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Brian Haw – now in his 7th year!

Paul O'Hanlon | 13.07.2007 12:39 | SOCPA | Anti-militarism | Anti-racism | Iraq | London | World

Parliament Square peace campaigner Brian Haw is now in the seventh year of his protest. He started on June 2nd 2001 and despite numerous attempts to evict him including specially enacted legislation – SOCPA – he is still here. A selection of photos is attached






















Brian Haw – now in his 7th year!

Parliament Square peace campaigner Brian Haw is now in the seventh year of his protest. He started on June 2nd 2001 and despite numerous attempts to evict him including specially enacted legislation – SOCPA – he is still here. A selection of photos is attached – including some of Brian in 2005 before most of his display was removed by the Met. The number of tents in the Square was 9 at the time of his 6th anniversary party on June 2nd but it had risen to 11 on July 8th and Brian has his megaphone back – so he can continue to remind those in the `Mother of all Parliaments` of the lies that were used to justify the war.

There is also a photo of Brian’s display in the Tate gallery and one of Tony Blair’s somewhat more upmarket residence in London’s fashionable Connaught Square.


Brian’s website:  http://www.parliament-square.org.uk/



SOCPA

The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCPA) (2005 c.15) is an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament aimed primarily at creating the Serious Organised Crime Agency. It was introduced into the House of Commons on 24 November 2004 and was passed by Parliament and given Royal Assent in April 2005. Measures to introduce a specific offence of "incitement to religious hatred" were included in early drafts of the Act, but then dropped in order to get the bill passed before the UK general election, 2005. (The offence has since been created as the Racial and Religious Hatred Act.)

Protests near Parliament

The Act is controversial primarily for an additional, entirely unrelated provision, which restricts the right to demonstrate within an exclusion zone of up to one kilometre from any point in Parliament Square. Demonstrators have to apply to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police six days in advance, or if this is not reasonably practicable then no less than 24 hours in advance. No equivalent provision is made for any other Parliament in the United Kingdom. The area itself is defined by a Statutory Instrument rather than the Act. It specifically excludes Trafalgar Square, a traditional site of protest on the northern boundary of the area. Apart from Parliament it also includes Whitehall, Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, the Middlesex Guildhall, New Scotland Yard, and the Home Office. It also covers a sliver of land on the other bank of the River Thames, including County Hall, the Jubilee Gardens, St Thomas' Hospital and the London Eye.

These provisions of the Act are widely believed to have been introduced as a result of Brian Haw, a peace campaigner, who has since 1 June 2001 protested against Britain and the USA's policy towards Iraq. He uses placards and a loudspeaker to get his message across, which some British MPs find disruptive. Patrick Cormack MP said in a Parliamentary debate on 7 February 2005 that the lives of "members of staff in Portcullis House and 1 Parliament Street, as well as the police who are on duty at Members entrance day after day … are made intolerable by those people baying away, without a crowd to address, merely repeating themselves ad nauseam."

However, others, such as Jeremy Corbyn MP disagreed, saying "The Minister should think carefully about removing rights that are enshrined in our history," and Glenda Jackson MP agreed with him. "I regard it as the voice of democracy", she said. Lembit Öpik MP drew attention to the comments of the Prime Minister Tony Blair, who, on 7 April 2002, said: "When I pass protestors every day at Downing Street... I may not like what they call me, but I thank God they can. That's called freedom."

The legislation initially appeared ineffective against Mr Haw. The High Court of Justice ruled that as Haw's protest had begun in June 2001 he wasn't required to get authorisation. The three-strong judicial panel accepted arguments by Mr Haw's lawyers that the law only applied to new demonstrations taking place after it came into force, not those which had been in progress for some time. However, on 8 May 2006, this decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal. On August 1, the day that the Act came into force, the Stop the War Coalition and others organised a protest against the prohibition. They pointedly did not ask for permission. The action attracted some 200 people according to reports — among them Lauren Booth, Tony Blair's sister-in-law — and saw five people arrested.

