[Livia]

Originally Posted by starry

Well it was a residential area wasn't it? Not keen on sentences being used as some example, prefer them to be done proportionally. A just law is one which is respected more, most people surely have disdain for punitive action. I know governments like to use fear as a deterrent against their populations but I really don't think it works with most people.

Most people have distain for riotous, freeloading scum who disrespect other people's lives and property. You're surely not suggesting that jail terms should not have been handed out on the off-chance that one or two "innocent victims" were jailed? What about the real victims? You don't feel any sympathy for them at all?

This is the UK. The Government tends not to use fear as a deterrent or they would have wheeled in the army with water cannon and rubber bullets, like they would have done in many other countries. So that was a ridiculous claim to make, frankly. Having freedom means being able to hold a peaceful protest without facing persecution or prosecution. It does not mean being able to riot, loot, commit arson and then be patted on the hand and sent home.