Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Disabled Spectator Arrested for Not Visibly Enjoying Olympic Event

Mark Worsfold, 54, a former soldier and martial arts instructor, was arrested on 28 July for a breach of the peace shortly before the cyclists arrived in Redhouse Park, Leatherhead, where he had sat down on a wall to watch the race. Officers from Surrey police restrained and handcuffed him and took him to Reigate police station, saying his behaviour had "caused concern."

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Worsfold … claims police questioned him about his demeanour and why he had not been seen to be visibly enjoying the event. Worsfold, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2010, suffers from muscle rigidity that affects his face. He was released after two hours without charge or caution.
Read the rest here.

Words fail me.

4 comments:

Matushka Anna said...

I was stopped by TSA going through the metal detector because I was "not smiling." Thankfully all I was given was a lecture on how the TSA were not as they were portrayed on the news and told to cheer up.

Anonymous said...

Matushka Anna, I'm speechless that that happened to you. What is happening to our country?!

In most countries of the world, a person who smiles too much or at inappropriate times would be considered a fool or demented. Most people do not actually enjoy traveling by plane or other public transport anymore, so why smile?

I'm one of those people who tend to not smile all the time, so I'd better not go back to the US.

Michael said...

It seems that the US and the UK, in particular, have ramped up the police state to levels that neither Himmler nor Beria would ever have contemplated.

Here are two other stories of the same type:

http://halfpasthuman.com/daspapiern.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/117686.html

I have already issued a personal travel advisory to all my close friends, telling them not to set foot in the US (not even just passing through) if they can possibly help it. I believe that anyone travelling to or through the US (and, it seems, the UK) does so at risk of liberty or even life. I'm quite serious about that.

mjl said...

you know, with all the Olympic related arrests going on, I'd almost assume that people were making this up.