Astonishingly. it seems that the controversial provisions of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 which impose a protest restriction zone around Parliament, and which were brought in, supposedly against the lone "peace camp" protestor Brian Haw, may not actually apply to him at all, but they will apply to all the rest of us !
This is because, in their haste to get the Act onto the statute books, "on the nod" during the undemocratic "wash-up" process, where backroom deals were made by the political parties, at the end of the last session of Parliament. This meant that there was no proper scrutiny of the sections of the Act which deal with demonstrations in the vicinity of Parliament.
Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 133 Notice of demonstrations in designated area
"(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."
However Brian Haw's continuous daily protest has been ongoing for the last four years.. Similarly the weekly Wednesday Voices in the wilderness UK Global Women's Strike protest has being ongoing for the last two and half years.
Therefore, the argument goes, Section 133 of the Act does not apply to him, since his is an existing, ongoing protest or demonstration, which started over four years ago and the Act only deals with demonstrations with a future start date or time after 1st July 2005.
If this argument is true, then, unless someone else starts an ongoing demonstration in Parliament Square or in the rest of the Designated Area, before midnight tonight, 30 June 2005, it could be that only Brian Haw will be exempt from the need to apply in writing before any, as yet unclearly defined "demonstration" and any restrictions imposed on all the rest of us !
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