Anti-police sentiment explained

Anti-police sentiment is opposition to the police by groups or individuals.

By country

Indonesia

The anti-police sentiment has been reported to be on the rise in Indonesia in recent years due to the rise of police brutality in the country. In 2021, a police officer was recorded slamming student protesters in Banten.[1] In the same year, a woman named Novia Widyasari was found dead in front of her father's grave after she found out about her pregnancy in aftermath of the rape perpetrated by a police officer who was her boyfriend. The incident later raised the anti-police sentiment among the locals even further.[2]

The sentiment began to resurface after the murder of Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat in 2022. The killing was ordered by Inspector General Ferdy Sambo, his former boss. Police use of tear gas and incompetence in Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster also fueled this sentiment.

Ireland

Anti-Garda Síochána (Republic of Ireland police) sentiment is common among Irish Travellers, a social group with high levels of poverty, unemployment and crime.[3] [4] Gardaí were also accused of police brutality in the Shell to Sea protests of 2006–2011, and anti-brutality protests took place in 2007.[5] Anti-Garda sentiment is also common in Dublin's north inner city,[6] an area of high crime, deprivation and drug addiction. Local youths attacked Gardaí during the 2006 Dublin riots, sparked by a Love Ulster protest.[7] The Kerry babies case of 1984 also sparked anti-Garda feeling in the area.[8] The acronym AGAB, a variation on ACAB, is sometimes used.[9]

Poland

In Poland, the abbreviation HWDP is used with the meaning of "a dick in the police's ass." It often appears as graffiti.[10] [11]

Sweden

A series of riots took place in Sweden in April 2022 after Danish-born, right-wing activist Rasmus Paludan attempted to hold a series of Quran burning demonstrations in the country. Counterprotesters responded by attacking participants and engaging in rioting, often getting into violent clashes with police. National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg said that, in some cases, protesters "tried to kill police." In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Kivanc Atak of Stockholm University interpreted the riots to be unusual as, unlike most incidents causing conflict between police and minorities, the unrest was not directed against a specific case of police misconduct nor even the subject in general. Manne Gerell of Malmö University further added that some of those involved in the unrest might have been seeking to vent general frustration against police, such as over the use of stop and search powers. Anders Thornberg said some rioters were suspected to have "[had] links to criminal gangs" and that the police would look into it.[12]

United Kingdom

Contrary to its European neighbours, England did not have a tradition of professional police forces. Crime prevention was carried out by a combination of the town watch and the parish constabulary appointed by the justices of the peace in each county. In Great Britain during the late 1790s, anti-police views were based on the possible encroachment of absolutism through professionalised law enforcement, the obstruction of the magistrates' power and skepticism towards trusting an unfamiliar organisation.[13]

United States

In the 1950s, William Westley suggested that anti-police sentiment may come from the social stigma of working in dangerous conditions, having to work with stigmatized others, and at times unethical practices.[14]

In the 1970s, police departments began to become concerned about litigation over police misconduct.[15]

Distrust of police in the U.S. is sometimes mentioned in connection to police brutality and racial profiling.[16]

In 1991, Rodney King, an African American man, was savagely beaten by four Los Angeles Police officers. The following year, the 1992 Los Angeles riots broke out in response to the acquittal of the police officers involved in the beating. This event brought large amounts of media attention to police brutality towards minorities such as African Americans and Hispanics.

The 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the ensuing outrage is considered a turning point in the U.S. dialogue of the "war on cops" with the Black Lives Matter movement challenging the legitimacy of the police.

Minority groups in disadvantaged neighborhoods tend to distrust police more[17] and feel that the "law is not on their side".[18]

The role of police in the restriction of youth freedom has also perpetuated anti-police sentiments among young people.[19]

During the George Floyd protests and the wave of racial unrest that followed, a surge in anti-police attacks was reported.[20] According to a 2021 FBI statement, "103 ambush-style attacks on law enforcement officers [took place] this year, which was an increase of 115% from 2020, and resulted in 130 officers being shot. Thirty of those officers were killed."[21] [22] In April 2021, Canadian scholar Temitope Oriola expressed concern tensions between police and African Americans could lead to an "anti-police insurgency", drawing parallels to the armed conflict that took place between 1950 and 1994 in Apartheid South Africa. Oriola noted that the vast majority of anti-police brutality protests have been peaceful, and an insurgency in the United States would be far less violent than one in other countries.[23]

Former U.S. president Donald Trump has on several occasions condemned the anti-police atmosphere.[24] [25] [26] [27]

Examples

Media

Smartphones, allowing people to capture real-time recordings of confrontations with police and spread them across the internet, have been mentioned in helping extend anti-police sentiment. Anti-police sentiment also manifests in music.[35]

Examples

U.S. police response

Police have expressed feeling threatened by violent protesters and attackers, and a dissatisfaction with a larger gap between police and the community.

