Blanket Ban on All Protests In Five London Boroughs for 30 Days: A Catastrophic Repression Of Free-Speech and Freedom to Protest

Defend the Right to Protest Statement on the Proposed Ban on Marches

UPDATE 1: The proposed ban was approved by Home Secretary Theresa May on Friday evening (details here).

UPDATE 2 (27/08/11): PCS and Unison have agreed to back the counter-demonstration against the EDL, despite the ban.

On the August 25th, the Metropolitan Police put in an application to the Home office to ban marches in five London boroughs for a period of thirty days, effective from midnight on September 2nd. While this application appears to have arisen as a reaction to the planned EDL march through Tower Hamlets on September 3rd, it will also ban the counter-march planned to oppose the EDL.

The proposed blanket ban will also affect any march planned during the thirty days (with the exception of funeral processions and annual local marches) not only in Tower Hamlets, but also Newham, Hackney, Islington, Waltham Forest and possibly the City as well. This potentially includes East London LGBT Pride (24th September), marches to defend libraries and other public services, protests against the DSEi Arms Fair (13th September) and many other protests. This type of ban is extremely worrying for civil liberties and appears to directly contravene Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights which protect the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association.

Read Full Article: Defend the Right to Protest Statement on the Proposed Ban on Marches

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The British government has applied a blanket ban on all kind of marches and protest gatherings in London amid fears of violence and disorder.

Sat Aug 27, 2011 7:36PM GMT

The government’s blanket ban is part of an on-going attempt to undermine the right to protest in the UK.

The coalition is designating harsh measures to silence all anti-government protests in the country.

The ban will also affect London’s most important protest against the arms trade called “Disarm DSEi,” which has been organized by anti-war activists to urge the government to shut down the world’s largest arms fair on September 13.

London is to host the world’s biggest arms fair, Defense & Security Equipment International (DSEi), on 13-16 September at the ExCeL centre in East London’s Docklands.

The fair holds every two years in London, this year more than 1200 arms companies will exhibit their deadly products to 25,000 buyers from across the world, including repressive and human rights abusing regimes.

“Europe Against Austerity” protest on October 1 would also be involved in the Home Office’s blanket ban plan.

Leading British trade unions, social movements and progressive organisations have decided to stage a protest at European Conference against Austerity and Privatisation.

Read Full Article:  Blanket Ban on All Protests In Five London Boroughs for 30 Days: A Catastrophic Repression Of Free Speech and Freedom to Protest Injustice

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May blanket ban a bizarre overreaction

by Martin Bright

Saturday, 27th August 2011

Just as it looked as if Theresa May was about to do the right thing over the EDL march on Tower Hamlets, the Home Secretary decided to issue a blanket ban on all marches across five London boroughs for 30 days.

The whole point for those of us advocating a ban in the EDL was that there was a specific threat of violence associated with this extremist view. This new draconian measure suggests the police and government are suspicious of all protest. At what point do these boroughs become “march-safe” again?

Read Full Article: May blanket ban a bizarre overreaction