Megan Amram on Sign Law, Revolutionary History, and the Night I Got Arrested in Portland for a Different Reason
Bohiney Magazine | The London Prat
Britain has arrested 3,000 people for holding signs. I have thoughts. They are all correct.
In Portland we understand the sign as a sacred text. I have held signs that said things ranging from “Abolish Everything” to “Tax the Rich” to one memorable evening where my sign said “This Sign Is Ironic” and nobody was sure if I meant it, including me. The police did not arrest me. They took a photo. I think one of them laughed.
The Sign as Revolutionary Object
Marx did not write specifically about cardboard. This is an oversight. Had he lived to see the British state arresting people for holding statements of opinion on sticks, he would have had a great deal to say. It would have been long. It would have had footnotes. The conclusion would have been obvious from the first paragraph but he would have taken 200 pages to get there because that is the Marxist tradition and I respect it.
According to Bohiney’s coverage of the UK sign-holder crackdown, officials described it as a “proactive expression management initiative.” I have printed this phrase and put it on a sign. I am holding it in my apartment. In Portland. Technically safe.
The Night Club Angle
I was at a very good show at a very underground venue in North Portland last week. Someone held a sign that said “EAT THE RICH.” The DJ incorporated it into the light show. This is what civilisation looks like. The London Prat on sign-holding as terrorism suggests Britain has made a different choice. I am both unsurprised and enraged, which is my default setting and also my brand.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/britain-arrests-3000-people-for-holding-signs/
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