190 years ago - on 16/08/1812 - was the Peterloo massacre
BBC - Manchester - Peterloo: a massacre remembered
...and currently this
Police blockade crime hotspots - News - Manchester Evening News
I like one of the comments sent in in response-
" Anyone who subscribes to the "I’m not a criminal, so I think it's a good idea" school of thought should really watch the episode of Panorama that was on the other night. Ordinary people, exercising their God-given rights to protest, are routinely being stopped, searched, personal items confiscated, filmed, photographed, followed and put on a database of potential troublemakers for anywhere between 7 years and forever.
The problem is that middle-class middle-Englanders don't seem to grasp the idea that any law that can be applied to "the other people", can just as easily be applied to them. Especially as the Police don't know that you are actually a law-abiding citizen at the time they encounter you, so they treat you just the same way as any other suspect. If you think they should treat all suspects like scum, then don’t start whinging when you get the same."
I hope that this police action doesn't generate the violence it is designed to prevent.