Parliament Square Demockracy

rikki | 07.08.2005 17:12 | SOCPA | Repression | London

this afternoon police arrested another five protestors under draconian new legislation that bans any protest not agreed with police in advance. the ban applies to just one or more people in a large exclusion zone around parliament and government buildings. a prospective protestor is supposed to apply to police a week before the demo, and they have the right to ban the protest, or enforce all sorts of restrictions on it without any independent judge, effectively giving them political power over citizens in this area.

defiant arrestee

dangers to society

pax christi group

serial protestor

another dangerous anarchist

banner

clown search form filling

clowning around infront of churchill

lie down protest

someone has to type all this nonsense up

in a repeat of monday's action (the day the new bill came into force), police intensely surveilled the small crowd of around 100 protestors in parliament square this afternoon after they assembled at noon. then soon after one 'o' clock, snatch squads of police moved in, surrounded someone identified by the forward intelligence officers, and to cries of 'shame on you' from the crowd, made an arrest. this process happened five times, and then, their quota for the day achieved, they refused to arrest any further demonstrators, despite the fact they were clearly breaking the same law.

this arbitrary, nonsensical police operation, involving more than a dozen forward intelligence officers, and more than 100 other police stationed round the square, comes at a time we are being told police are at full stretch to cope with a serious terrorist threat. the usual police surveillance included two videographer/photographers, taking loads of footage and shots, while other officers took copious notes. at one point i saw an officer standing behind a young women with a rucksack, making notes about the slogan on her bag, which said "fuck cars" in an imitation ford logo. presumably all this film gets watched and sorted, and all these notes get typed up and filed or computerised. how much public money is wasted on this ludicrous type of operation?

the demonstrators themselves, though small in number, remained dignified and totally non-violent throughout the proceedings. after the arrests, they gathered together for a meeting to discuss what they would like to do, and decided that rather than let people drift away in dribs and drabs, they would perform some symbolic action and then end the demonstration peaceably at 2 'o' clock. so, a little before two, most of those present laid down on their backs in the square, and chanted 'protest our right' for a few minutes before officially ending the protest at 2. despite this clear flaunting of the law, no further arrests were made.

the crowd themselves included members of many different protest groups, and a huge age range and ethnic diversity. there were a small phalanx from the clown army, one of whom was searched under terrorist laws, and cracked some laughably awful jokes while the f.i.t. officer filled out his search form.

once again a sad day for democracy, and once again, a good demonstration of how arbitrary, unworkable, and unjust this badly made law is.

rikki

Comments

Hide the following 12 comments

Thanks

07.08.2005 17:47

Thanks for an excellent report and great pictures. And thank you all who took part knowing you could be arrested. I hope we can all join you very soon so that there are1000's of us there. Perhaps we should help the police(!) and chain ourselves together (1000's of us that is)!

Loved the clowns.

Neil Williams

Neil Williams
Homepage: http://fightbackuk.blogspot.com/

What do you expect

07.08.2005 17:56

Socialism you vote for and socialism you will get !

Did you really think they would let you be the leaders ?

A socialist is only a socialist until they are given a blue boiler suit, a shovel and told to dig a railwayline.

THANKYOU FOR VOTING NL.

NEW LABOUR ! You Voted Us In, NOW DIG !!!

dolly the Sheeple

New Labour strips citizens of their voices...

07.08.2005 20:23

When Blair says that he wants to bring in measures to protect "our way of life", is this what he has in mind - by stripping the people of their ancient freedoms, and putting the police in charge of deciding who has a voice and when it can be raised on political matters?

For shame.

Sigh

More and more

07.08.2005 20:57

More and more people every week. Let them arrest all they want. If we keep this up, with more people, they will eventually have to back down and alter this law. What was it that finished off the Poll Tax? Not riots, but civil disobedience, refusing to comply. Well, we will refuse to comply and proudly protest our rights..to protest...every week until they get pissed off, until the papers start wondering whether this is really a valuable use of police time.

