Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Children 4 Peace - authorise or not?

Charity Sweet | 03.11.2007 23:59 | SOCPA | Repression | Terror War | London | World

Apparently, the police want to interrogate my Maranda as to her understanding of SOCPA - WTF???

03 November 2007

SOCPA Authorisation
Chief Inspector Ian Wheeler
CX - Charing Cross Police Station
Agar Street
London
WC2N 4DH


Chief Inspector Ian Wheeler:

Thank you for your letter dated October 30th and post marked October 31. I note my daughter Miss Maranda Cameron’s notification form was completed and hand delivered on October 18th, 2007 at the same time, on the same day, to Charing Cross Station, as myself and my friend, Carolyn Emmerson. I am informed that Carolyn received her letter of authorisation some time last week and I recieved mine in today’s post, dated October 24th, 2007 and post marked November 2nd, 2007.

I assume you or Detective Superintendent Peter Newman will also be writing a letter to my daughter, at either of your earliest convenience, as she is most excited to be receiving mail through the post and has been expecting a letter such as the one I received from yourself today. Her SOCPA experience will prove to be a most interesting lesson in civics and the role of an up-and-coming citizen of England, participating in a democracy, as she experiences it – from the perspective of an eight year old child.
Maranda has handed in a completed form as per the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act legislation states the required information to be given and the Metropolitan Police Force suggests; we are both waiting for an answer.

I understand from Metropolitan Police Form 3175A and SOCPA that the Commissioner may impose conditions on her rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. As I have received this letter from yourself, I am compelled to issue a response on behalf of my daughter, as her mother and the person who truly has her best welfare at heart.

I understand the SOCPA legislation states that conditions may be imposed if the Commissioner perceives or believes or assumes that the following must be prevented:

a) Hindrance to any person wishing to enter or leave the Palace of Westminster. Sir, I can assure you as can the Head of the Metropolitan Parliamentary Police Force, that I have never, in the past two years of being watching from various angles, from various CCTV cameras and dealt with by numerous police officers, ever obstructed the Queen’s Highway nor moved with the public, out of the way of any incoming or outgoing vehicles of Parliament nor as a responsible parent would I place my daughter in such a ridiculous situation. It would be foolish to play hopscotch in the middle of any road or entranceway where one is expected to be moved on. I also have absolutely no desire to be mowed down by any manner of vehicle as I am a mother of three beautiful children and neither would I knowingly place my child in the way of an oncoming vehicle.

b) Hindrance to the proper operation of Parliament. I cannot see how children playing nicely could halt the proper operation of Parliament. Parliament could learn a thing or two from the children, I would dare to say.

c) Serious Public Disorder. Are children playing nicely or learning creating serious public disorder?

d) Serious damage to property. I can assure you that children playing nicely will do nothing but inspire the smiles on the face of London and will cause no destruction of property.

e) Disruption to life on the community. I believe that art only adds to the life of the community which is why children are generally encouraged to play with each other nicely – a lesson Maranda believes the adults could do with learning.

f) A security risk in any part of the designated area. Are children ever a security risk in any shape or form? Is being a child now a potential crime?

g) Risk to safety to members of the public. Once again? Is it risky for the public to be exposed to children in the community, in public? Is it not pleasant to stroll through an area where children are busy painting, or drawing or skipping and playing?
I have read the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act and do not accept that the Act allows for ageism - discrimination based upon age.

My daughter’s form was filled out with the help of Mr. Chris Coverdale and she gave great thought to the answers she gave. Her questions were answered in the same fashion as myself and Carolyn Emmerson. I see no reason why myself and my child should have to attend a meeting so as she may be interrogated by yourself so as you may “ascertain your (and Maranda’s) intentions and understanding of this application”.

I kindly decline your offer of a meeting and would appreciate yourself or another officer from the ‘events’ division of Charing Cross Police Station to post a letter of authorisation to my daughter, at your earliest convenience, with or without conditions as the Commissioner may see fit to impose on a child and/or children.

I look forward to hearing your response at your earliest convenience.



Regards,



Mrs. Charity Sweet

Charity Sweet
- e-mail: charity.sweet@yahoo.com

Comments

Display the following comment

  1. nicely put — genny
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech