the serious organised crime and police act came into force on the 1st august last year, section 132 of which requires any person intending to hold a demonstration near parliament to seek authorisation from the police and to adhere to any conditions that the police may apply.
brian haw won a court case in july last year against the home secretary and the metropolitan police which gave him permission to apply for judicial review, and quashed some provisions of the act, on the basis that it could not apply to his continuing demonstration that had started in june 2001.
he won the case and since august 1st his demonstration has been the ONLY one that has not needed police permission. however, the home sec and the met appealed against this decision, and today's verdict was the response to that appeal.
the appeal has been allowed.
section 132 DOES apply to brian haw
costs have been set aside and brian will not be made to pay any costs.
permission to appeal to the house of lords is REFUSED
permission to stay in parliament square pending any petition to the lords is also REFUSED.
brian is not prevented from petitioning the lords himself, but he is now subject to the socpa act until any further future judgement.
brian himself was not in court this morning, preferring to continue his demonstration against government policy in iraq, against the use of depleted uranium which will poison the land and the people for millions of years, against the wholesale looting of the country by big business, against the abuse of civilians, women and children, and against the lies that this government and the mainstream media told and continue to tell.
once the verdict was announced, the press pack moved in on brian, and asked their usual facile questions. he tried to get his real message across, not pandering to their soundbite mentality, and berating them for asking pointless questions.
he also told us that he had known the outcome of this verdict for the past week but would have been in contempt of court to divulge it - so he was not actually surprised today.
meanwhile, other seasoned demonstrators and anti-socpa campaigners seized the opportunity of press coverage to launch their own messages about the need for a real movement to recover the civil rights that are being stolen from us month by month under this government. police had obviously been told to act very softly softly while the media were there, and turned a blind eye even to the use of a megaphone, which is banned under socpa legislation.
brian's solicitor, steve goss, from bindmans, stated that they had now notified the police that brian would be staying in the square for the foreseeable future.
under the act, the police will HAVE to give permission for brian's demo, but they may impose conditions which are set out in the act as follows:
"if the senior police officer, having regard to the time or place at which and circumstances in which any public assembly is being held or is intended to be held, reasonably believes that
a) it may result in serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community, or
b) the purpose of the persons organising it is the intimidation of others with a view to compelling them not to do an act they have a right to do, or to do an act they have a right not to do,
he may give directions imposing on the persons organising or taking part in the assembly such conditions as to the place at which the assembly may be (or continue to be) held, its maximum duration, or the maximum number of persons who may constitute it, as appear to him necessary to prevent such disorder, damage, disruption or intimidation.
this means there is a possibility that police may impose time restrictions on brian's protest, and thus might require him to remove his extensive fixed banner display. it is unclear yet what their response will be.
it is understood senior met officers were meeting at 12.30 to debate these issues and will be contacting steve from bindmans with some information later. at present, and certainly while the cameras are there, the police have no intention of wading in and removing his presence, but under cover of darkness who knows...........?
if you want to help in any way, especially if you have a camera and can spend time in the square, please look at brian's website for info on a regular basis and get in touch.
the anti-socpa campaigning picnics will continue every sunday in parliament square and all are invited - bring ideas and food to share. they start around 1.30 every week and all are welcome.
more info on these can be found at www.peopleincommon.org
i will post more information on the police response as an addition here later. there will also be a short film in a separate post on indymedia later.
Comments
Hide the following 22 comments
Bummer!
08.05.2006 16:00
The BBC seem to think he's is barred from a Lord's appeal???
Spook Plant
Jam Cam
08.05.2006 16:05
Itsme
Forget the BBC,ITN,SKYetc.I find the full story at Indymedia
08.05.2006 17:36
By the afternoon it had dropped off their web page altogether, I then found all the information at Indymedia I needed
It is no wonder there is so much general apathy to the loss of the right to protest,despite the good work of the activist groups,when the mainstrem media are so light on the real issues
I hope this doesnt go down in History as a time people failed to react intelligently and in unison to this creepy new labour repression
Mike Doherty
Mike Doherty
e-mail:
solidaritypark@hotmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.myspace.com/solidaritypark
Jam Cam latest
08.05.2006 19:18
Itsmeagain
Another victory for Blair on his road to War with Iran.
08.05.2006 19:29
Now, its true that his main concern is revolt, but this is more a result of Blair thinking "surely this time I've gone too far, and even the most pathetic of sheep fight back at some point", rather than the reality of the mindset of the population.
Blair has the advantage of the most perfect intelligence gathering methods ever invented, namely IM, 'texting' and Email. Ever day, he is able to survey the thoughts of millions by tapping into the vast majority of our electronic communications (and, despite what you may think, this is completely legal under our current laws, so long as individuals are not targetted, but the spying is general and seeks to understand trends in our thinking).