Left, right, socialists, capitalists, pro-war, anti-war, pro-hunting, anti-hunting...whatever one's political affiliations, our basic rights are at stake here!

Unfortunately I am based abroad and so cannot attend at this time. But I will be in London the last weekend of September? Where will I be on the Sunday? Parliament bloody Square that's where!

artaud

So 'comrades' when are we gonna see some mass civil disobedience?!

07.08.2005 23:33

Hey Neil Williams (Mr. Respect blog spammer of Indymedia), your Respect/SWPie/STWC comrades and self appointed spokespeople of Britain's 'left', when are you gonna stick your necks out actually support some mass civil disobedience?!

Or maybe even risk arrest for once!
Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians and thousands of military deaths roll onwards.

We're all waiting, George, Salma, Lindsay, Tariq, Chris etc...

Your call!

DEEDS NOT WORDS!

random

07.08.2005 23:38

It always makes me chuckle when I hear Blair say he won't 'budge an inch for the terrorists'. Well he's not actually telling fibs - he's jumped a mile, all because he wanted to do it in the first place; the terrorists just gave him a great excuse to carry out a cutting back on 'liberties'.

The state is not disappearing under neoliberalism - it needs to redouble and strenthen itself to protect itself from it's self-induced illnesses.

War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength! Welcome to New Labour's Britain.

ting

really??

08.08.2005 00:02

> Left, *right, *socialists, *capitalists, *pro-war, anti-war, *pro-hunting, anti-hunting...whatever one's political affiliations, our basic rights are at stake here!

> Unfortunately I am based abroad and so cannot attend at this time

Good for you!

* I for one hope you fucking stay abroad!

Camo23

solidarity from Abroad

08.08.2005 08:32

Hey Artaud,

You can't get to Parliament Square, but I'm sure you've got a British consulate or embassy near where you are... You seem keen on spreading solidarity - one way would be to go to that embassy and spread the news of what is happening here!

London Activist

Wiki

08.08.2005 09:55

On August 1st 2005, the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act came into effect, making it illegal to have protests in Parliament Square without first seeking permission. The no-protest zone extends in a large area of approximately 1 kilometre radius, effectively labelling all unauthorised protest as "Serious Organised Crime". As Brian Haw's protest was started before this new act came into effect, the courts have ruled that he alone may protest in Parliament Square. An alliance of groups have come together in order to make a stand against the new act which is said to be vaguely worded and in breach of European Human Rights.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_Square

Wiki Editor

anti-respecters

08.08.2005 10:14

To those criticising STW/Respect/SWP why do you spend all your time having a go at others on the left rather than fighting the common enemy. Is it because your own politics are so naff nobody would want to know you. Tony Blair loves people like you

adrian cannon

What's your beef Camo23?

08.08.2005 11:16

Are you upset because I believe that we all have civil liberties, even those we don't agree with? You sound worryingly like a fascist - of which there are many in "militant" clothing on Indymedia...

To quote Voltaire:

"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it."

artaud

'Comments that shook the world'

11.08.2005 14:56

Gentlemen and/or Ladies

Allow me to recap:

‘Left, right, socialists, capitalists, pro-war, anti-war, pro-hunting, anti-hunting...whatever one's political affiliations, our basic rights are at stake here!
Unfortunately I am based abroad and so cannot attend at this time’.

‘when are you gonna stick your necks out actually support some mass civil disobedience?!
Or maybe even risk arrest for once!’

‘War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength! Welcome to New Labour's Britain’

‘Good for you!’
* I for one hope you fucking stay abroad! ‘

‘ Is it because your own politics are so naff nobody would want to know you. Tony Blair loves people like you’

‘You sound worryingly like a fascist - of which there are many in "militant" clothing on Indymedia... ‘

’To quote Voltaire:
"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it."’

Through my tears of laughter allow me to say:

Tony Blair must be shitting himself.

Plain Joe Schmo

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