Today is technically the last day for you to give "not less than 6 clear days notice" to inform the "Commissioner of Police in the Metropolis" about any celebrations or demonstrations or protests about the result of next week's General Election, if you plan to do this within "one kilometre in a straight line from the point nearest to it in Parliament Square", under the new, as yet still secret procedures, under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
"one kilometre in a straight line from the point nearest to it in Parliament Square" could potentially include all of Whitehall, Downing Street, Trafalagar Square and Piccadilly Circus to the north, the Catholic Westminster Cathedral, the Mall and Buckingham Palace to the West, the MI5 building, Tate Gallery, Vauxhall Bridge and the MI6 building, to the South, and Lambeth Palace, the South Bank Arts complex and Waterloo Station to the East. What is the justification for a "designated area" which could be just over 3 square kilometres in size ?
The wording of this bad piece of legislation (the "Police" part rather than the "Serious Organised Crime" part of the Act) confusingly, also includes a provision for "not less than 24 hours before the time the demonstration is to start":
133 Notice of demonstrations in designated area(1) A person seeking authorisation for a demonstration in the designated area must give written notice to that effect to the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (referred to in this section and section 134 as "the Commissioner").
(2) The notice must be given-
(a) if reasonably practicable, not less than 6 clear days before the day on which the demonstration is to start, or
(b) if that is not reasonably practicable, then as soon as it is, and in any event not less than 24 hours before the time the demonstration is to start.(3) The notice must be given-
(a) if the demonstration is to be carried on by more than one person, by any of the persons organising it,
(b) if it is to be carried on by a person by himself, by that person.(4) The notice must state-
(a) the date and time when the demonstration is to start,
(b) the place where it is to be carried on,
(c) how long it is to last,
(d) whether it is to be carried on by a person by himself or not,
(e) the name and address of the person giving the notice.(5) A notice under this section must be given by-
(a) delivering it to a police station in the metropolitan police district, or
(b) sending it by post by recorded delivery to such a police station.
(6) Section 7 of the Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30) (under which service of a document is deemed to have been effected at the time it would be delivered in the ordinary course of post) does not apply to a notice under this section."
Still no reply ftom the Metropolitan Police about this issue.
Another question:
Does "one kilometre in a straight line from the point nearest to it in Parliament Square" mean as measured from the central open space surrounded by pavements and roads, or dies it mean from the furthest extent pf the property boundaries of each of the buildings with an address on Parliament Square e.g. Westminster Abbey, the Treasury or the Palace of Westminster otself. This interpretation would extend the maximum size of the Designated Area considerably.
Did the SpaceHijackers Cricket Match in Parliament Square on May 1st require permission from the Metropolitan Police ?
http://www.spacehijackers.co.uk/html/projects/mayday05/mayday.html