Geoff Pearson

Starmer targets inflammatory chants at Palestine protests for further curbs PM says Labour will address suggestions of antisemitic hate as he orders review of protest policing powers

Even putting aside the continued repression of free speech by the current UK Government, what could possibly go wrong with this idea, eh?
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

She was arrested for holding a sign reading:

“I do not support the proscription of Palestine Action”

How that would warrant arrest is very unclear. I wonder if the police here even understand the boundaries of the bizarre law they’ve been forced to enforce.

The police don't need *more* powers to make peaceful
protest criminal. They need *sensible* lawmaking - laws that are actually enforceable without regular mass arrest. There is a currently a crisis of legitimacy in policing, and mass arrest of grannies and vicars for holding placards isn't helping.

Police to get new powers to crack down on repeated protests, says Home Office Move follows arrest of almost 500 people at latest pro-Palestinian demonstration in London on Saturday

(1) Police can already take into account cumulative effect - restrictions on repeat disruptive protests are more likely to be proportionate. (2) Vast numbers of DefendOurJuries protesters have been arrested. It's made future protests more, not less, likely.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

10 AI Prompts for Academics making those hard jobs a little easier ...

Here are your 10 -essential- AI prompts for academics ... make your life easy with help from @profserious.bsky.social profserious.substack.com/p/10-ai-prom...

Police to get new powers to crack down on repeated protests, says Home Office Move follows arrest of almost 500 people at latest pro-Palestinian demonstration in London on Saturday

The Home Office sham "consultation" on cumulative protests closed on 29 September, so this immediate announcement shows Labour had already decided – yet again – to expand public order powers, well before the Manchester attack that is now used to justify it
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Reposting this in light of the debates about requests for the postponement of tomorrow's Defend our Juries protest. And a reminder that police forces have considerable discretion about how to manage peaceful but unlawful forms of protest.

Staggeringly inept. And it would have been really useful with this Government to have had a competent Opposition.

Police ask for protest against Palestine Action ban to be postponed after Manchester attack Exclusive: Organisers say protest will go ahead as planned and it is up to Met whether or not it prioritises arrests

Left without comment www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Secret BBC filming exposes hidden culture of racism and misogyny inside Met Police Panorama undercover investigation captures evidence that

The most shocking aspect of this latest Met police scandal are the incidents occurring in a custody suite, despite the legal frameworks, leadership structures, and high levels of surveillance and supervision. It sounds more like a pre-PACE
environment. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"I hope Starmer wakes up tomorrow morning and feels ashamed about what he has done," says man who unveiled this poster the day Jo Cox was assassinated by a far-right terrorist.

Terrifyingly, it was 30 years ago this week that I delivered my first lecture. I was module leader for Foundations of Law, just over 2 years after flunking the same module as a first year undergrad. No teaching training, no observation, just "here's a book and some white board pens, and off you go".

YouTube video by Dr Alan Greene Does the UK Have a Constitution?

The first of my Coffee Time Constitutional Law video series is now available. This is aimed at students of Public Law as well as anybody wanting to learn more about the UK Constitution.

More videos will follow in this series ASAP. I promise!

youtu.be/9W37_ece4Bg?...

Anyone buying one of these things pre Halloween deserves the choking, stabbing, or electrocution hazard it will inevitably produce when the clock ticks to midnight.

OBAMA: It's fair to say that 80% of the world's problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won't let go. They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything. They get very anxious about it.

Campus looking very scenic as another academic year at the University of Manchester Law School (@uomlaw.bsky.social) begins!

Lampposts *are* watching us and I've not once died of Covid. The Aston Villa thing however is ludicrous.

I have just read an official report from an NDPB which based its findings on <10 interviews and half a dozen surveys. Suddenly feeling a lot more bullish about my own research and that of the PGRs I am supervising.

More from the Suffolk University poll: www.suffolk.edu/-/media/suff...

Do you support or oppose "defund the police"?
Support - 21%
Oppose - 74%

Would you support or oppose cutting some of the police budget and using the money for social services?
Support - 54%
Oppose - 41%

UN experts call for suspension of Israel from international football amid unfolding genocide in occupied Palestine GENEVA – UN experts* today called on the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel as a country team from interna...

“Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalise injustices.”

UN experts call on FIFA and UEFA to expel Israel from international football, citing occupation and genocide.

www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

Job Opportunity at University of Leeds: Research Fellow, Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre Are you an ambitious, impact-focussed researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have a research interest in policing and vulnerable groups, the interactions between them and other service pro...

🚨 Job opportunity 🚨

We're looking for an ambitious, impact-focused Research Fellow to join @vp-centre.bsky.social.

The role is full-time and fixed-term until 30 April 2027.

Salary: £41,064-£48,822
Based at: @universityofleeds.bsky.social
Deadline: 13 October 2025

jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...

On the rattler across the pennines to @lawatleeds.bsky.social for today's '25 Years of the HRA' event. I will be presenting on Policing and the Human Rights Act.

Leyton Orient To Trial Non/Low Alcohol Matches In Level 1 Construct North Stand - Football Stadium Management Leyton Orient are set to take part in a brand‑new, four‑match trial in the Level 1 Construct North Stand, where supporters will be able to take non and low‑alcoholic drinks to their seats. Leyton Orie...

So this is by no means a criticism of #LOFC, but the fact this has to go through the SAG is crazy. For 0.5% beer. Now I failed GCSE Chemistry, but my layperson's understanding is that your average burger bun contains about 1.2% alcohol! fsm-online.co.uk/leyton-orien...

A new Explainer out from @aoifemod.bsky.social and me detailing the UK's ECHR commitments under the 1998 Agreement in response to recent speculation. It is short, because there is very little to say - the UK's obligations are evident on the B/GFA's plain text:

caj.org.uk/wp-content/u...

I haven't read it yet but will assume you are suggesting merging Celtic and Rangers :-)

As the ludicrous decision to proscribe Palestine Action continues to play out with depressing predictability, a reminder that UK police forces still have considerable discretion when it comes to enforcing offences, and Human Rights focused approaches to policing protest are still possible.

What it was like as Police Scotland let a Palestine Action protest go ahead silently AROUND 100 protesters defied Labour’s proscription of Palestine Action as a terror group in a silent protest outside the UK Government offices in…

A tale of two protests. If you hold up a banner saying ”I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” the police reaction will be quite different in London and Edinburgh. Good analysis by @xanderelliards.bsky.social

The far right are so confident that they've skipped the being-in-power bit and gone straight to the last days in the bunker.

Sorry to hear that Tom. Sounds like ESC is pretty lawless this year - maybe the high levels of security on the front gate are actually to keep us in.

Also... which book?