowed whatsoever through protest, but that is not case.”
Anderson told Rowley: “You might want to believe you are doing your job correctly, I don’t think you are. I feel like I’m wasting my time with you.
“Do you think you’ve got confidence of the public?” he asked.
However, the Commissioner said: “If people want to be personally offensive, then write it in newspapers, I’m not going to answer those questions.”
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Related: Watch: Complete boll**** – Braverman’s comments on police numbers slammed
