Though it is responsible for lies, for deceit, for the distribution of misinformation, for inequality, for discrimination and many other things, the one area that I believe is most unethical about the state, is it’s hypocrisy. Though they repeatedly claim that it is not so, there is quite obviously one rule for the state, and those working for it, and another for everyone else.

A common response to anyone advocating a form of direct democracy, participatory democracy, or anarchy, is that the rule of law will not be upheld, there will be chaos and injustice. Whereas in actual fact a move away from the democracy we have now would actually yield a more just and more equal society. The laws would still be in place, but this time, they would apply to everyone. It is in fact the current system we live under that is proving itself to be full of injustice.

Let me illustrate this with a recent example. I try to go down to the South Coast of England as often as I can, the city of Brighton is where I studied in University, and I have many friends down there still. It was whilst there that I noticed a headline from the local paper saying that a man had been killed after getting hit by a police car. The victim, who was in his 40′s, was apparently dead at the scene of the accident, the police car doing enough damage to kill him almost instantly. Very few other details are included but it does say that the matter has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

I will tempt fate here and predict exactly what is going to happen with this case. The IPCC will look at it for a short time, declare it an accident and dismiss it. No further action will be taken, and if any action is taken, it will only be minor. Perhaps a suspension for the officer who was driving at the time.

That is my prediction, and I may well be wrong about this, but history appears to be on my side. I am unable to find a single instance whereby a policeman has faced jail time after killing someone due to dangerous driving.

On the other hand there are untold numbers of stories whereby ordinary citizens have been sent to jail for similar offences. Just a few weeks before the police car death story, the same paper ran an article on a man who was sentenced to twelve years in prison because he caused the death of another person. We must be careful not to draw too many parallels between the cases, as each is different, but the end result was the same. A man behind the wheel of a vehicle, took the life of a man who was standing on, or near, the road. The end result was that an innocent man had died because of dangerous driving.

As I said, we must not link these two stories too closely, the jury and the court had to take into account the motivations, the history of the accused, the circumstances of death and many other things. The two stories are not completely identical and so I would not expect an identical punishment. In all likelihood though, the policeman who was driving and caused the death of the man in his 40′s will face next to no punishment at all. This is the hypocrisy of the state, and the injustice that is so common in our society.

It seems that not only are the police the arm of the law, but they are also somehow above the law. In a quite blatant nonsensical and paradoxical construction, the police are put in place to make sure law is obeyed, and yet they are not subject to their own rules. There seems to be no justice if two incidents happen, both resulting in the same thing, and yet they receive utterly contrasting punishments.

I am not defending anyone who drives dangerously and causes the death of another human. I believe there should be a punishment befitting of the crime, but I believe that crimes committed by men wearing blue suits and wearing badges, are just as much a crime as those committed by people not in that attire. Perhaps crimes committed by police are even worse, because it is to them that society is apparently meant to look for noble and admirable actions. What I advocate is justice, a crime is a crime no matter who commits it. Justice will never occur however because the state blocks any attempt to achieve it.

Translations for this article:

• Portuguese, A cegueira da lei.