This means that when Haw gets the chop, Blair thinks he has a near perfect idea of how we will respond. Of course our response has been the result of much conditioning (for instance, with the sick perverts telling people to cheer on the British terrorist acts in Iraq, because the people doing the butchering are 'our' boys).
Anyway, Blair probably doesn't think this is a good time, but his plans to genocide Iran are hurtling forward (neatly assisted with the essential new positions of his trusted psychos Beckett, Reid, and Straw). Haw was a symbol of resistance, a representation of hope, and watching Blair's boot descend upon his neck will teach us all a very valuable lesson.
You'll notice that Blair's New Reich goon, 'spook plant' takes first comment position. Goebbels, of course, would have ordered the self-same thing. Funny how Indymedia UK seems to attract so many 'freepers'. I guess pointing this out places my comment in imminent danger of being hidden, but then that might make things a little too obvious.
Anyway guys, wishful thinking will get us all murdered. Mr Haw was one brave man in a land where that characteristic is sadly lacking. Who did you really think would get the chop, him or Blair? And how many times does Blair have to win, and we have to lose before the threat of Blair is taken seriously.
BLAIR IS MORE POWERFUL TODAY THAN AT ANY TIME IN HIS PAST. His grip on power is absolute. Ever major institution in the UK, political and non-political, is in the hands of Blair loyalists. He cannot be displaced by what remains of our so-called 'democracy' since he is already a dictator with just 20% of the vote.
BLAIR ***WILL*** GO TO WAR WITH IRAN. BLAIR ***WILL*** ARRANGE TO HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS USED AS WEAPONS OF WAR FOR THE FIRST TIME (the bombs on Japan were NOT part of a war, but were scientific experiments into their effectiveness, and a shot across the bow for the USSR).
Blair will handle this last stage (before war allows him to take war-time powers against the population) with an explosion of anti-muslim propaganda, an explosion of racist patriotic 'our boys' propaganda (and we all know what THAT looks like), an explosion of disruptive psy-ops (like the moronic 'Straw against an Iran war'), an explosion of state-controlled mock-anti-blair opposition groups (like RESPECT), and an ever more ruthless targetting of those that prove to be REAL OPPONENTS.
TIME HAS ALMOST RUN OUT. People like Mr Haw have begged the rest of us to do something. Now the fate of the World dangles by a thread. Blair's final barrier is NOT our horror at his intent to start a World War, but the difficulty in persuading the US military planners to engage in actions that seem to them to have insane consequences. Hitler had the same problem AND HE OVERCAME IT. How? By ensuring those military planners were overwelmed by the various propaganda programs Hitler's people instituted in every area of nazi society.
Blair knows that his MASSIVE forward progress (in the UK, EU and Europe in general, and the US) creates an unstoppable momentum. At some point this momentum will break through any US military resistance. Blair's program is aimed to defeat Human Sanity. WAR ***IS*** INSANE. A World War is global insanity.
Blair now has the full support of France, Germany, and the US for his war against Iran. Hundreds of Billions of pounds are being siphoned into the war coffers of Blair AND Russia via the recent manipulation of fuel costs, and this massive pay-off to Russia is most certainly NOT a free gift. China is in the same position as the USSR before WW2. It knows that it is the ultimate target for war, but understands that it may have no choice but to ally with its future enemies to buy time.
China will not cry about Blair's genocide of Iran so long as the oil continues flowing, although China would be insane to give UN support BEFORE the action.
Want to have the best chance of saving yourself and your friends and family? Take a quite moment, and project yourself into Blair's future world. Imagine your pain and distress, as Blair murders billions, and the casual use of nuclear and genetic weapons becomes the standard pattern of human warfare. Let yourself respond to the death of all beauty, happiness, and love on our planet. Let your mind scream outrage that nothing was done to stop Blair when there was still a chance to do this. Become a german citizen in 1945 surveying the destruction of a whole country, forced at gun-point to watch the gang-rape of your remaining female relatives, before being shipped off to a camp to be tortured and starved. Supporting Hitler meant death and extreme misery for many hundreds of millions. Supporting Blair means death and extreme misery for BILLIONS, and as the citizens of Blair's nation, if we do not bring him down, WE are responsible for everything he does to our world.
This is NOT a game. This is NOT an episode of some TV show. Blair's nuclear weapons are REAL. Blair's genetic weapons are REAL. Blair's programs to use these weapons are REAL. Blair's specialists who work daily to ensure that such weapons are ready to be deployed immediately are REAL. Blair's propaganda methods that tell us daily about dark-skinned humans who need a good 'nuking' are REAL. Blair's New Reich goons who litter sites like this to tell you ignore people like myself are REAL. Blair's ever growing powers that will enable him soon to launch his wars are REAL.
