Defend The Right To Protest » featured » Report on protest outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court
Report on protest outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court
How do you defend the Right to Protest? By protesting. There was a strong turnout on Monday 9th May outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court where speakers, placards and accompanying press greeted the start of court hearings for 138 UK Uncut occupiers of Fortnum and Mason’s - a ‘supermarket for the rich’ in the words of one speaker. Hearings were also scheduled for protesters arrested on March 26 and at the student demonstrations.
Ewa, a supporter of UK Uncut and the Fortnum 145 defendants’ campaign, demanded not only that we support past protests but that the campaign to target tax evasion should gather strength, continuing the fight against damaging cuts. UCU President Alan Whittaker honoured the bravery and vision of the student protestors who had faced the danger of police brutality to defend access to higher education. Solicitor Sarah McSherry (acting for injured demonstrator Alfie Meadows and others) showed how police action infringed rights to privacy and failed to protect and enable protest – a crucial right. Adam Frew from the Defend Bryan Simpson campaign spoke about the case of Bryan, a Strathclyde Universtiy student who faces charges of violet disorder for his involvement in the 50,000 strong education demonstration on 10th November which saw thousands occupy the Tory Party HQ at Millbank in protest at fees and the theft of EMA.
A speaker from Queer Protest offered disturbing testimony of police action against transgender protesters on the day of the royal wedding, describing unprovoked aggression which drove protesters from Soho Square, an area traditionally welcoming to diversity and friendly to gays. With allegations of sexual assaults on protesters by police, the extent of the threat to protest and to liberty is becoming ever more flagrant.
As the protesters gathered outside, the chaotic nature of the charges was confirmed in court where district judge Daphne Wickham ‘agreed with the Crown Prosecution Service that the cases should be adjourned for a “big screening out process”’. The campaign and demonstration were also covered in the Independent the day of the protest and the day after.
How do you defend the Right to Protest? By protesting. There was a strong turnout on Monday 9th May outside Westminster Magistrate’s Court where speakers, placards and accompanying press greeted the start of court hearings for 138 UKuncut occupiers of Fortnum and Mason’s - a ‘supermarket for the rich’ in the words of one speaker. Hearings were also scheduled for protesters arrested on March 26 and at the student demonstrations.
Ewa From UKUncut,demanded not only that we support past protests but that the campaign to target tax evasion should gather strength, continuing the fight against damaging cuts. UCU President Alan Whittaker honoured the bravery and vision of the student protestors who had faced the danger of police brutality to defend access to higher education. Solicitor Sarah McSherry (acting for injured demonstrator Alfie Meadows and others) showed how police action infringed rights to privacy and failed to protect and enable protest – a crucial right. Adam Frew from the Defend Bryan Simpson campaign spoke about the case of Bryan, a Strathclyde Universtiy student who faces charges of violet disorder for his involvement in the 50,000 strong education demonstration on 10th November which saw thousands occupy the Tory Party HQ at Millbank in protest at fees and the theft of EMA.
A speaker from Queer Protest offered disturbing testimony of police action against transgender protesters on the day of the royal wedding, describing unprovoked aggression which drove protesters from Soho Square, an area traditionally welcoming to diversity and friendly to gays. With allegations of sexual assaults on protesters by police, the extent of the threat to protest and to liberty is becoming ever more flagrant.
As the protesters gathered outside, the chaotic nature of the charges was confirmed in court where district judge Daphne Wickham ‘agreed with the Crown Prosecution Service that the cases should be adjourned for a “big screening out process” .’ http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23948063-fortnum-and-masons-protesters-to-appear-in-court.do. The campaign and demonstration were also covered in the Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/right-to-protest-being-undermined-by-police-2281144.html,
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Of course to create a right to protest regarding what happened last year is certainly the sine qua non of a sign indicating that everything has not gone.
It is essential to go on this campaign in order to erect a barrier of resistance against potential judiciary abuses and injustice and in solidarity with those who paid for perhaps a disorganized or simply unexperienced way of “dealing with the police”.
I read one of you saying that they have to face the violence of the police well take my advice for granted the day a pacifist protestation is well organized is the day when one is preventing it, or escaping it, or if more terribly trapped then it is hwen occupation etc has to be dealt with serious if not professionalism, but far from being squat and extended holiday should be the object of an intellectual compaign as well as having constituting its own security, in these circumstances to record what happen, the day one can prove that the police attack without self defense, a real counter power could, if spreading the news nicely and seriously to the population, be a counter authority!
Camera are weapons not facing nothing else as it is still the rule of law, ok?
Yes, not in order to arouse them, because in real life it is still thanks to the police that we don’t go murdered, they are trained to react to potential danger, they are trained in order not to be touched. If you touch a uniform you are sentenced for twice the time because they are the representant of basic physical security in principle owe to the human.
Rule of law, it was no civil war this and nor threat of it, we cannot allow (a ford) this way.
The thing with the right to protest is that it will exercise itself when protesting, and what I think it be good to see in the perspectives of going on with the fight, would be to campaign and protest and demonstrate for the fees, and the larger problems that the privatization of the universities will lay.
Thus the movement could progress as the right of protest is still exiting, existing? and still exerting an influence when one has to protest for a cause and then to defend the beast ask for people to be committed (commuted communed), and not just random momentum that are terminated now that these bastards took it inside the party- the parliament namely. We should aim at abrogation- but not those of the people sovereignty.
I just make this comment because right to protest alone would fade away has to be protected, but in a way of practicing it, the university my dear, we have the right to demonstrate but finally being nicked, this ain’t democracy, and protestation would be that then, to say we did it, good, they nick it, bog, let’s go and have the goon up?
The fight is in the street and the day one occupies precincts is not for the living it is to challenge the paria parliament, because at the end of the day…and who said that we did not want to touch the uni, the lib-dem, if I am right.
But to organize the work is the grand thematic, don’t they?
on right to protest, double stone wihtout killing the birds.