London Indymedia

Another SOCPA travesty

mini mouse | 29.06.2006 20:10 | SOCPA | Repression | Social Struggles | London

When is a demonstration not a demonstration? That's a question that SOCPA followers have been asking for almost a year now, as ever more people come before the judge as Serious Criminals.

Today we got a clue, inasmuch as it seems that wealth and power might have a bit to do with it. Britain's top bosses marched straight through the SOCPA zone to the Home Office - author of that law - without a constable in sight.

Riley: "SOCPA doesn't apply to us"
Riley: "SOCPA doesn't apply to us"

Despite banners, this is claimed to not be a demonstration.
Despite banners, this is claimed to not be a demonstration.

The demonstration proceeds towards the Home Office
The demonstration proceeds towards the Home Office

Not a demonstration? Here's another banner.
Not a demonstration? Here's another banner.

Not a demonstration? Petitioners sign on the street.
Not a demonstration? Petitioners sign on the street.

Police check the legality of the march.
Police check the legality of the march.

This says the police knew, but turned blind eye.
This says the police knew, but turned blind eye.

Thanks madame, mind how you go...
Thanks madame, mind how you go...


Asked at the start if she could be photographed with her SOCPA consent form, Melanie Riley of Bell Yard - the Institute of Directors' spin doctors - said:

"We don't have one, it doesn't apply to us".

And indeed it didn't, for despite two motor cycle police at the start calling in the illegal demo, not one officer arrived to challenge the march.

The march - or actually a procession, according to the lawyer seen in the above pictures with the Green Party banner - of one hundred and forty three people, (according to IoD spokesman Karl Watkins) wound its way through central London to the Home Office.

At our arrival at the Home Office we were finally challenged by the police. 2 officers arrived in a car and spoke with Ms Riley who produced an e-mail from Nicolas  Woodward@met.police.uk (Belgravia) reading:

"I've made contact with the Home Office direct and a Gordon Vance will arrange for a person to receive your letter".

So the police knew of the demonstration, and the Home Office knew of the demonstration. And both chose to turn a blind eye.

Some questions need to be asked. Once again, as the latest Home Secretary would say, this is not a department fit for purpose.

mini mouse
- e-mail: mini_mouse@riseup.net

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

Eh up?

29.06.2006 23:04

Okay, we can apply under the Freedon of Information Act as to what was going on and why they didn't need permission.

Was that Alan Duncan in the pictures?
Why was that 'lawyer' carrying a green party placard although seemingly not alofting it proudly?
And if we find out what this is about can we copy the demo and see what happens to us?

MatronX

Matron


Good idea matron

29.06.2006 23:36

Let's not wait for someone else to start it, eh? You kick it off, we'll be right behind you.

gung ho


Not all of the march was within the Designated Area

30.06.2006 05:10

Not all of the protest march against the unfair UK-USA Extradition Treaty was within the Designated Area.

Neither the steps between the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall and the The Mall (Alan Duncan placard photo) , nor St. James's Park (Green Party placard) are within the Designated Area (even the the path by the duck pond is literally only a sttone's throw from Number 10 Downing street.

Statutory Instrument 2005 No. 1537
The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Designated Area) Order 2005
 http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20051537.htm

"Is the SOCPA Designated Area actually bigger than we have assumed ?"
 http://www.spy.org.uk/parliamentprotest/2006/01/is_the_socpa_designated_area_a.html

Peaceful Demonstrator
mail e-mail: info@parliamentprotest.org.uk
- Homepage: http://ParliamentProtest.org.uk


cop email stopped working

30.06.2006 08:30

The email that is linked to above no longer works. I got this in failure notice from  postmaster@met.police.uk but the odd thing is that it has info about MPs emails.

----

This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification.

Delivery to the following recipients failed.

 Woodward@met.police.uk




**********************************************************************
It is the policy of the MPS that:

MPS personnel (or agents working on behalf of the MPS) must not use
MPS systems to author, transmit or store documents such as electronic mail (e-mail)
messages or attachments:

* containing racist, homophobic, sexist, defamatory, offensive,
illegal or otherwise inappropriate material;

* for other than official or semi-official MPS purposes;

* containing material requiring a protective marking higher than
RESTRICTED, (and not higher than NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED across
the internet) without the use of approved encryption;

* containing personal data for use other than in accordance with
the notification(s) under the Data Protection Act, 1998 of the
system(s) from which the data originates.

* This Email message has been scanned for viruses and contents.

**********************************************************************

..


re cop e-mail link

30.06.2006 09:19

The address is  Nicolas.Woodward@met.police.uk - see the picture of the e-mail concerned.

hawkeye


acronyms on email

30.06.2006 14:59

"MPS" on your bounced email stands for Metropolitan Police Service, not MPs.

pedant


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