For the last few years, since the Pogrom in Israel on 7^th October 2023 Britons have been treated to the sight of masked up leftists and Muslims on various pro-Hamas marches in London and elsewhere. It was obvious to anyone that these Leftists and Muslims were masking up to avoid detection or identification and also in order to intimidate those not part of the demonstration.

Previous to that Britons have seen for many years that far left groups like Antifa have done the same. Both the masked up Far Left and the masked up Islamic extremists (if you are marching for Hamas then in my view you’ve crossed the line into extremism) but have been broadly left alone by the various police forces that have been policing these events.

The police have for years had the power, under section 60AA of the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Disorder Act to compel mask removal if it is deemed by an officer of Inspector level or above that the masks have been worn for the purposes of concealing identity. This law appears to have been rarely used when it is Antifa or Far Leftists or radical Muslims wearing masks but I understand that Section 60AA has been extensively used against members of the now defunct English Defence League (EDL).

Section 60AA has been used in a two tier way by police with some groups or causes being targetted by law enforcement using Section 60AA whereas others have plainly been allowed to get away with face coverings. It is highly likely that new legislation that bans face coverings on demonstrations will be equally enforced in a biased way.

At a big protest against migration in Portsmouth at the weekend Hampshire Police were being very enthusiastic about enforcing this new legislation, the Crime and Policing Act 2026,which allows police to create ‘mask free zones’. This is intended as a weapon against demonstrators hiding their identity. Police have already arrested those wearing masks at the patriot demonstration in Portsmouth and have charged at least one person with this offence. It remains to be seen whether police forces will enthusiastically enforce this new law with Antifa or pro-Hamas demonstrators but going by the dismal record of Britain’s police forces for two tier policing I will not hold my breath waiting for the police to act on masked up pro-Hamas or far leftist demonstrators.

There were people on the Portsmouth demonstration who were deliberately testing the boundaries of this new legislation. This included one who decided to don a niqab possibly in order to show that there might be an imbalance in how this new law is implemented but his tactic didn’t work and he was arrested.

The fact that it is Hampshire Police, the force that let a White man bleed out after a stabbing whilst they fawned over the Sikh assailant who had made a ‘racism’ complaint, who have decided to go in hard about mask wearing on patriot-led demonstrations will not be lost on the public. It is unsurprising that this force which has been heavily mired in DEI nonsense would go to town on patriots wearing masks. It would be equally unsurprising if Hampshire Police did not enforce mask wearing bans quite as hard as they’ve done with the patriot demonstrations if it was for example a bunch of ‘Palestine’ demonstrators.

I suspect that it will not just be in Hampshire that there will be two tier policing of any mask bans on those campaigning against the Establishment narrative on migration, this is liable to be a multi force thing and we are also likely to see selective enforcement of mask bans. I can’t see for example officers of the DEI captured Metropolitan Police for example steaming into a ‘Palestine’ demonstration and nicking Antifa or an Islamic extremists for masking up, they will probably reserve this power for those protesting against migration or Islamic extremism or rape gangs or the angry members of communities who’ve had invaders dumped in bedsits in their areas.

This new legislation is likely to create more problems than it solves. It is likely to create yet more anger among the majority population when they see this new law not being applied equally. They are unlikely to be placated by seeing police ignore a man called Abdul shouting for jihad from behind a mask nor seeing the enviro-loonies or the far left or the Antifa bloc similarly masked being studiously ignored by the same officers who will otherwise be enthusiastic about nicking people for being masked up.

Two tier policing is already a massive problem and a source of increasing anger at both the government and the police and it’s likely that uneven application of the new legislation will increase the problems of the perception and the actuality of unequal policing and thereby create more anger. The police’s reputation is already in the gutter with public support of the police down in 2025 to 64% a drop of 10% from the previous year and unequal enforcement of masking law will likely push that figure down even more.

With the unequal policing of patriot led demonstrations we may be seeing a situation where accusations of two tier policing can no longer be batted away or explained away with obfuscating words. We will all see examples of the Jihad screamers and the green extremists and the far left getting away with what others will be arrested for and that will kill off much more public confidence in the police.

Links

Gallup on the decline in trust by Britons in police and courts

https://news.gallup.com/poll/699710/britons-trust-courts-police-declines.aspx

Liberty’s comment on the extra powers that police now have although their primary concern appears to be (surprise,surprise) the effect on Pally wanker demos.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/699710/britons-trust-courts-police-declines.aspx

AY Audit’s video coverage of the Portsmouth demonstration.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/699710/britons-trust-courts-police-declines.aspx

Man tries and fails at using the Niqab tactic as a workaround for mask bans

https://x.com/AnthNFS/status/2098760225222209859