October 2005 Archives

Indymedia have a report about the London Critical Mass monthly cycle ride, on this last Friday of the month (an event which has been happening for at least 11 years)., and which has been threatened by the Metropolitan Police, citing the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act for "static demonstrations"and the Public Order Act for "processions", neither of which should apply to a bunch of people on bicycles.

The Indymedia report claims 1500 to 2000 cyclists, and a couple of sound systems (i.e. loudspeakers prohibited by the SOCPA) across Waterlloo Bridge, Parliament Square and Whitehall.

Has anyone been arrested ?

So far there have been Nineteen peope charged with demonstrating without authorisation under Section 132 of Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, with two exceptions, for the people who were arrested, but not yet currently charged with "organising".

Five people were arrested in Parliament Square on August 1st 2005 and are to be to be tried on January 9th 2006.

One of these people still has Bail Conditions which prevent him from entering the Designated Area

Five people were arrested on August 7th 2005 and are to be tried on January 23rd 2006.

One person was arrested on August 14th 2005

He has a pre-trial hearing on November 15th which will decide if his arguments re: genocide/war etc are admissible. He will then be given a trial date.

One person arrested on August 28th 2005

He is still to be charged with "organising" and will return to police station on November 9th for charging.

He had been given bail conditions which stopped him going to Parliament Square for any reason but these were dropped after the lawyers from Bindmans intervened - now he can go there but not protest.

Five people arrested on September 18th 2005
Pre-trial review on October 14th. Is there a trial date yet ?

This adds up to Seventeen

N.B. the Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation debate on Wednesday 12th October 2005 seemed to be working with a figure of 18 arrests up to that date.

Were they in error, or has an arrestee "disappeared" ?

Two people Arrested on October 25th 2005 in Whitehall opposite Downing Street.

One of these people was arrested for "organising" but has not yet been charged.
He will go back to the Police station on November 10th.

This adds up to Nineteen arrests (possibly 20).

Two more peaceful demonstrators have been arrested under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, Designated Area law, not this time in Parliament Square, but outside of Downing Street.

Milan Rai, from Justice Not Vengance, one of the two demonstrators, is accused of being an "organiser", which carries potentially higher penalties, i.e. up to 51 weeks in prison, on the evidence of having phoned up the Charing Cross police station in order to tell them about the demonstration:

"When we arrived opposite Downing Street, the police jumped up and said: you will be arrested in five minutes, there is to be''zero tolerance".

Actually, it turned out to be more like half an hour, but they did arrest us exactly as promised. (They'd said they would over the phone when I talked to Charing Cross Events - my phone calls were the evidence
of my being the''organiser'.)"

Arrests at Whitehall Iraq Remembrance Ceremony

Interestingly, bell ringing, is not covered by the restrictions against the use of loudspeakers under the SOCPA legislation.

It is also interesting that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport claims that the participants and public spectators in the forthcoming Poppy Day Remembrance Sunday events on November 13th, with wreath laying at the Cenotaph, and with large numbers of people standing still wearing a Royal British Legion red poppy, in exactly the same location in Whitehall, are not covered by the SOCPA Designated Area restrictions, as this is a "Ceremony".

Greenpeace today held a demonstration about illegally imported non-renewable rainforest timber outside the offices of Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Shortly after 7.30am this morning, Greenpeace activists blockaded government offices in London in protest. The activists dumped over a tonne of plywood secured with large chains over the entrance to DEFRA, the UK Government's department responsible for the environment. Two activists chained themselves to the plywood to prevent it being removed, and climbers scaled the outside of the building and secured a banner reading 'Ban Illegal Timber'.

Both the Smith Square and Horesferry Road buildings belonging to Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
are within the Designated Area.

Did Greenpeace obtain prior written permission from the Metropolitan Police ? If they did, was the "one tonne of illegally imported timber" which blocked the entrance allowed under the Conditions which were imposed by the Police ?

