to see that the meeting place,Trafalgar Sq, is actually outside the SOCPA zone,hardly direct action!

Re. Winston S comment... not all action is direct action.

I think anyone should be realistic about situations and if there is an attack on our liberties then it should be called that and not something else like some new opportunity for living with a less complicated set of choices, to make a safer world, or to support fluffy rabbits.

DAY OF ACTION OVER PLANS TO CURB RIGHT TO PROTEST

Nationwide demos planned on January 12 as Govt. consults on ‘managing protest’

Campaign for Freedom of Assembly

For immediate release


In response to the Home Office consultation titled ‘Managing Protest around Parliament’ (1) – which threatens to impose further restrictions on marches and demonstrations throughout the UK – a nationwide wave of protest actions is planned for Saturday 12 January 2008.


Actions to be held across the UK include an 'assembly' in London’s Trafalgar Square from 1pm; a march through Aberystwyth, Wales featuring the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) (2), with DIY blank placards for demonstrators to fill in; a naked protest in the Scottish Highlands; and a women’s peace camp at the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire (3). Numerous other actions and protests are currently being planned (details tbc).


The Government’s consultation on ‘Managing Protest around Parliament’ began as a review of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA) 2005 (4), sections 132-138, which restrict demonstrations in a 1km zone around Parliament. While the review was originally with an eye to possibly repealing these controversial sections of the legislation, it seems to have mutated into a consultation on ‘managing protest,’ which proposes to give the police powers to censor the content of banners and placards; whilst laws on restrictions and notifications for protest marches nationwide, currently covered by the Public Order Act 1986, could be extended to static demonstrations, meaning that police could be given the power to ban any demonstration of which it doesn’t approve.


The proposed powers and those already given to the police create a climate of criminalisation of peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders, with people being arrested simply for standing in the wrong place at the wrong time, or for having the wrong face. The day of action comes ahead of the 17 January deadline for submissions to the Home Office consultation.


Whatever campaign people are involved in, whether it's for a safer school crossing or to end a war, this proposal will affect them. Environmental campaign groups who run a weekend stall in their local high street can be moved on; even meetings of political parties could potentially be broken up.


A spokesman for the coalition Campaign for Freedom of Assembly said: “We are tired of the government’s relentless determination to silence us. We must act now to stop the further erosion of our freedom to assemble, and make it clear that we will not allow our liberties to be consulted away from us. The current government consultation needs a response 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.”


Notes for editors:

1. Government consultation document:  http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2007-managing-protest

2. Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army:  http://www.clownarmy.org

3. Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp(aign):  http://www.aldermaston.net info[at]aldermaston.net

4. Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (2005):  http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050015_en_1

5. As a prelude to the day of action, The Parliament Square Peace Campaign plans to hold a public press briefing on Friday 11 January, with (tbc) Maya Evans (convicted after reading out names of British soldiers killed in Iraq outside the Ministry of Defence) and Walter Wolfgang (ejected from Labour Party conference for heckling). Details: info[at]parliament-square.org.uk , www.parliament-square.org.uk

6. Updates for protests planned for the Day of Action will shortly be on www.repeal-socpa.info , which also contains background on SOCPA and the ‘Managing Protest’ consultation.

7. Comedian Mark Thomas is expected to take part in the Day of Action. See his article ‘Help me put Gordon Brown in jail’ at www.markthomasinfo.com/nsarticles/default.asp?id=32

8. Other useful resources:

- Preserving disorder: freedom to protest and the future of SOCPA  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/11/386033.html

- Film: “SOCPA – the Movie” (current restrictions on protests) www.socpa-movie.blogspot.com

- Film: “Taking Liberties”  http://www.noliberties.com



Contacts:


Freedom of Assembly press team: dviesnik[at]yahoo.co.uk

Parliament Square Peace Camp: info[at]parliament-square.org.uk

State of Emergency:  http://www.stateofemergency.org.uk info[at]stateofemergency.org.uk


(ENDS)

PRESS RELEASE 8 January 2008


CROSS-PARTY PARLIAMENTARIANS HIGHLIGHT NEW THREAT TO FREEDOM TO PROTEST

10am, Wednesday 9 January 2008, outside Downing Street, London


Liberal Democrat Peer, Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer, Labour MP John McDonnell, Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski and Plaid MP Adam Price will be part of a group assembling at Downing Street on Wednesday morning to hand in a petition as a response to the Government's consultation on the controversial law banning unauthorised protest near Parliament [1]. Baroness Miller recently introduced a private members bill to repeal the law prohibiting protest [2]. Mr Kawczynski was recently threatened with arrest for holding a small placard outside Downing Street without police permission.