Some have blamed media for fueling anti-police sentiment. Chuck Cantury Howard Safir identified "a war on police" in his letter to President Barack Obama. Former FBI director James Comey addressed in 2015 by positing that "a chill wind [is] blowing through American law enforcement over the last year… and that wind is surely changing behavior". Academics have theorized that "de-policing" may be seen in America as a response to police dissatisfaction in some areas.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bhwana . Petir Garda . 2021-10-14 . Police Apologize for 'Body Slam' Incident Against A Student Protester . 2023-10-06 . Tempo . en.
  2. News: 2022-01-13 . How Novia's death galvanised a movement around consent and sexual violence in Indonesia . en-AU . ABC News . 2023-10-06.
  3. News: Tensions high after six gardai are injured in clashes at Traveller site. The Irish Times.
  4. Web site: Afraid of Gardai | Magill. magill.ie.
  5. Web site: Photos From Today's 'Anti Garda Brutality' Rally In Dublin. Éirígí For A New Republic. 14 July 2007 .
  6. Web site: Garda Síochána Bill 2004 [Seanad]

    Second Stage (Resumed). – Dáil Éireann (29th Dáil) – Thursday, 24 Mar 2005 – Houses of the Oireachtas]

    . Houses of the. Oireachtas. March 24, 2005. www.oireachtas.ie.
  7. Web site: Anti-Garda feelings contributed to violence, say locals | Magill. magill.ie.
  8. Book: Galvin, Anthony. Ring of Death: Famous Kerry Murders. July 4, 2013. Random House. 9781780577081 . Google Books.
  9. Web site: 15 gardaí couldn't take a knife off one man . 30 December 2020. Twitter. Christine. O'Mahony.
  10. Book: Garapich, Michal P.. London's Polish Borders: Transnationalizing Class and Ethnicity among Polish Migrants in London. July 26, 2016. Columbia University Press. 9783838266077 . Google Books.
  11. Book: Cattermole, Carl. Prison: A Survival Guide. June 20, 2019. Random House. 9781473565883 . Google Books.
  12. Web site: Tanner . Jari . 2022-04-18 . Sweden links riots to criminal gangs that target police . 2022-04-20 . CP24 . en.
  13. Barrie. David G.. 2008-10-01. Patrick Colquhoun, the Scottish Enlightenment and Police Reform in Glasgow in the Late Eighteenth Century1. Crime, Histoire & Sociétés. 12. 2. 59–79. 10.4000/chs.359. 1422-0857. free.
  14. Mawby. Rob C.. Zempi. Irene. 2018. Police officers' experiences as victims of hate crime. Policing. en. 41. 5. 526–538. 10.1108/PIJPSM-12-2016-0176. 1363-951X. 2381/39935. free.
  15. Reynolds-Stenson . Heidi . 2017-09-22 . Protesting the police: anti-police brutality claims as a predictor of police repression of protest . Social Movement Studies . 17 . 1 . 48–63 . 10.1080/14742837.2017.1381592 . 1474-2837 . 149328638.
  16. Maguire. Edward R.. Nix. Justin. Campbell. Bradley A.. 2016-09-29. A War on Cops? The Effects of Ferguson on the Number of U.S. Police Officers Murdered in the Line of Duty. Justice Quarterly. 34. 5. 739–758. 10.1080/07418825.2016.1236205. 151627812. 0741-8825.
  17. Sharp. Elaine B.. Johnson. Paul E.. 2009. Accounting for Variation in Distrust of Local Police. Justice Quarterly. en. 26. 1. 157–182. 10.1080/07418820802290496. 143867268. 0741-8825.
  18. Wahl. Rachel. 2017. No Justice, No Peace?: The Police, People of Color, and the Paradox of Protecting Human Rights. Human Rights Quarterly. en. 39. 4. 811–831. 10.1353/hrq.2017.0050. 149148180. 1085-794X.
  19. Lurigio. Arthur. Greenleaf. Richard. Flexon. Jamie. 2009. The Effects of Race on Relationships with the Police: A Survey of African American and Latino Youths in Chicago. Western Criminology Review. 10. 1. 29–41.
