Andrea Leadsom said it was ‘violent’ to protest with a loudhailer – 13 comebacks worth shouting about
You might have seen by now that Steve Bray – AKA the man who shouts about stopping Brexit near Parliament – has had his equipment seized by police as part of controversial new protest laws.
Bray, the activist known as Stop Brexit Man, had his sound system seized by Met officers and now faces prosecution under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act.
Here’s what happened (and what Labour MP Chris Bryant made of it all).
This shames us all. Silencing dissent isn’t patriotic or British. https://t.co/l0PAy4NQPO
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) June 28, 2022
And this is the man himself, interviewed on BBC News.
Steve Bray – “We’re heading down a path of fascism in this country, I hate to use the F-word, but we certainly are.” pic.twitter.com/vJZ3yrnfSR
— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) June 28, 2022
We mention all this because Andrea Leadsom, Conservative MP and erstwhile Tory leader hopeful, described Bray’s entirely peaceful protest as ‘violent’.
Steve Bray has spent six years screaming abuse through a loudhailer at me and many others as often as he saw us for the ‘crime’ of trying to fulfil the democratic decision of the UK to leave the EU. This action by the police to stop his violent protest is very welcome 👏👏👏 https://t.co/ElZEo3ApPP
— Andrea Leadsom MP (@andrealeadsom) June 28, 2022
And these 13 responses are definitely worth shouting about.
1.
‘Violent’? You didn’t need new laws to deal with ‘violent’ protests but you did need new laws to curtail Steve Bray’s freedom of speech. What an outrageous & unintentionally illuminating slur. Shame on you. https://t.co/3fU5JYqi5o
— James Oh Brien (@mrjamesob) June 28, 2022
2.
Andrea Leadsom here confusing free speech with violence pic.twitter.com/GmZ5tlTtzD
— Otto English (@Otto_English) June 28, 2022
3.
https://twitter.com/EmmaKennedy/status/1541802130520084481?s=20&t=yRdLlgZnGQN9AqJhz39jPQ
4.
He's not "violent", you dishonest authoritarian. https://t.co/2LIinCZ6eL
— Steve Peers (@StevePeers) June 28, 2022
5.
Senior Tory MP celebrating the fact a dissenting voice has been silenced. I didn’t always think Bray’s method was productive, but to describe him as “violent” is a joke. The only violence in this affair is a state enacting legislation to target one citizen with all its might. ~AA https://t.co/EypfVNg3qe
— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) June 28, 2022
6.
That's an arresting statement, and I imagine unfounded. If Steve Bray's protest had really been 'violent', the regime would not have needed to create a law specifically targetting him. https://t.co/QTh5XmHftl
— Dominic Minghella (@DMinghella) June 28, 2022
7.
Steve Bray is persistent, loud, and at times annoying but never, ever violent. https://t.co/X6mQI5vOnf
— Ava-Santina (@AvaSantina) June 28, 2022
8.
Andrea, explain one bit of his protest that's violent. Go on. https://t.co/qoU0aXNBkt
— Sooz Kempner (@SoozUK) June 28, 2022
9.
MPs should not be allowed to lie with such impunity. https://t.co/EzjTsA73lE
— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) June 28, 2022
10.
You’re a fascist. https://t.co/Rz5kEjlaeW
— Miffy (@miffythegamer) June 28, 2022
11.
This is a fun game. What else can we call violent protest? The MP who carried round a pint of milk in protest of covid restrictions? https://t.co/dMUKYBIKyH
— Rosie Holt (@RosieisaHolt) June 28, 2022
12.
Shouting isn't violent protest. If you don't want to live in a society where the public can protest against politicians move to North Korea, China or Russia.
It's amazing how easily conservatives adopt the worst elements of leftist rhetoric. https://t.co/8PBoZON5Ez
— Konstantin Kisin (@KonstantinKisin) June 28, 2022
13.
I thought it was only snowflakes who thought speech is violence? https://t.co/OATR47Zeox
— Matt Green (@mattgreencomedy) June 28, 2022
We’re with Chris Bryant.
Chris Bryant on Steve Bray getting.his amplifiers taken away by the police.
"It's not patriotic or British to close down dissent… this is the kind of thing they do in Russia"#PoliticsLive #PMQs pic.twitter.com/m1LFaVHR91
— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) June 29, 2022
Only one question remained …
https://twitter.com/PDowness/status/1541809603331194880?s=20&t=gKDcM4ILXVgVXwyHEoztmA
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Source Twitter @andrealeadsom
