from the desk of the Director General, Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance Towers
by Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance on Tuesday, 18 January 2011 at 10:39

Bristol City Council has banned a rally that Bristol & District Anti-Cuts Alliance intends to hold on Saturday 19 February.

Our plan is to follow the traditional route of assembling at Castle Park and marching to a rally on College Green in front of the Council House. When we applied for permission to use Castle Park and College Green they refused, saying we were out of the six weeks notice the require for an "event". This did not stop them last time and, in discussions we had with the LibDem Leader of the Council, Barbara Janke, she agreed that this notice period should not apply to political rallies which have to respond to events.

The date of our next march is the Saturday before the Council sets its cuts budget on Tuesday 22 February. It seems that the LibDems are getting a bit nervous and abandoning any commitment they might have had to civil liberties and the freedom of assembly after all, the only places you can assemble in central Bristol are owned by the Council.

We will not abandon our right to protest at times which are appropriate. We have complained directly to Cllr Janke. The march and rally will go ahead; the question for the Council is whether they want it organised or not. In contrast, the police seem quite relaxed about it all and have not stated any objection. There will also be a lobby of the Council's budget meeting on the afternoon of 22 February which as many people as possible should attend.

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