Despicable abuse.
Pick a side: totalitarianism XOR civilrights.
Civilrights means making a "bathtub-curve" for legal-action: as wide & deep as can be consistently managed, with the illegal stuff out at the ends.
Making it so that laying flowers, in protest, at the BBC or at the feet of the cops limiting the progress of the protest is a crime .. the root-guru of the Christians, benJoseph, got physically violent on the commercial-operation of the temple, & the UK's fundamentally Christian .. so, they'd have had him crucified, not freed, from the looks of things, now..
After the tippingpoint's crossed, the natural tendency will be to go MUCH harder line totalitarian authoritarian, but it's possible that the UK will suddenly switch sides..
Wait & see, I guess, same as with all countries that claim democracy..
_ /\ _