Riot police storm pub after a smoker lights up

[drummer]

It wasn't exactly the dramatic finale one cricket fan was expecting.

Having installed himself in his local pub to watch England play India, John Vaughan was enraged when the channel was switched over to football just as the cricket was reaching its thrilling conclusion.

So Mr Vaughan lit up a cigarette in protest. When he refused to extinguish it, staff pressed a panic button behind the bar.

And a few minutes later six riot police officers wearing protective gear stormed the pub.

Mr Vaughan had been watching the one-day international at the Copper Pot pub in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, last month.

The game was about to finish when the channel was switched to the England versus Israel Euro 2008 football qualifier.

Mr Vaughan said yesterday: "The cricket only had ten minutes left, but the football wasn't even going to start for another 45 minutes.

"We complained but nothing happened. So I decided to light up out of protest.

"Staff told me I couldn't smoke, but I said I'd had enough of being pushed around by the Government.

"They pressed a panic button and the next thing I knew, there were six policemen in the pub and two outside."

No action was taken against demolition boss Mr Vaughan after he agreed to leave.

There was a big cheer round the pub from about 60 people, added Mr Vaughan, "and even the police found it quite amusing."

Warwickshire Police confirmed officers had been sent to the pub on September 8 following reports of a man "smoking and being aggressive".

A spokesman said: "They explained why he should not be smoking, asked him to leave and he did so happily."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pagesve/arti...in_page_id=1770

[Shinobi]

Riot police lol for someone sparking a cig wtf
over reacting excessive force big brother police state is what.

Well done to Mr Vaughan

[Hans Olo]

Quote:When he refused to extinguish it, staff pressed a panic button behind the bar.

...

"They pressed a panic button and the next thing I knew, there were six policemen in the pub and two outside."

...

Warwickshire Police confirmed officers had been sent to the pub on September 8 following reports of a man "smoking and being aggressive".

It's interesting how much information the police got just from the staff pushing a single button. Maybe it was a button that said "man smoking and being aggressive", I don't know. Something is wrong with this story.
Either
a) there really was a 'panic button' (in a pub. Not in a bank or an embassy or something. In a pub! And six special policemen in riot gear came and knew automatically that it was about a man smoking at the bar, sure) or
B)more likely the pub owner grabbed a phone, called the police on the guy and told them "man smoking and being aggressive).

Either way, there is no explanation why they needed 6 policemen instead of one or maybe two. I could go on and on about how this is an example of how the public is being conditioned to accepting total hysteria by the police. Ooooh, he was smoking. Oooooh I get it, there was a panic button. See, that's what happens in a post 9/11-world when you don't obey the rules. I mean nobody got harmed, everyone giggled and snickered, but it was dangerous. You get what I am saying?