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G8 Alternatives Gleneagles Demo May Move to Edinburgh

report | 15.06.2005 22:48 | G8 2005 | Globalisation | Repression

Even as public meetings and rallies in support of the right to protest are being held, organisers from G8Alternatives have announced that they may be forced to move the demonstration planned for the first day of the G8 Summit into the heart of Edinburgh City.



Today, Wednesday 15th June, members of the Stop The War Coalition delivered a letter to the home secretary (Charles Clarke) calling on the government to reverse the ban imposed by the council on the planned protest at the Gleneagles Summit.

G8Alternatives have been advertising the protest for several months, calling for people to assemble at Glenagles train station at midday, intending to march past the gates of Gleneagles hotel.

However the security road closures imposed in the immediate area rule out the possibility of the planned march. Further restrictions have been placed on the numbers of people who could attend a possible protest rally in the park of neighbouring Aucherarder village limiting them to 4000. Yet even this possibility seems now out of reach after G8Alternatives were told they would have to provide £5M worth of insurance coverage in order to get the go ahead for the rally - a figure which they say they cannot afford.

Alex Salmond (SNP) said pressure to ban the march had been put on local authorities by the Home Office and Foreign Office. Tony Benn added that the march had been banned on the orders of the Government saying "To have a political exclusion zone is to confirm our worst fears about the state of civil liberties in Britain at the moment"

Andrew Burgin from The Stop The War Coalition said: "If we can't march in Gleneagles, we will consider going to Edinburgh - probably to the American Consulate."

Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland seemed to sum up the position of the authorities last night when he said "I just don't think it's appropriate to demonstrate in a part of rural Perthshire"

The prospect of 20,000 demonstrators who have been denied to right to protest at Gleneagles then descending on Edinburgh is one set to cause alarm in the city.

report

Comments

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G8A Emergency meeting in Glasgow

16.06.2005 00:09

At the G8 Alternatives Emergency meeting in Glasgow to discuss Perth & Kinross's ban, moving the march to Edinburgh wasn't on the agenda as far as I could see.

The main topics of discussion (aside from internal SSP factional bitching) were whether they should pay the asked £37,000 Public Liability (unanimously no). And also whether they should move their demo to Thursday so they could advertise on from the stage at Murrayfield (this was suggested by Frances Curran MSP and was vocally opposed by a group who are quite vocal).

The discussion went nowhere, there was no consideration took of the blockades being organised for the Wednesday and no conclusion was reached apart from the people who are meeting with the police Thursday & Friday this week will meet with the police and they might get a route for the rally.

This, no matter how shit and ineffective a route, will then be portrayed as a victory for democracy cos people can be shouted at by George Galloway and Aamer Anwar in a park after all.

Dora Kaplan


Enough Bullshit

16.06.2005 10:25

That's enough of your bullshit. We are going to Gleneagles and we *will* be protesting the G8.

anonymous protestor


What's the fuss about?

16.06.2005 19:20

We're all going to Gleneagles, end of the story.

cheeeel winston