Police conducting `voluntary` body searches in Roppongi

[tokyojoe]

From Mainichi News: http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/photojournal/index.html

A Japanese police officer holds a bullhorn as he announces pedestrians that police will conduct voluntary body searches during the World Cup in Tokyo's Roppongi entertainment district on Thursday night, the eve of the opening of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.

Police will mobilize about 2,000 riot police to the district where many soccer fans from all over the world are expected to hang out following major soccer matches during the May 31-June 30 period.

Fuckers. They can voluntarily kiss my gaijin ass. If they`re looking for weapons, why don`t they go to Kabukicho and try searching people there? Of course, it would be illegal to search Japanese and they know it. And yes, it is illegal for foreigners as well, unless you happen to be doing something which appears criminal. This is a bunch of racial BS.

Legal Rights of Foreigners at Instant Checkpoints:
http://www.debito.org/instantcheckpoints2.html

[Steve Bildermann]

My home town is Sheffield, England. Like Manchester we have two top football clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United.

Sheffield is a poor, very much working class city. It's a breeding ground for the football BOVVER boys (nobody calls them hooligans in England)

Whenever there's a local derby (Wednesday versus United) Sheffield city centre resembles Beirut.

The local police would break out in peals of laughter at anybody refusing body searches by quoting their 'legal rights'

'Come ere lad - me and me mates ear will show thee what tha legal reights are - right sharpish'

One of the best UK movies showing what is means to be a BOVVER boy in England is I.D. (called The HOOLIGAN in Japan)
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0113375

Well worth watching before heading for Roppongi to assert your right *not * to volunteer for a body search.

Anyway must finish now as I'm off to kick in the head of the hotel manager in my neighborhood for serving a Swedish VIKING lunch on Sunday afternoon

ENGLAND E-N-G-L-A-N-D RAH RAH RAH

[Crispy]

Uh...yay for America, I guess. Land of being able to sue the police for violating your rights, or maybe just shooting them.

[tokyojoe]

Uh...yay for America, I guess. Land of being able to sue the police for violating your rights, or maybe just shooting them.

Americans aren`t the only ones sueing about police abuses. England has been installing surveillance cameras in public areas. So far, they don`t seem to be improving the crime rate and there have been questionable abuses by the people operating these cameras. Who watches the watchers? How do we balance public safety with personal privacy? Maybe the police should start randomly searching people`s apartments to see if they are soccer fans.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/620569.asp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_334000/334853.stm

I have no problem with police showing a significant presence in Roppongi. It`s a good thing to show that they are there in case anything happens. But they should, and are required by law, to leave citizens alone unless they`re doing something illegal. Their job is law enforcement. If they can`t follow the law why should we?

[kamome]

This is the first time since the subway sarin attacks that I've heard about the Japanese police actually getting off their ass and putting energy into something. I guess it takes either a monumental disaster or a bunch of extra gaijin walking around to spur "law enforcement" into action. Jeez, I think I'll stay home for the next month.

[Crispy]

So I am guessing the police won't interfere with all the prostitution and such y'all say goes on in that district?