Is herd mentality creating police states? Governments have been allowed to tackle the pandemic with measures which stifle personal freedom. Many worry that these could become permanent.

The Derbyshire police, Lord SumptionJonathan Sumption is a former Supreme Court judge, author, and medieval historian. The Guardian once described him as being a member of the "million-a-year club", an exclusive group of barristers earning over 1 million a year (in 2003). declared, were acting like "glorified school prefects": their behaviour was "frankly disgraceful".

Sumption was criticising the force's approach to policing the lockdown - including dying the water at a beauty spot black to deter people from meeting there. But he was also making a wider point: he believed that the government's response to the pandemic was excessive, and involved a dangerous curtailmentReduction. It comes from an old word meaning a horse whose tail has been cut short. of civil libertiesBasic rights and freedoms given to citizens of a country through the law. They include freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and freedom of religious worship. Such rights and freedoms are part of a democratic society and are often denied to those living in a dictatorship..

"When human societies lose their freedom, it's not usually because tyrantsCruel and oppressive rulers. have taken it away," he argued. "It's usually because people willingly surrender their freedom in return for protection against some external threat [...]. And anyone who has studied history will recognise here the classic symptoms of collective hysteria."

Sumption is not the only expert sounding an alarm bell. Fionnuala Ni Aolain, the United Nations Special RapporteurA French word meaning someone appointed to compile a report for an organisation. on counterterrorism and human rights, warns that across the world there could be "a parallel epidemic of authoritarianEnforcing strict obedience to authority. and repressivePreventing personal freedom.  measures".

There are certainly plenty of governments responding in an extreme fashion. In ThailandA country in South East Asia whose neighbours include Malaysia and Cambodia., the prime minister has assumed the authority to impose curfewsOccasions when closing down is enforced or movement is restricted. It originally applied to the extinguishing of fires in people's houses. and censor the news media, with journalists being suedTo start legal proceedings against someone or something. for criticising the government's handling of the crisis.

Hungary sheep

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the closure of law courts - meaning that his own trial for corruption will be postponed. In BoliviaA country in South America. Its last president, Evo Morales, was forced to resign when a disputed election led to violent protests., elections scheduled for May have been postponed too, giving the controversialn interimTemporary. In November, Jeanine Anez was appointed president of Bolivia for six months. She said that she did not want to stay on after that, but has since changed her mind. president, Jeanine Anez, an extension of office.

And in HungaryA country in central Europe. Viktor Orban has been its prime minister since 2010., new legislation gives Prime Minister Viktor Orban far-reaching emergency powers which will last for as long as he says he needs them. As well as allowing him to suspend existing laws, it makes two permanent changes to the criminal code, one of them limiting freedom of expression.n

Is herd mentality creating a police state?

Some say that you only have to look at Hungary to see where this is heading: authoritarian governments are taking advantage of the public's anxiety to see what they can get away with. They are always quick to request extra powers in a crisis - claiming that they are protecting the weak and responding to popular demand - but they are slow to relinquishVoluntarily cease to keep or claim; give up. those powers when the crisis ends.

Others say that the term "herd mentality" is nonsense: we live in a sophisticated society where people make up their own minds. No doctor caring for Covid-19 patients would call the public reaction hysterical. Established democracies have plenty of safeguards to prevent emergency laws becoming permanent; politicians like Orban can only flourish in countries without a proper democratic tradition.