We got used to the idea of Chinese secret police organising the crowd control for the torch procession, and surrounding it with armed heavies. After all, it's the Chinese, innit? It couldn't happen when a nice country like Britain hosts the Olympics.
Wrong.
Moves to safeguard company trademarks and stamp out ambush marketing, to preserve the monopoly of official advertisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) logo, are raising concerns among civil liberty groups.
Police will have powers to enter private homes and seize posters, and will be able to stop people carrying non-sponsor items to sporting events.
"I think there will be lots of people doing things completely innocently who are going to be caught by this, and some people will be prosecuted, while others will be so angry about it that they will start complaining about civil liberties issues," Chadwick said.
(Reuters)
So now the job of the police is to tear down posters from private homes (what posters could they be?) and stop people carrying the wrong brand of fizzy drink to sporting events.
I am speechless.
It's almost most worth donning best suit and taking the wrong brands into every Olympic venue possible.
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