via Craig Murray (former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan):
The BBC reports:
Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 17:35 GMT
Iraq protest in 'demo ban zone'More demonstrators have gathered in an "exclusion zone" to test the limits of a law banning protests without the police authorisation.
Catholic peace group Pax Christi read out names of children killed in the Iraq conflict at Downing Street.
Members said prayers at the event, which did not have police permission, but officers chose not to intervene.
[snip]
Pax Christi's British chairman Stuart Hemsley told the BBC News website he read out the names of 29 British soldiers with children, who had been killed in Iraq.
The group also picked out the names of 50 Iraqi children aged five and under.
"We had no problems from the police whatsoever, they just stood there looking stony-faced. It was as if we weren't there.
"I am not disappointed I have not been arrested but I wonder if this will now set a precedent."
He said the group of 15 wanted to pray and worship at the seat of power in the hope they would continue to raise awareness of the situation in Iraq.
This seems to be a moral victory, or a victory for common sense.
No doubt some spin doctor or other, either at the Metropolitan Police, or in the Labour Government has decided to try to avoid a repeat of the Daily Mail and The Independent front page headlines, which followed from Maya Evans' conviction for exactly the same sort of activity as the Pax Christi group.
How can the Metropolitan Police continue to "turn a blind eye" to some "demonstrations" within the Designated Area, but not to others ?
What happened to the principle of "equality before the law" ?
Have the Met been given "advice" or instructions from the Home Office etc. ? Or is this policy of standing by and shiftily not even meeting the gaze of Carol Singers or Christian peace activists one which they have come up with on their own ?