We Own The Streets - Freedom of Assembly day of action 12th January
Campaign for Freedom of Assembly | 23.12.2007 12:01 | SOCPA | Repression | Social Struggles | Terror War | London
At a public meeting on the 2nd December, we collectively decided it was time for a campaign for the freedom to assemble in the UK. This was in response to continued police repression and the Government's consultation 'Managing Protest around Parliament', which proposes giving the police powers to censor the content of banners and placards, and that the laws about restrictions and notifications which currently apply to marches should be extended to static demonstrations. This is what has already happened in the 'SOCPA zone' around Parliament.
The proposed powers and those already given to the police create a climate of criminalisation, a plethora of laws are applied arbitrarily, so people are arrested simply for standing in the wrong place at the wrong time, for having the wrong face, and combined with a police culture that evades accountability even when innocent people are killed, as in the Menezes case and others, there should be no complacency that the court system can be relied on to prevent abuse. Whatever the campaign you are involved in, whether it's for a safer school crossing or to end a war this proposal will affect you.
The government consultation, which ends on 17th January, needs a response not on paper but on the streets, our message is simple - we claim the freedom to assemble without prior notification or permission - and this is not open to negotiation. We therefore call for a nationwide day of action on Saturday 12th January proclaiming this freedom, as the first step in establishing a new era where it is unquestionable that our liberties cannot be consulted away.
The next public meeting of the campaign will be on 5th January, venue TBC.
The government consultation, which ends on 17th January, needs a response not on paper but on the streets, our message is simple - we claim the freedom to assemble without prior notification or permission - and this is not open to negotiation. We therefore call for a nationwide day of action on Saturday 12th January proclaiming this freedom, as the first step in establishing a new era where it is unquestionable that our liberties cannot be consulted away.
The next public meeting of the campaign will be on 5th January, venue TBC.
Campaign for Freedom of Assembly
e-mail:
freeassembly@lists.riseup.net
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
Play the paper game too...
24.12.2007 19:41
If no one responds to the document the goverment can truthfully say there was no negative response to the consultation..... Now you may think, and I couldn't possibly comment, that 'they' will do as they want anyway but it seems such a shame that when they do ask 'us' we don't respond.... after all it was nice of them to ask. And the consultation is probably only taking place anyway because of all those poor sods who have driven themselves and the Met Police mad filling in 'permission to protest' forms over and over again.
Playing the paperwork game works too...lets swamp them with responses.... it's Christmas, get your Aunty and your dog to respond too.
Get the document and say NO and then go and say it louder on the streets if you can.....
The 'Managing Protest' consultation document can be downloaded at
Cassandra
In agreement
25.12.2007 10:12
It may be worthwhile to not only have a series of individual responses, but to see if some co-ordinated responses can be forged with other groups, etc. That way at least we are all pretty much saying the same thing.
Amiable Anton
Play the paper game too...
01.01.2008 12:59
If no one responds to the document the goverment can truthfully say there was no negative response to the consultation..... Now you may think, and I couldn't possibly comment, that 'they' will do as they want anyway but it seems such a shame that when 'they' ask 'we' don't respond.... after all it was nice of them to ask.
And the consultation is probably only taking place anyway because of all those poor (divine and inspired) sods who have driven themselves and the Met Police to distraction filling in 'permission to protest' forms over and over and over again.
Playing the paperwork game works too...let's swamp them with responses.... a tsunami.... It's a New Year, go visit your Aunty and get her response, ask Great Uncle Bill if this is what he thought he was fighting for in WWII.....
Get the document and say NO and then go and say it louder on the streets if you can.....
The 'Managing Protest' consultation document can be downloaded at
Cassandra
Tony Bliar
14.01.2008 23:27
Tony Bliar