The group will also include Maya Evans (tbc), Walter Wolfgang, Brian Haw, Mark Wallinger, Mark Thomas and Jenny Jones, Green Party member on the Greater London Authority. Maya Evans was the first person to be convicted under the law when she read out names of British soldiers killed in Iraq [3]. Walter Wolfgang was charged under the Terrorism Act after being removed from the Labour Party conference in 2005 for saying ‘Nonsense” out loud during the Home Secretary’s speech.[4] Comedian Mark Thomas has been staging “Mass Lone Protests” in the SOCPA area. [8]

The gathering wish to highlight the ominous signs that the Government is planning to further restrict the rights of demonstrators across the UK. The consultation looks set to recommend increasing police powers to control, or even to ban, public assemblies, under the guise of “harmonising” the laws regarding static demonstrations in line those governing public marches. Police permission could be required (6 days in advance) for groups of as few as 2 people to assemble or hold any placard anywhere in the country. [5]

Some of the group will read the names of protestors arrested under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 which bans any demonstration that has not received prior authorisation by the police. The legislation was originally introduced to remove Brian Haw's continuous peace protest from Parliament Square but many peaceful protestors have been criminalised as a result [6].

Baroness Miller, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Home Affairs, said: “'Harmonisation' of the marching/assembly laws would lead to stricter rules for demonstrations in London and across England and Wales. This is unacceptable and should not be considered in the context of a review designed to relax the rules governing demonstrations around Parliament.” [7]

Maya Evans said: “The danger is that the Government will be able to score media points for repealing unnecessary and draconian legislation, whilst in reality further tightening the screws on protest and dissent around the UK.”


FOR MORE INFORMATION
 http://www.repeal-socpa.info


NOTES

1. The Home Office consultation, 'Managing Protest Around Parliament', is available from:
 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2007-managing-protest.

2. The Public Demonstrations (Repeals) Bill [HL 12] was introduced in November 2006 by Baroness Miller,  http://tinyurl.com/2s6avm

3. See ‘MPs condemn arrest of woman who spoke out’, Daily Mail, 8 December 2005,  http://tinyurl.com/zoep7. Maya Evans was the winner of the Human Rights Award 2007 For her campaigning work and commitment to the cause of liberty. For her courage in standing up for our fundamental rights to peaceful protest and freedom of speech,  http://tinyurl.com/3eylcg

4. Heckler returns to hero's welcome, The Guardian, September 29, 2005,  http://tinyurl.com/8rhfb. Walter Wolfgang is now a member of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee.

5. For an analysis of the Government's consultation document see:
 http://www.repeal-socpa.info/briefing.htm

6. For more on the history of SOCPA, see:
 http://www.repeal-socpa.info/SOCPA.htm

7. The full text of Baroness Miller's response to the Government consultation on 'Managing Protest around Parliament' can be read at:
 http://www.repeal-socpa.info/Baroness_Miller_response.pdf

8. www.markthomasinfo.com/

good points sparky and brian.

personally, i think is a good idea to have the main protest outside the zone - as it enabl;es others to come along who might not be 2 kl with going to a protest inside

this may be cos are known to polis, on bail, licence, breaking conditions of said, or just not wanting to get into any trouble with polis for heaps of reasons - immigration, work, got things planned for nite and don't wana spend untold hours in cells, r injured , pregnant or jus not liking to risk gettin head,etc stomped on by a gang of authoritarian class traitors wearing their blue/black colours and coming along all tooled up and looking 4 trouble........

.....and like sparky wrote

"Action on day itself will leave it up to attenders to decide whether or not to go into the SOCPA zone and defy s.132, or not (by respectively either writing on, or leaving blank, their placards) etc etc"

so surely is all good, ......if i took yer comment wrong way , and it was not meant as a bit of a cynical crack at sum dedicated peeps who seem to be working hard........but is rather frustration and anger and being wound up at things not moving things along fast enough, or not being militant enuf to make any difference,etc,etc or whatever - than i get where u is at and am not trying to have a pop at u........but jus saying think we maybe need more ppl on board.........and is better chance of that if the protest is set up this way, so can choose spiky or fluffy depending on situation/inclination of each individual..........

is easy to get confused writing on computer, for me anyway, esp as am writing in a rush as need to get to pen shop........;-)