The Freedom to Protest Conference

Sunday October 23rd 2005

11am- 5pm

Venue: The Resource Centre,

356 Holloway Road, London, N7 6PA

Tube:

"Take the Piccadilly line to Holloway Road station. On leaving the station turn left and walk under the railway bridge for 5 minutes. The Resource Centre is on the opposite side of the road and can be reached by using the pedestrian crossing"

Buses: 4, 17, 29, 43, 153, 253, 259, 271, 279 and X43

admission free

"The conference aims:

- to share experiences, and promote mutual aid & co-ordination between protestors threatened by repressive laws
- to develop effective strategies for standing up for our freedom to protest against injustice and oppression"

Conference Programme

Website: www.freedomtoprotest.org.uk

Email: conference@freedomtoprotest.org.uk

Wednesday's debate by the Second Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation regarding the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Designated Area) Order 2005 is now available online.

The actual list of Members of Parliament who attended the Committee varies slightly from that which was published earlier:

The Committee consisted of the following Members:

• Chairman: Mr Martyn Jones (Lab - Clwyd South)
  
  
• Mr Alistair Carmichael (LDem - Orkney & Shetland)
  
• Harry Cohen (Lab - Leyton & Wanstead)
  
• Mr. Edward Garnier (Con - Harborough)
  
• Paul Goggins (Lab - Wythenshawe & Sale East - Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office)
  
• Mr David Heath (LDem - Somerton & Frome)
  
• Mr Nick Herbert (Con - Arundel & South Downs - member of the Home Affairs Select Committee)
  
• Mr. Stewart Jackson (Con - Peterborough)
  
• Mr David Jones (Con - Clwyd West)
  
• Chris Mole (Lab - Ipswich)
  
• Stephen Pound (Lab - Ealing North)
  
• Mr Mark Prisk (Con - Hertford & Stortford)
  
• Gwyn Prosser (Lab - Dover - member of the Home Affairs Select Committee)
  
• Joan Ryan (Lab - Enfield North - Lords Commissioner, HM Treasury i.e. a Government Whip)
  
• Anne Snelgrove (Lab - South Swindon)
  
• Dr. Howard Stoate (Lab - Dartford)
  
• Mr. Robert N. Wareing (Lab - Liverpool, West Derby)

Chris Mole (Lab - Ipswich) and Anne Snelgrove (Lab - South Swindon) appeared to substitute for Anne Cryer (Lab - Keighley - member of the Home Affairs Select Committee) and Dennis Macshane (Lab - Rotherham)

Chris Mole was the person who seemed to be objecting most to any loudspeakers disturbing his Parliament Square facing office, but he did not make out any case for banning them throughout the huge Designated Area.

Our previous report about who exactly voted for and against was wrong:

AYES

Cohen, Harry
Goggins, Paul
Mole, Chris
Pound, Stephen
Prosser, Gwyn
Ryan, Joan
Snelgrove, Anne
Stoate, Dr. Howard

NOES

Carmichael, Mr. Alistair
Garnier, Mr. Edward
Heath, Mr. David
Herbert, Mr. Nick
Jackson, Mr. Stewart
Jones, Mr. David
Prisk, Mr. Mark

Question accordingly agreed to.

Resolved,

That the Committee has considered the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Designated Area) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005, No. 1537).

i.e. Harry Cohen (Lab - Leyton & Wanstead) did join the List of Shame and did vote with the the rest of his Labour colleagues for this disproportionate legislation.

Therefore only Mr. Robert N. Wareing (Lab - Liverpool, West Derby) had his concience troubled enough by this repressive legislation to abstain from voting.

The Standing Committee for Delegated Legislation met on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the Designated Area Statutory Instrument.

Unfortunately this Committee could, as with all such SI's only vote to Reject or Accept the Statutory Instrument as a whole, and not to amend it.

Accordingly, despite some convincing points by the Liberal Democrat David Heath, and the Conservative Edward Garnier, and even from Harry Cohen and Robert Wareing on the Labour side, when it came to a vote, the SI was approved by 8 votes to 7.

We will link to the Hansard account of the debate when it becomes available online. (now available online)

The Lawyers' Christian Fellowship , which represents about 2000 lawyers, is holding a rally today Tuesday 11th October 2005 from 1pm to 4pm outside Parliament, not actually in Parliament Square but opposite the Peers Entrance, but still within the Designated Area.

Religious Hatred Law Rallies: Political Rally Political Rally outside the Houses of Parliament

"There will be a POLITICAL RALLY outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on the day the Religious Hatred Bill goes to the House of Lords: Tuesday the 11th October. The rally will take place in the afternoon commencing at 1pm and finishing at 4pm.
The assembly point will be the Old Palace Yard opposite the peers’ entrance to Parliament. A map and other information can be found on the bottom of the document. Marshals will be on hand to help on the day and again, any updates will be placed on this site.