The first conviction under the Act was in December 2005, when Maya Evans was convicted for reading the names of British soldiers and Iraqi civilians killed in the Iraq War, under the Cenotaph in October, without police permission.


In January 2007 Tate Britain opened State Britain, an installation by artist Mark Wallinger that recreated the display confiscated by the police from Brian Haw's protest. The Tate press release on the exhibition mentioned that the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 prohibited "unauthorised demonstrations within a one kilometre radius of Parliament Square" and that this radius passed through the Duveen Hall, literally bisecting Wallinger's exhibit. Wallinger marked this on the floor with a black line running through the Tate. Press reports dwelt on the potential dangers of this infringement, speculating that the police might even remove the half of the exhibit on the "wrong side of the line". Charles Thomson of the Stuckists art group wrote to The Guardian, pointing out that the exclusion zone ended at Thorney Street, 300 yards before the Tate.


Gordon Brown has said he plans to repeal this section of the SOCP, meaning that protesters will be able to protest freely in the kilometre-radius of parliament without prior permission being granted. Groups such as People in Common and Brian Haw's supporters who have been at the forefront of protesting against SOCPA 132 await his decision.

Paul O'Hanlon
- e-mail: o_hanlon@hotmail.com

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

Unbelievable but true.

13.07.2007 17:53

Yes folks, BBC local news has just reported that the MET lied about the cost of removing Brians displaty last year. Total cost of the removal? £111,000.00 !

Well that was money well spent.....

Guido


That's an incredible sum to suppress the truth.

13.07.2007 18:37

I hadn't heard that - I live in Edinburgh and only get down to London once or twice a year.

£111,000 to remove a display, which basically told the truth. It makes my blood boil to see liars like Alastair Campbell and Tony Blair getting vast payments for their memoirs while someone like Brian who tells the truth should be so shabbily treated and so little reported. Blair has a £3.6 million home in Connaught Square and will spend the rest of his life in luxury, while Brian Haw sleeps in a draughty tent under the stars.

Even worse, the long suffering people of Iraq face yet another boiling hot summer with little or no electricity for air conditioning and less than a third of them have access to safe drinking water. They are rapidly becoming the world’s biggest refugee group:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/03/364086.html


No justice No peace.

Here are photos from Brian's 6th anniversary party on June 2nd:
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/06/372375.html


Best from Scotland, Paul.

Paul O'Hanlon
mail e-mail: o_hanlon@hotmail.com


Continued Harrassment

13.07.2007 19:10

Perhaps the cost quoted includes the continued campaign to harass Brian and the others in Parliament Square. I went to talk to them today - as I always do when I'm around the area - and they almost always have a story of harassment to tell.

Apparently late on Thursday evening they were attacked by an individual who they restrained, carrying out a citizens arrest and then phoning the police. When the police arrived it transpired that the person who they had arrested was a plain-clothes policeman. One of the people from the camp was arrested and taken away, I'm not clear on what pretext.

Although the feature suggests that Brown is thinking about the repeal of the SOCPA clauses about demonstrations in the area, it also seems to be the case that the police are being leant on by the new administration to turn up the heat on Brian and the others in Parliament Square. Since the law hasn't done the job, they appear to be increasingly turning to other tactics, encouraging people to harass the demonstrators and not providing the protection they are entitled to expect from the police. This kind of incident has been happening for some time of course, not just with Brown in charge, but it seems to be getting worse.

I'm very sceptical about the leaks on Brown and SOCPA, and I suspect if we see these things go there will be other powers given to the police - just ones that are not limited to a particular zone.

Its a pity you live so far away Paul. I'm sure there were pictures from the anniversary party early in June posted here - certainly there are a few on My London Diary.

Regards,

Peter

Peter Marshall
mail e-mail: petermarshall@cix.co.uk
- Homepage: http://mylondondiary.co.uk


west end cinema hosts the story of brian's struggle

13.07.2007 20:15

'SOCPA - the movie' will be screened at the price charles cinema this sunday 15th july at 1pm

full details and a trailer at  http://www.socpa-movie.blogspot.com

rikki
mail e-mail: rikkiindymedia@gmail.com
- Homepage: http://www.socpa-movie.blogspot.com


More photos of Brian's protest through the years.

