Detaining Quote by Mark Thomas
“Maybe... there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for unlawfully detaining 120 people. Maybe they just got carried away with last year's idea of pre-emptive strikes and thought, 'Let's not wait for an actual crime to occur. Let's get the innocent.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Live at the Apollo, Mark Thomas, 2015
Pre‑emptive detention of many people is often justified by fear of future crimes, even without evidence.
In simple terms: Fear of future crime drives mass detention.
Key Takeaway
Question the justification of pre‑emptive actions.
Themes
justice
freedom
pre‑emptive action
law
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
political
ethical
When to use this quote
- terrorism response
- law enforcement
- public policy debates
Key Concepts
political theory
civil liberties
security policy
Questions to Reflect On
- Is it ethical to detain innocents to prevent possible crimes?
- What safeguards could prevent abuse?
A Different Perspective
Such actions can erode civil rights.
![“Of course, no state accepts [that it should call] the people it is imprisoning or detaining for political reasons, political prisoners. They don't call them political prisoners in China, they don't call them political prisoners in Azerbaijan and they don't call them political prisoners in the…” quote by Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ffb/julian-assange-1566_accepting_of-course-no-state-accepts-that-it-shoul_302066.jpg)
