Brian Haw In Court As Boris Starts To Clear Democracy Village

By · May 26, 2010 at 13:00 pm · No comments · Latest News · Report an error ·

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Image by normko from the Londonist Flickr pool

Following yesterday’s arrest, Brian Haw and fellow protester Barbara Tucker are due in court today charged with ‘obstructing police’ while the Met attempted to search the ‘Democracy village‘ tents before the Queen’s Speech. Boris Johnson has also given the GLA – who owns the green – authority to start High Court proceedings to clear the protest out of Parliament Square. Though all press reports are at pains to point out the two are unconnected, the more cynical among us may think it’s all a bit convenient.

The main line being trotted out by Boris and Westminster Council is that the protest is damaging the square (though after a bit of squinting, we agree with Adam Bienkov that the square itself isn’t actually included in the Unesco World Heritage Site) and the camp is “preventing its peaceful use by other Londoners”. Given that her Maj’s speech contained a line about allowing “members of the public to protest peacefully without fear of being criminalised”, does this strike an immediate bum note to the coalition? Or is it Boris sticking two fingers up at Dave again? And does it really matter if a bit of planting happens in what should be the most public of public spaces?

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  • IanVisits

    While we as a society have a right to protest, it is tempered with a responsibility to protest in a sensible manner.

    You have never had the right to just turn up and stage a sit-in, and in any other location they protesters would have been dragged away by the police.

    I don’t really care if the protesters “look a bit of a mess”, what I care about is that they are behaving in a stupid manner with their semi-permanent occupation of the square and their actions could lead to politicians passing laws that actually restrict the right to protest in the future.

    The protesters have shown little evidence of ordinary common sense in this issue.

  • http://littlerichardjohn.blogspot.com Little Richardjohn

    2 weeks in, and the new Lovely Cuddly Condems are bulldozing a protest which stood throughout the reign of Gordon The Terrible, and has arrested the dissenter on unspecified charges. Free at Last! Free at Last!
    Apparently, people thought it looked terrible in a place that so many overseas visitors come to. They naturally agree we need the right to peaceful protest but the tents and signs were just ridiculous. If they have to be so tiresome, why can’t they go and be ugly somewhere just as ugly and leave respectable people to ignore everything as they always do. It was just too inconvenient to be allowed. And then there are the property values to consider.
    The sensitivities of the genteel classes have always been wheeled out to defend suppressions of all kinds and their willingness to sacrifice freedom for order is a characteristic of their class and the nastier parts of C20th history. But today’s Marie Antoinettes must be told to get back to their ornamental cows and pastoral idylls and leave real life to the grownups.
    As for tourists, they presumably come just to see such free expressions of dissent. Otherwise, there is nothing in Parliament Square but a shabby patch of clods and trampled turf. For eye of toad and adder to watch, as the poet says.

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