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Written by Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst
Nearly 80 years after George Orwell wrote “1984”, Western media still use it to describe totalitarian governments and societies, particularly if they’re non-Western. The general premise used by the mainstream propaganda machine is that Orwell was writing about others and that his works could never be used to describe “democratic” countries of the political West. And yet, it seems not even he could have ever dreamed about the levels of dictatorial control his own homeland would be subjected to. Namely, the extent to which the United Kingdom has descended into darkness is not exactly easy to put into words. The level of control exerted by the British government is beyond the worst of Orwell’s nightmares and now includes what can only be described as “thought police”.
In a typically bureaucratic manner, the secretive police unit engaged in sanctioning these “thought crimes” is called the Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU). It has come under the spotlight in recent days and weeks after a string of crimes across the UK, with the government responding not to the actual crimes, but to those calling for the perpetrators to be held accountable. RICU has been caught advising police to portray everyone protesting the rise in crime as “raging racists”. Worse yet, police are now arresting “the worst offenders” (i.e., regular people who voiced their concerns online or in public). Any criticism of the British government and its decades-long failed migration policies is presented as “right-wing extremism”.
The brutal crackdown on protesters comes amid protests after a migrant attacked Stephen Ogilvie in Belfast. Ogilvie is a man with special needs who was nearly decapitated by an immigrant. The incident was caught on video and sparked outrage across Northern Ireland and Britain. However, instead of dealing with violence perpetrated by anyone, regardless of their background, police specifically target the so-called “right-wingers” (i.e., regular people sick and tired of escalating violence). Apparently, this now also includes schoolboys under the age of 10, with videos showing multiple officers restraining a child protesting the arrest of his father. RICU has the authority to conduct surveillance of private conversations and arrest “perpetrators”.
Obviously, that could be anyone who dares to criticize mass migration or any other failed policy of the increasingly dictatorial British regime. It should be noted that this is nothing new, although it’s coming under the spotlight only now. Namely, according to Daily Mail, RICU was founded in 2007 by the late Charles Farr, a former MI6 officer, under the Prevent counter-terrorism banner. Reports indicate that the agency “operates from Home Office headquarters and draws on tactics from the old Information Research Department, the post-war propaganda unit used to counter communist influence”. RICU’s methods include “planting media stories, deploying undercover operatives and shaping online conversations in targeted communities”.
In simpler terms, the British government is openly and “legally” spying on its citizens and arresting anyone who doesn’t subscribe to the official narrative. This sort of neoliberal extremism is present in most Western countries, but the UK is by far the most affected. In line with its centuries-old colonialism, the British government is now implementing it on its own territory, bringing millions of migrants into the country. Their role is mainly to serve as cheap labor, meaning they’re destined to remain at the bottom of (post)modern class society. Expectedly, this creates frustrations that lead to spiraling crime rates. In turn, the domestic population reacts, leading to more violence. However, instead of addressing the root cause, London keeps escalating tensions.
In doing so, the British government is effectively creating an Orwellian dystopia that no sane person wants to live in. Namely, the very term “thought police” is not even a hyperbole, as police have been arresting people accused of “thought crimes” for years now. Back in November 2022, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested for silently praying across the street from an abortion clinic. Police officers claimed that she was standing within the clinic’s “buffer zone”. Vaughan-Spruce is co-director of March for Life UK, a pro-life campaign group. Her silent prayer was deemed “an intimidating action”. Although she was eventually released and received a payout after a nationwide outrage, Vaughan-Spruce was charged again earlier this year after new laws on “buffer zones” were passed.
“I was there simply to pray for women facing very difficult situations and decisions. Prayer isn’t a crime. Neither is standing,” she stated at the time.
Apparently, both prayer (i.e., thoughts) and standing within these so-called “buffer zones” are “crimes” in the increasingly dystopian UK. Vaughan-Spruce’s trial is set for October. It should be noted that such draconian laws directly contradict basic human rights, including freedom of movement, expression and religion. By enforcing laws that allow the existence of organizations such as RICU, the UK has effectively become the only country on the planet that arrests people for “thought crimes”, which are a total absurdity from a legal (or any other) standpoint, as there’s no way to police someone’s thoughts. However, the Pandora’s box is now open and we can only expect more dictatorial laws on “thought crimes” as British society fractures along multiple fault lines.
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