Pink Floyd rocker David Gilmour has accused the UK government of introducing laws to clamp down on legitimate protests on the streets.
In 2010, the 'Comfortably Numb' hitmaker's adopted son Charlie Gilmour was jailed for 16 months for swinging on the Cenotaph war memorial in London and jumping onto a car carrying royal protection officers during a demonstration against an increase in student tuition fees.
Now his rock veteran father has revealed the title track on his new solo record Rattle That Lock, which topped the UK album charts on Friday, is an attack on the way law enforcement officers deal with unrest in the UK.
Gilmour tells BBC Radio 4, "(The song is) suggesting that people might stand up and be counted against the criminalisation of protest in this country. It is saying, 'Don't allow this to become the norm'. I think this Government has stamped down on normal protest in a way that is heinous...
"The whole way of kettling people who have committed no crimes, imprisoning people who have committed the minorest of misdemeanours and using catch-all laws and charges to imprison people is a terrible thing and it's becoming more widespread under this Government."
However, Gilmour denies his attack on the government was motivated by his son's court shame, insisting the song's message was "nothing really to do with Charlie's experience".
WENN.com
