UK govt. orders protest footage censored

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/181830.html

The internet video sharing website YouTube has censored the footage of protests outside Birkenhead county court based on a request by the British government.

Some 600 activists from the British Constitution Group staged protests against a ruling on former member of UKIP Roger Hayes who has refused to pay council tax outside Birkenhead county court.

Hayes had challenged the local council to protest the government's moves which he sees as sacrificing Britain to globalist interests.

He has also attempted to prove that council tax is illegal.

Demonstrators chanting “freedom” and “arrest that judge” said they put Judge Michael Peake “under civil arrest” by surrounding him when he was going out of the court building him before police officers intervened and wrestled the judge away from the protestors.

Roger Hayes argued in the court that he has no contract with the government to pay council tax as there is an intricate distinction between himself as an individual and as a corporation, arguing that, therefore, council taxing is illegal.

Censorship of the YouTube footage related to the incident shows the government's fears of wide circulation of such information that could lead to national unrest similar to the 1990 troubles.

Back some 20 years ago, Britons staged massive poll tax riots, and forced Margaret Thatcher's government to end poll taxes.

Viewers trying to access the footage on YouTube receive the message “This content is not available in your country due to a government removal request”.

Those who follow up the message to learn more are told “YouTube occasionally receives requests from governments around the world to remove content from our site, and as a result, YouTube may block specific content in order to comply with local laws in certain countries”.

Analysts say the “local laws” commitment of YouTube allows the British government to limit, if not violate, its citizens' rights to express themselves.