We must defend our human right against all attempts to erode them.

bad things happen when good people turn and walk away.

In 1948 Winston Churchill said in an addresses to the Hague Congress as Honorary President “We aim at the eventual participation of all European peoples whose society and way of life are not in disaccord with a charter of human rights and the sincere expression of free democracy.”

The second world war was a fight between good and evil to protect the freedoms and rights we have today.

Many died shedding blood and bone so that we today many have our freedoms rights and liberty that we take for granted.

Freedoms and rights are a fragile thing that if we take for granted or let others erode and chip away we may wake to find we are no longer free or have rights and the dark clouds on the horizon have drawn a black vail over our nation and our world once again.

We must not let those rights won out of blood bone and tiers of our grandparents and great grandparents who fought and overcame the evil that engulfed Europe in the second world war.

We must defend that forged out of the fires of that hell built to defend and enshrine our rights and freedoms so that no government international national or local may take them away.

We must defend our rights and freedoms secured by the blood of the past to ensure they remain for our children and all the Future generations whatever the cost be today.

In April 2021 I made a simple comment in a personal capacity as an individual on Facebook about a county councillor and my personal thoughts.

This in line with Article 10 of the #HumanRights act that protects your right to hold your own opinions and to express them freely without government interference.

This includes the right to express your views aloud (for example through public protest and

demonstrations) or through:

published articles, books or leaflets

television or radio broadcasting

works of art

the internet and social media.

However, this simple comment revealed a dark truth about our freedoms and human rights.

Is revealed that just as we see around the world today Human rights and freedoms breached by nations such as China North Korea and Russia.

Penrith also joins that list of oppressive local governments that seek to remove the human rights and freedoms of individuals.

Eden council held a closed judgement and found me guilty of exercising my Human Rights in a personal capacity and now Penrith Town Council will after more than a year act to carry out sentence on me for those acts.

To be honest it would be simpler for me to say enough and walk away from the toxic environment in local government in Penrith and focus my time and efforts on supporting the community in a more productive environment.

However bad things happen when good people turn and walk away.

Today the erosion of human rights may appear small and insignificant but any erosion of those rights born out of the dark days of the second world war are a risk to all our rights as events in Europe show us today with the horrific acts of human rights breaches in Ukraine by Russia who has also acted to silence its own people from expressing views and opinions, just as local government in Penrith is doing removing rights of individuals to hold your own opinions and to express them freely without government interference.

I will not stand by and see any erosion of those rights for the bigger risk to the rights of our children and future generations through not acting to defend our human rights today is to great.

I will on Monday stand up not to defend myself but defend the rights of all to hold opinions ad views and freely express those views.

Statement made in a personal capacity by Jonathan Davies