Britain has found a decisive new weapon against protest disorder: arrest the pensioner with something over his face.
At an anti-migrant protest in Portsmouth, a 76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of concealing his identity after covering his head and face with what appeared to be black scarves.
There had been genuine disorder around previous protests, so police restrictions on face coverings did not come from nowhere. But there is still something wonderfully British about a country struggling with illegal migration, asylum delays and public anger — only for one of the clearest outcomes to be a pensioner getting nicked over a scarf.
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The law has a sensible purpose. People should not be able to hide their identity while committing violence or intimidation.
But this is where serious legislation starts to look faintly absurd.
Can Britain solve illegal migration quickly? Difficult.
Can it clear asylum backlogs? Difficult.
Can it calm the political anger surrounding both? Difficult.
Can it tell a 76-year-old to remove a scarf?
Excellent. Progress.
That is the problem.
Britain is becoming extremely efficient at policing the symptoms while remaining remarkably ineffective at dealing with the cause.
The pensioner is arrested. Officers complete the paperwork. The case may lead to prosecution, a warning or no further action depending on the evidence.
Meanwhile, the argument that brought people onto the streets remains exactly where it was.
Visible enforcement is not the same as effective policy.
A photograph of an arrest proves that something happened.
It does not prove that anything changed.
Police should deal firmly with violence, threats, criminal damage and genuine attempts to conceal identity while committing offences. But government also has to deal with the underlying issues driving these protests rather than simply becoming better at managing the people attending them.
Otherwise Britain risks perfecting a familiar trick: leaving the large problem untouched while enthusiastically enforcing the smallest rule attached to it.
The country may not know how to solve migration.
It may not know how to calm public anger.
But at least one thing is now clear:
if your scarf is too high, the state is ready.
🔥 Challenges: Is this sensible public-order enforcement, or does arresting a 76-year-old over scarves make serious legislation look absurd? More importantly, are politicians dealing with the causes of these protests — or just getting better at policing the symptoms? Tell us what you think on the Chameleon News blog.
💬 Comment, like and share — and tell us whether Britain is solving the problem, or merely regulating the easiest part of it.
🏆 The best comments will be included in the magazine.
Chameleon Magazine 
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