Baby Trump Blimp Collapses After Attack in Knife-Free London
The infamous Trump “baby balloon” was deflated after the effigial icon was attacked by a Trump supporter.
And surprisingly, London’s laws against knives did nothing to stop it.
So, just in case you’re not familiar with the Trump baby balloon, it’s basically a media magnet that was first dragged out for anti-Trump protests during the president’s last visit to the United Kingdom, according to The New York Times.
It depicts the president as an orange baby, replete with a scowl, a diaper and a cell phone. Oh, the originality. And, as the Washington Free Beacon’s Alex Griswold pointed out, it’s not exactly as impressive as you might think:
sort of the perfect expectations v. reality metaphor for #TheResistance pic.twitter.com/LIb7WFWHsM
— Anti-Alex-Griswoldism (@HashtagGriswold) July 13, 2018
So anyhow, the geniuses who came up with this thing and dragged it out for another round of protests ran into another genius who goes by the sobriquet of “Based Amy.”
Then, it suffered a poignant collapse, thanks to a very pointy object. But how did that come about in London? After all, authorities have resorted to laws against knives because residents of the famously gun-controlling U.K. are sometimes still a violent bunch.
Here’s how: “Based Amy,” a British Trump supporter whose Twitter account does not evince a stable soul, used a pair of scissors to pop the balloon, an act that was broadcast to the world with a certain amount of glee.
“That’s a disgrace, it’s a national disgrace, the president of the United States, the best president ever,” she can be heard saying on the video as she pops the balloon.
Yeah, because that’s not going to generate sympathy for the protesters or anything. Nosiree.
Destroying or damaging private property, no matter how stupid said private property may be, is both illegal and morally wrong, and “Based Amy” was arrested after the incident in London’s Parliament Square, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
‘Baby Trump’ blimp is deflated by Tommy Robinson supporter – who is then arrested https://t.co/HnY56315Mf
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) June 4, 2019
Unsurprisingly, “Based Amy” isn’t her real name (“based” — a slang term popular among certain elements of the right that means not caring what others think of you or being the opposite of “woke” — is neither her given name nor surname).
According to Newsweek, her legal name is Amy Dalla Mura. No word on what Dalla Mura is being charged with, but, well, congratulations for using the same tactics regarding things you don’t agree with that the left is fond of employing.
(Oh, and the balloon was patched up and re-inflated, so this was also a useless waste of a crime. Nice work.)
However, there is an interesting twist here worth noting: I thought that London was supposed to be safe from sharp objects.
As you probably know, Britain has incredibly strict laws against gun ownership. Those who follow Albion’s dysfunctional approach to controlling dangerous objects might also know that they have a serious knife problem — one they’re dealing with in a typically British way.
By cracking down on knives.
“The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and an unlimited fine. You’ll get a prison sentence if you’re convicted of carrying a knife more than once,” the website Gov.uk states.
You also can’t “sell a knife to anyone under 18, unless it has a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less,” “carry a knife in public without good reason, unless it has a folding blade with a cutting edge 3 inches long or less” or “carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife.”
And it’s not just knives that police in Britain are cracking down on:
Weapon Sweep in #Wealdstone by the Proactive team part of #CommunityActionDay pic.twitter.com/w7czu5b9Zt
— Harrow MPS (@MPSHarrow) November 20, 2014
That’s a croquet mallet and a toy gun. Oh, but don’t worry — other departments are taking scissors off of the streets, too.
These items were found during a #weaponSweep near #MackworthHouse #AugustasSt during #OpSceptre . Safely disposed and taken off the streets pic.twitter.com/53HdeqMKu1
— Regents Park Police (@MPSRegentsPark) March 16, 2018
So, clearly, “Based Amy” was concealed-carrying something that the British police wouldn’t approve of — a dangerous pair of scissors. Despite all of the security surrounding the event, she was still able to sneak the scissors in.
How, then, to protect Baby Trump balloons going forward? Do we go back to those plastic scissors that we used to use in kindergarten with the plastic protectors? Make sure they have blunt edges and can’t cut through the material used for balloons? Do the same thing with knives?
Sadly, stuff like this has actually been proposed. In a retirement speech last year, Luton Crown Court Judge Nic Madge said he “would urge all those with any role in relation to knives — manufacturers, shops, the police, local authorities, the government — to consider preventing the sale of long pointed knives, except in rare, defined, circumstances, and replacing such knives with rounded ends.”
“It might even be that the police could organize a program whereby the owners of kitchen knives, which have been properly and lawfully bought for culinary purposes, could be taken somewhere to be modified, with the points being ground down into rounded ends,” he said, according to the U.K. Telegraph.
Also, listen to this comment see if you can notice a bit of a parallel with the debate over the Second Amendment and so-called “assault weapons”:
“But why we do need eight-inch or ten-inch kitchen knives with points?” Madge said. “Butchers and fishmongers do, but how often, if at all, does a domestic chef use the point of an eight-inch or ten-inch knife? Rarely, if at all.”
And do you really need those scissors, either? I mean, sure, some professions need sharp scissors, and they do cut better, but you can do with a dull pair of those plastic safety scissors — or else they might fall into the hands of people like “Based Amy.”
One hopes and assumes the law deals with “Based Amy” as it would with anyone who destroys property. While she should certainly have her day in court, even she seems to admit she’s guilty of the crime.
However, it’s certainly an interesting take on how effective Britain is at controlling scissors crime. Thank goodness she didn’t have that croquet mallet or things really could have gotten ugly.
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