-- Tony Blair
| Home FAQ Reports Photos Resources Links Archive Contact |
| Join the Forum |
The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCPA for short).
What about it?
SOCPA, among other things, effectively limits the right to free speech and free protest within one kilometre of the Houses of Parliament.
How does it do that?
SOCPA requires that all demonstrations within the "designated area" are notified to the police six days in advance. The police must give permission for the protest to go ahead, but they can impose conditions relating to:
But it's not like they're actually allowed to ban demonstrations, is it?
Technically the demonstration must be allowed to go ahead. But if the conditions imposed are too strict, then you might as well not be having a demonstration at all -- a silent protest in a backstreet with no placards and only three participants is useless.
Don't be silly! I'm sure they only need the legislation to deal with dangerous anarchists, like the ones who put the turf on Churchill's head.
Er, actually, no. Seventeen people have so far been arrested under the legislation, six of whom were doing nothing more offensive than having a picnic on Parliament Square. Sixteen have been charged with participating in unauthorised demonstrations. The first court case will be on January the 9th at Bow Street Magistrate Court.
Critical Mass and the Stop the War Coalition have both been affected by the legislation. Participants of the Critical Mass bike ride which has been happening monthly since 1994 were given leaflets by the police warning them that they were participating in an illegal demonstration. Similarly protestors at the Stop the War Coalition's September 24th march were also handed leaflets by the police if they stood for too long in Parliament Square -- somewhat perplexing since many people thought the march was in fact assembling there.
So why did the law come about? There must be a good reason for it.
The government's main aim with this legislation was probably to get rid of Brian Haw, who has been carrying on a one-man demonstration on Parliament Square for the last 4 years. This is why it is not only illegal to participate in an unauthorised demonstration, but it is also illegal to carry on an unauthorised demonstration on your own. Fortunately the legislation could not be backdated, and since Brian had been demonstrating since before the law came into force on August the 1st, he could not be prosecuted under it. Brian therefore effectively has special dispensation to demonstrate on Parliament Square.