Please e-mail via the website www.christianconcernforournation.co.uk if you have any queries.

Further information is available at another website: www.ReligiousHatredLaw.info."

Have the organisers of this event applied for prior permission ?

Such a polictical rally, would , in the past have traditionally made use of loud speaker systems, but, of course, these are now prohibited under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.

We will be interested in any reports regarding any variations or amendments in the Conditions which may be imposed arbitrarily on the day by the senior police officers present.

Here is the list of the Members of Parliament who will be debating the controversial Designated Area Order, on this coming Wednesday 12th October 2005, at 2.30pm Committee Room 9 in the Palace of Westminster.

The Statutory Instrument which they will hopefully debate and amend sets out the overlarge area in the vicinity of Parliament Square, including, incredibly, the London Eye etc. on the other bank of the River Thames, where demonstrations, free speech and freedom of assembly are curtailed.

The Public are admitted to this meeting, on a first come first served basis, as are press and media reporters.

The Parliament Committees recorded announcement phone number - 0207 219 2033 which gives information for the next two working days, should also be consulted in case there is a last minute change of location.

Hopefully some people will be able to attend this meeting, even if it is just to buttonhole the journalists

You need at least 15 minutes beforehand to get through the security checks in the Palace of Westminster, and to walk from the public entrance to the Committee Room Corridor (right through Central Lobby to the river side of the building, then right and upstairs.

It might be possible to send a submission to the Committee as a whole, care of the Chairman.

Please contact these MPs , if you happen to be a constituent (they will ignore you otherwise):

• Chairman: Mr Martyn Jones (Lab - Clwyd South)
• Mr Alistair Carmichael (LDem - Orkney & Shetland)
• Harry Cohen (Lab - Leyton & Wanstead)
• Mrs Ann Cryer (Lab - Keighley - member of the Home Affairs Select Committee)
• Mr. Edward Garnier (Con - Harborough)
• Paul Goggins (Lab - Wythenshawe & Sale East - Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office)
• Mr David Heath (LDem - Somerton & Frome)
• Mr Nick Herbert (Con - Arundel & South Downs - member of the Home Affairs Select Committee)
• Mr. Stewart Jackson (Con - Peterborough)
• Mr David Jones (Con - Clwyd West)
• Mr Denis MacShane (Lab - Rotherham)
• Stephen Pound (Lab - Ealing North)
• Mr Mark Prisk (Con - Hertford & Stortford)
• Gwyn Prosser (Lab - Dover - member of the Home Affairs Select Committee)
• Joan Ryan (Lab - Enfield North - Lords Commissioner, HM Treasury i.e. a Government Whip)
• Dr. Howard Stoate (Lab - Dartford)
• Mr. Robert N. Wareing (Lab - Liverpool, West Derby)

Even if this Committee cannot repeal the Designated Area Order, they might be able to reduce its size considerably, but only if there are 3 or 4 Labour MPs (out of 10) who rebel.

George Monbiot writing in The Guardian mentions the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act in his round up of some, but astonishingly, not all, of the laws which are being used by officious policemen against peaceful demonstrators and protestors, and not against the terrorists and criminals which they are meant to be used for.

Protest is criminalised and the huffers and puffers say nothing

The police abuse terror and harassment laws to penalise dissent while we insist civil liberties are our gift to the world"

George Monbiot
Tuesday October 4, 2005
The Guardian

It appears that participants in the the long established monthly London Critical Mass cycle rides, which have been happening on the last Friday of the month, every month for at least the last 10 years, are now being threatened with the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act Designated Area powers.

An email correspondent writes:

Next Sunday 9th October there will be a
Public Meeting to discuss future strategies in peacefully resisting the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act Designated Area restrictions on our freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Time: 3.45-6pm

Date: Sunday 9th October 2005

Location:

Indian YMCA
41 Fitzroy Square,
London W1T 6AQ,

Nearest tubes: Goodge Street, Warren Street, Great Portland Street.

We missed this write up in The Guardian earlier this week. Please email us any links to relevant media coverage.