Corruption and violent crime have surged in Westminster’s Houses of Parliament square, according to a conservative think tank report, adding the historic building to a list of “controversial statues” vulnerable to attack because of their historical ties to slavery. stuff is added.
Conservative report Think-tank policy exchange dubbed ‘tarnished gem’ Around the law-enforced buildings that are home to the Palace of Westminster, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, he argues, “the law is often ignored.”
Andrew Gilligan, author of the report and former political aide to Boris Johnson, said, “Westminster is the physical heart of the British nation, the center of Christian faith, and Britain’s position to the world.” It is a symbol,” he said.
“There is no other place in Europe so famous and so emblematic of the country as the Eiffel Tower. There is no other place that combines place and place,” he said.
However, he said the area was plagued by crime, illegal traders, credit fraudsters, broken window, graffiti that hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned in months, It’s also for protesters on both sides of the political divide who have “privatized the pavement.”
“The thought comes to mind: if authorities can’t maintain order in SW1, where can they maintain it?” Gilligan said.
crime
The report found that between 2013/14 and 2021/22, violent crime increased by 168% across the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Palace and Whitehall, compared to a 67% increase in London. The borough of Westminster rose 47%.
He regularly banged on the sides of MPs’ cars when large groups of people were driving around the entrance to the Capitol, and they were verbally abused, chased, and in part lawmakers say they are “physically terrified” of leaving the building.
According to the report, the increase in crime was consistent with the “deregulation” of protests in Westminster, with “controlled zones” for protests returning to what they were in 2011, within a kilometer wide of parliament. should be in all major departments and Downing Street.
Management of public spaces around parliament is now divided among eight different public bodies, indicating that the scope of ownership and responsibility is “very confusing”.
statue
as part of the investigation via a Freedom of Information requestThe report found that the historic buildings of Winston Churchill, Horatio Nelson, Burmese Earl Mountbatten and Oliver Cromwell in Parliament Square were “controversial” vulnerable to attack because of their historical ties to the war. “Being” pointed out that the statue was put on a police list for colonialism or slavery.
police said there was online call To attack the statue of build up To “high risk during protests.”
This included the Cenotaph, Britain’s official national war memorial, which symbolizes the lives lost during World War I.
Winston Churchill’s entry in the Metropolitan Police Directory states, “He called the Indians ‘beast people with a beastly religion’…his treatment of the Bengal famine of 1943-44 was Particularly controversial, Churchill is accused of murdering more than 3 million Indians.”
The Police Department noted: bronze statue of Horatio 19th Century Navy Captain Nelson “Most of his career was spent in the Caribbean, where he developed an affinity with the slaveholders and used his influence to oppose the British abolitionist movement.”
protest
Gilligan supported the right to protest, but he said far fewer people “regularly, repeatedly, and illegally” caused “disproportionate disruption, sometimes risk, and sometimes fear of others.” I questioned how it was allowed.
the current, white hole, Eco activist lives for almost a week Dozens of small tents are pitched in the middle of the street. one well known Anti-Brexit Protester Called Steve Bray Follows politicians around, Shout “Tory Scum” at them. of Conservative MP Anna Soubry was verbally harassed outside parliament in 2019 by pro-Brexit activists. A suspended sentence and exclusion from the area was given.
The report said the police should have a statutory duty to protect Britain’s democratic institutions and the right of those doing business there to access parliamentary property. added like Widen public space Protection orders for anti-social behavior in general Area around the Houses of Parliament.
The Epoch Times contacted the Mayor of London /Greater London Authority for comments.