Picket of Horseferry Magistrates Court - Protest for our Right to Demonstrate

15 June 2006

PSC have organized a picket of Horseferry Magistrates Court, Horseferry Road, London SW at 9.30am on the morning of 15th June.

Nearest Tube: St James Park

Defend our democratic right to protest!!

On 14th March the Israeli army attacked Jericho prison, killing, wounding and abducting prisoners within 20 minutes of the British pulling out of the prison.

PSC believed that this violent and unlawful action needed an immediate response, particularly as Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary at the time, was making statements to the House of Commons denying the British government’s complicity in this action by informing the Israeli government and army of their intention to pull out.

Betty Hunter, General Secretary of PSC rang the police to ask permission to hold a demonstration opposite Downing Street at 5.30pm.

She was informed that not enough notice had been given and that the demonstration would therefore be illegal.

Betty also informed the police that the picket would be people and that about 100 people may be present.

We decided that the picket should still go ahead as the action by the Israeli army needed an immediate response.

Betty informed all those who turned up (approximately 60) that the picket was illegal and that people may be asked by the police to give their name and address. Indeed some people were asked to do just this.

The police handed out leaflets to those present about the illegality of the action.

The picket was ended at 6.20pm.

Betty and four others, Mike Kushman, Aqil Shaer, Ruth Tenne and Wilf Dixon have been summoned to appear in court on 15h June. They have been charged under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.

We have now met with the solicitors and all five will be pleading ‘not guilty’.

PSC have organized a picket of Horseferry Magistrates Court, Horseferry Road, London SW at 9.30am on the morning of 15th June. The police have been informed.

We would like as many members as possible to attend. We do not expect the picket to last more than 1 hour as the five are just appearing to plead ‘not guilty’ and the case will then be referred to another hearing at a later date.

This case is important to defend the democratic right of people to protest. It is often not possible or appropriate to wait 24 hours before organizing a demonstration or protest, as in this case.

The attacks currently being made by this government on our democratic right to protest have to be challenged.

Please make every effort to attend. Go into work an hour late if you can. Show your solidarity with the five people in court.

We will need to raise money for the cost of defending the five people. A separate account will be established, but donations will be accepted now.