  20. Web site: McPherson . Michael . FBI agent: Several actions are needed to stem anti-police sentiment Opinion . 2022-05-17 . Florida Today . en-US.
  21. Web site: 911MEDIA . 2022-01-05 . National FOP President Reflects on Dangers Law Enforcement Faced in 2021 . 2022-05-17 . Fraternal Order of Police . en-US.
  22. News: Floyd . Craig W. . 2022-01-21 . Anti-police sentiment puts officers in danger . registration . . Washington, D.C. . 0190-8286 . 1330888409.
  23. Web site: Oriola . Temitope . The United States is at risk of an armed anti-police insurgency . 2022-05-17 . The Conversation . 15 April 2021 . en.
  24. Nix. Justin. Wolfe. Scott E.. Campbell. Bradley A.. 2017-07-03. Command-level Police Officers' Perceptions of the "War on Cops" and De-policing. Justice Quarterly. 35. 1. 33–54. 10.1080/07418825.2017.1338743. 149114485. 0741-8825.
  25. News: Trumps, cops and crime. Balko. Radley. 2017. The Washington Post. 1 May 2019.
  26. DeVylder. Jordan E.. 2017. Donald Trump, the Police, and Mental Health in US Cities. American Journal of Public Health. 107. 7. 1042–1043. 10.2105/ajph.2017.303827. 0090-0036. 28590854. 5463226.
  27. Web site: Looks like many anti-police agitators in Boston. Police are looking tough and smart! Thank you.. Trump. Donald J.. 2017-08-19. @realdonaldtrump. en. 2019-05-07.
  28. Web site: About 2,000 rally in Oakland in reaction to police shootings. Lyons. Jenna. 2016-07-08. SFGate. 2019-05-07.
  29. Web site: Oakland: Seven arrests in anti-police protest that shut down I-880. 2016-07-08. The Mercury News. en-US. 2019-05-07.
  30. News: Dallas police shooting: Micah Johnson was 'lone shooter' – as it happened. Levin (now). Sam. 2016-07-09. The Guardian. 2019-05-07. Jamieson. Amber. en-GB. 0261-3077. Glenza. Jessica. Weaver. Matthew. Phipps (earlier). Claire. Kasperkevic. Jana.
  31. News: Dallas shooting suspect stated he wanted to 'kill white officers'. Dart. Oliver Laughland Tom. 2016-07-08. The Guardian. 2019-05-07. Dallas. Jon Swaine in. en-GB. 0261-3077. Washington. David Smith in.
  32. Web site: A Weekend of Protest in St. Louis - The Atlantic. Taylor. Alan. www.theatlantic.com. en. 2019-05-07.
  33. Web site: Panico . Rebecca . Jersey City shooters had 'tremendous amount of firepower.' Attack investigated as domestic terror, AG says . NJ Advance Media for NJ.com . December 12, 2019 . December 13, 2019 . “We believe the suspects held views that reflected hatred of Jewish people as well as law enforcement,” Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said at a press conference. “The evidence points toward acts of hate. We’re investigating this as a potential act of terrorism fueled by anti-Semitic and anti-law enforcement beliefs.".
  34. Web site: May 30, 2020. Update: Security Officers Gunned Down At Oakland Federal Building; DHS Official Calls Gunman 'An Assassin'. 2020-06-07. CBS SF BayArea. en-US.
  35. Book: Fernandes, Sujatha.. Close to the edge : in search of the global hip hop generation. 2011. Verso. 978-1844677412. 711052051.
  36. Nielson. Erik. 2011-10-06. 'Here come the cops': Policing the resistance in rap music. International Journal of Cultural Studies. 15. 4. 349–363. 10.1177/1367877911419159. 145609151. 1367-8779.
  37. Web site: Rappers Are Defending Their Right to Anti-Cop Lyrics in the Supreme Court. Hosking. Taylor. Zaragoza. Alex. 2019-03-07. Vice. en-US. 2019-05-08.
  38. Steinberg. Robin G. 2015. Police Power and the Scaring of America: A Personal Journey. Yale Law & Policy Review . 34. 1. 131–153. 43921153.

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