Likewise current effective opposition to Blair is NOT REAL. Easy options to remove Blair are NOT REAL. Paying a 'sub' to some mock-anti-Blair group, like Greenpeace or Amnesty, to do our work for us is NOT a REAL option.
Brian Haw stood up as an individual saying "this is not right". It is all an individual can do. However, the intent is that each of us will say "I also know this is not right, and I also will stand up and say this". Brain Haw did NOT join some state-controlled body like RESPECT, or Amnesty, or Greenpeace to salve his conscience the easy way, because he did not care to SALVE, but wished to EXPRESS his conscience.
Here, Blair's New Reich thugs regularly attack individuals that express their clear outrage at the crimes of Blair, and instead encourage people to bury their concerns by joining the above mentioned state-controlled bodies. "Don't fight Blair yourself", they say, "read The Guardian and buy fair-trade coffee instead, and don't forget your subs to Amnesty and Greenpeace". DO PEOPLE HAVE TO MAKE IT THAT EASY FOR BLAIR. Do you not know that the people of nazi Germany ALSO had charities and good causes coming out of their ears. They were mostly civilised people that had their direct equivalents of The Guardian, Greenpeace, and Amnesty. It did not stop them giving the world Hitler, and a World War.
BLAIR FALLS NOW, OR WE WILL GET A WORLD WAR. And today, Blair is stronger than ever, with a ring of loyalist steel around him in Parliament. All we have is another Blair propaganda campaign (the sixth?, the tenth?) about Blair going, so that people will take their 'medication' for another six months, allowing Blair enough time to pass the point of no return.
twilight
Brian Haw BBC camera link not working
08.05.2006 20:02
………………………………………………
Brian Haw, who has camped outside parliament for nearly five years has been told today that he, will have to seek police permission to hold any further demonstration, and that they are likely to impose conditions, the verdict was read out at the royal courts of justice this morning.
Due to this decision I thought it would be my public duty to look for myself, using your camera mentioned in the media, only to find the following;
“
Sorry but the image from this jam came is not available for operational reasons.”
Can you please give me a written explanation as to why this camera link is like this?
I think it is more than a coincidence that this camera is down at this time.
This case has had a high media profile; you would have been aware of this before today and should have made sure that your remit to perform for the public duty was met. I hope this situation was not politically motivated as appears to the ordinary man on the street.
P.S. I have a peace pledge page on my website. The more signatures the better as it is linked in a place like myspace with over 1 million users, so I am trying to get loads.
I hope this is not considered as a spam, as this site is personal and not for profit.
Peace and Respect. Mark.
Mark Wood
Homepage:
http://www.tagworld.com/Marky-aCe
Jam Cam Tuesday 7.48 am
09.05.2006 07:01
Itsmeagain
Rikkis Updates
09.05.2006 09:19
Mike of Solidarity Park
mike doherty
e-mail:
solidaritypark@hotmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.myspace.com/solidaritypark
Jam Cam switch off again.
09.05.2006 15:38
Itsmeagain.
Jam Cam report Wednesday 5.48 - 6.07am.
10.05.2006 05:22
Itsmeagain
Jam Cam not updated for more than an hour.
10.05.2006 14:48
Itsmeagain
They are still messing about with the Jam Cam.
10.05.2006 16:48
Itsmeagain
Jam Cam Thursday 4.34am
11.05.2006 03:58
By the way Rikki, if you are there how are you managing to get your reports to Indymedia? What wonders of new technology are involved? Or do you just pop in from time to time?
Anorak
Jam Cam Thursday 9.33
11.05.2006 09:44
Itsmeagain
4pm - police have just arrived at the square
11.05.2006 15:08
rikki
congrats
11.05.2006 17:15
yip yip!
anarchoteapot
There is a problem here
11.05.2006 18:19
Too many people now realise this so removing Brian or trying to downsize him will only strengthen the resolve of rational and committed people to make sure the consequences of war are not hidden
Mike Doherty
Mike Doherty
e-mail:
solidarity park
Homepage:
http://www.my.com/solidarity parkspace
10 points
11.05.2006 20:23
They are going to make a total folk hero out of him, ha ha ha!
londoner
Jam Cam Friday 6.14am
12.05.2006 05:28
Itsmeagain
News at the Top?
12.05.2006 09:06
If there is a technical or editorial reason why this cant be done then fair enough
Mike Doherty
e-mail:
solidaritypark@hotmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.myspace.com/solidaritypark
Bell
17.05.2006 13:38
Bartolomy
e-mail:
bartolomy@gmail.com
They came in the night!!!
23.05.2006 02:29
Jamcam
The parliament square camera is currently pointing away across westminster bridge.
SteveJ