13.07.2007 20:39

Dear Peter
I’ve just studied your website – very impressive. I came to computers rather late in life and don’t have a website of my own, so I put all my photos and reports on Indymedia. I’ve put my photo reports of Brian’s demonstration on quite a few websites including a number in the USA and Australia and even attempted to put one on Indymedia Madrid though my Spanish isn’t too good.

I see SOCPA the movie is on in London this weekend – I’d love to come down to see it but will have to wait for its showing in Edinburgh. I saw `Taking Liberties` here – it was very good. In fact I heard about it when I was in London for Brian’s 6th anniversary party. I actually thought it was a spoof poster – rather like `Start Wars`.

I recognise Carolyn and Charity from your photos. Carolyn tried to arrest Blair in March and I put her story on Indymedia:
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/06/373363.html

I enjoyed Brian’s 6th anniversary party but was I tired that afternoon – I came down on the overnight sleeper from Edinburgh - 7 and a half hours in the seated coach. I had to find my way to a hotel in Crystal Palace (8 miles out and not on the underground) and then back to central London. I could hardly keep my eyes open that afternoon. Still, I got plenty of photos and put them on Indymedia London, World and Portland, Oregon (Puddletown or the Beirut of the West).


Here is a small report from 2004:
 https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/12/302319.html

Here is a report from 2005:
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/06/312641.html

Here is one from 2006:
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/06/342612.html

Here is one from his 6th anniversary in 2007:
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/world/2007/06/372375.html


Although the old bill removed most of his display in May 2006, I have noticed that it seems to be gradually getting bigger again. Brian has his megaphone back and there are now 11 tents in the square, which weren’t there last year. There were 9 in June and last time I was there (last weekend) there were 11. You can’t keep him down!

All my photos are copyleft meaning anyone can use them. Danny Schechter of Globalvision sometimes uses my reports in his `news dissections` -
 http://newsdissector.org/blog/


To you and Rikki and all activists who help Brian I send you all the best,
Greetings from Scotland, Paul.

Paul O'Hanlon
mail e-mail: o_hanlon@hotmail.com


Quite Sad

14.07.2007 12:48

I am quite sad now. I was in london last weekend, and on the monday headed to parliment square to see Brian Haw, one of the greatest men alive. However he was away for the day.
I spoke to Gary and had a good conversation with him.
I then looked on indymedia and saw that had I gone on the sunday it would have not only been able to see him, but be there to celebrate his time in the square.
Is there no diary of upcoming events? As soon as i arrived in london from scotland i checked indymedia but couldn't see anything written about sunday.
Ah well hopefully next time i am in london i will be able to meet him.

Boozytortoise


Lone gunman or just or a patsy?

14.07.2007 16:15

Is that seven successful years or seven years of failure?Isn't it about time for a change of tactics, isn't better to get a leg-up than just keep banging your head against the wall? Channel Four viewers voted Haw "most inspiring political figure" but did he actually inspire any of them to get off the couch or is it the case that pacifism is an excuse for passivity?

"We do not hold still day after day, year after year and then die. We do not."
- Carol Maso

together we are stronger


Shame you missed Brian - look at his website.

14.07.2007 16:19


Dear Boozy Tortoise
It’s a shame you missed Brian – he is usually there except when he goes for a wash or for something to eat or possibly to attend a court hearing. If you look at his website:
 http://www.parliament-square.org.uk/index.htm
you will see a diary of events.

Were you at Marxism 2007 by any chance? There is a Stop the War annual meeting in October if you fancy coming down to London then.

In the meantime let’s hope God doesn’t tell Bush to attack Iran. It was God who told Bush to attack Iraq. Apparently Blair was also on a hot line to God when he was PM. (See attached cutting.)

Watch out for the film `SOCPA the movie` which should be coming to Scotland in the next few weeks:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/06/373633.html

Best from Auld Reekie, Paul.

Paul O'Hanlon
mail e-mail: o_hanlon@hotmail.com


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