Sussex police have threatened to arrest demonstrators planning to March through Brighton on Dec 10th to protest against EDO MBM, a factory manufacturing electrical components for arms in Mouslecoomb.
Why we're Marching...
The march on 10th December starts in Churchill Square, Brighton, at 12 noon. It comes six months after EDO MBM applied for an injunction to limit protests outside their factory see 
http://www.smashedo.org.uk/pressreleases/05-04-12.htm.
Under the terms of a high court interim injunction brought under the Protection from Harassment Act (PHA) 1997 protesters may not step in the road opposite the factory or take photographs of employees see http://www.smashedo.org.uk/pressreleases/05-04-30.htm. The injunction has lead to the criminalisation of many protesters including two who have been remanded in HMP Lewes.
Several protesters are currently defending themselves in the High Court against allegations that their protests have harassed employees, they argue that the injunction jeopardises their right to protest.
The planned march could be the biggest yet in the 18 month old campaign and will come soon after the high court decides whether or not to extend the injunction.
Sussex Police have threatened to arrest protesters unless the route of the march is preorganised. At the last March, in August 2005, several protesters were arrested after the Police imposed conditions on the demonstration under Section 12 of the Public Order Act see www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/08/321143.html.
This police action was part of a wider tactic of coming down heavily on unplanned public demonstrations. A march protesting at the destruction of Titnore Woods worthing was dealt with in the same way and police issued threats to london's critical mass last month.
This is an example of the police pushing the boundaries of their existing powers. New laws state that unplanned demonstrations are illegal in Parliament Square, police are trying to extend this to the rest of the country.
London's critical mass went ahead despite threats because of the huge solidarity response of activists who did not want to see it crushed see http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/10/326614.html. Similarly, Smash EDO are calling for activists who want to protect the right to protest to join the march on December 10th.
This time we will march!
http://www.smashedo.org.uk/pressreleases/05-04-12.htm. Under the terms of a high court interim injunction brought under the Protection from Harassment Act (PHA) 1997 protesters may not step in the road opposite the factory or take photographs of employees see
http://www.smashedo.org.uk/pressreleases/05-04-30.htm. The injunction has lead to the criminalisation of many protesters including two who have been remanded in HMP Lewes. Several protesters are currently defending themselves in the High Court against allegations that their protests have harassed employees, they argue that the injunction jeopardises their right to protest.
The planned march could be the biggest yet in the 18 month old campaign and will come soon after the high court decides whether or not to extend the injunction.
Sussex Police have threatened to arrest protesters unless the route of the march is preorganised. At the last March, in August 2005, several protesters were arrested after the Police imposed conditions on the demonstration under Section 12 of the Public Order Act see www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/08/321143.html.
This police action was part of a wider tactic of coming down heavily on unplanned public demonstrations. A march protesting at the destruction of Titnore Woods worthing was dealt with in the same way and police issued threats to london's critical mass last month.
This is an example of the police pushing the boundaries of their existing powers. New laws state that unplanned demonstrations are illegal in Parliament Square, police are trying to extend this to the rest of the country.
London's critical mass went ahead despite threats because of the huge solidarity response of activists who did not want to see it crushed see
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/10/326614.html. Similarly, Smash EDO are calling for activists who want to protect the right to protest to join the march on December 10th. This time we will march!
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Comments
Hide the following 9 comments
Why not pre arrange the route and notify the police of it?
27.11.2005 12:38
Birghton and Hove football club worker
Why?
27.11.2005 16:11
Judging by the last march, there will be plenty of cops there, why don't they facilitate the march instead of blocking it off, arresting random people and causing a big traffic snarl up?
Since when did 'democracy' mean that your rights are contingent on agreeing routes with the police - thats the road to a police state - where dissent can only happen on the terms of the very sytstem that you are protesting about.
Think it through a little more football worker ........
Freedom of movement, expression and association.....
No need to berate
27.11.2005 16:59
You make a good case for non-compliance. No need to be defensive. :)
Sim1
New KICK OUT EDO page
27.11.2005 18:56
at the
KICK OUT EDO MBM ACTION NETWORK page
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This was a BBC public service announcement
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public service
Homepage:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/G1202
ironically
28.11.2005 06:21
It is NOT (yet at least) illegal to organise a demo outside central london without police permission. The coppers talk the language of equality, balancing rights and responsibilities and then fuck you over and stifle free speech. Whatever they are like as individuals, this is their institutional social function.
On the last demo several people giving out flyers and talking to members of the public where wrestled by police until said members of the public started shouting at the cops (who were therefore failing to separate 'protestors' from'normal people' and backed off).
Look at 2:50 in this video, coppers eye-gouging their way to an orderly society:
Legally, the police an impose a section 12 order on a march or a section 14 on an assembly - regardless of whether you've agreed a route etc in advance. Co-operation is no guarantee they won't do this, although you premptively agree to all the conditions they demand and enforce them with marshalls, they have no need for law as we are effectively repressing and self-censoring ourselves.
Something the EDO campaign has demonstrated is the extent to which freedom is illusiory- we need a civil righs movement to challenge this encroaching police state. See you on the 10th!
smashnik
get a life
28.11.2005 19:30
I was at the last demo to support and will NOT be at this next one. You had no idea how to organise and no idea what you wanted to do. I also don't intend getting arrested just for PUBLICITY!! If the Police escorted a march through Brighton how much more impact would that have. The public could see us as an organised group rather than the rabble that was there last time.
Dancing Queen
"feel the beat from the tambourine"
28.11.2005 20:06
One can only presume he means we should stop protesting against his factory.
He goes on:
"Umm Brighton has a population of about 150,000 and you can muster about 50 people for a national demo!! I wonder why??"
Ho hum - of course the people who got of their fat arses and did something bear full responsibility for the ones who didn't.
"I was at the last demo to support and will NOT be at this next one"
Aah, my mistake - he's not an employee of EDO MBM - he's a copper :( And either he has leave on the 10th, or he's been suspended for beating people up.
" You had no idea how to organise and no idea what you wanted to do."
Well, clearly somebody managed to organise something - the story was big in the Argus, in excess of 50 protestors were there, over a hundred cops and hey - the Met's Forward Intelligence Team managed to be there as well. I'm pretty sure people did have have an idea what they wanted to do - only the dancing queen's mates wouldn't let them. In fact they stopped quite a few busses for quite a time as well, and I'm shit sure the drivers knew where they wanted to go ;-)
" I also don't intend getting arrested just for PUBLICITY!!"
Is that why the cops arrest people? In the good old days it used to be because they thought the person had broken the law :( So hard knowing the new rules in our police state, isn't it?
" If the Police escorted a march through Brighton how much more impact would that have."
Now, I'm gonna be honest - I don't know the answer to that. Can anyone help me out?
"The public could see us as an organised group rather than the rabble that was there last time."
Sorry queenie but the "rabble" remark and "get a life" title mark show you up as the fascist you really are. Do me a favour please, Use your mouse to move the cursor to the x in a box in the top right hand corner of the screen. Now left click it.
Thanks.
Oh yeah - having the time of your life
nows the time for solidarity
30.11.2005 18:52
What is happening with Smash EDO is a clear example of this, and anyone who believes in democratic rights will support the march on the 10th December. It is not a matter of coming down and getting arrested. It is a matter of standing up against state repression that is being carried out under this anti democratic Labour Govenment!
EDOPhobic UK
we need to do more
02.12.2005 03:25
see u on the 10th
love and solidarity
anon