Met Police smash down door of Quaker meeting house to arrest activists

Analogies to Fascism and Authoritarian Drift

• One commenter likened the raid to a “small-scale” Kristallnacht; others strongly rejected this as historically inaccurate and counterproductive.
• There is concern that overblown Nazi analogies make it easier to dismiss real authoritarian trends, especially for people already targeted.
• Still, some see this incident as a “harbinger” of worse to come in terms of state repression of dissent.

Quaker Identity and Meeting Context

• Several highlight Quakers’ reputation for pacifism and non-violence, contrasting that with the aggressive police raid.
• Others note Quakerism today is politically engaged, often less theistic, and not the same institution it was a century ago; they argue the “Quaker” label is being used emotively.
• The detail that attendees were sitting in a circle eating hummus and breadsticks fuels both dark humor and a sense of disproportionality.
• A quip about calmly drinking tea in front of officers is seen as quintessentially British.

Legality, Policing Tactics, and Civil Disobedience

• One side stresses the group’s explicit focus on unlawful civil disobedience and prior convictions, arguing that sheltering such activists justifies a forceful raid; “no right of sanctuary” in the UK is emphasized.
• Others argue that “conspiracy to cause a public nuisance” is so broad it effectively criminalizes planning protests and undermines a free society.
• Pre-emptive arrests are defended via analogy to stopping rapists or murderers before the act; critics see this as “Orwellian” thought-policing.

Broader Politics, Social Media, and Fascism

• Some see this as part of a wider pattern in the UK, US, Germany, and France: centrist parties tolerating or enabling far-right tendencies while being harsher on the left.
• Debate over whether social media causes rising fascism: one view blames it as a propaganda amplifier; another says it merely reflects long-standing, deeply rooted prejudices.
• A subthread distinguishes “leftists” from “neoliberal” liberals, especially around housing, segregation, and gentrification.

Impact on Activism and Public Perception

• Several note the raid may be self-defeating: it gives activists huge publicity and further radicalizes young people.
• There is a strong sense that non-violent protest against alleged genocide is being increasingly punished and delegitimized.