Demo mode
Thomas organises Westminster protest
Mark Thomas has organised a protest against the no-demo zone imposed around Parliament
About 100 people, all staging individual protests, gathered in the half-mile exclusion zone Westminster yesterday.
They demonstrated about everything from war to scientists decreeing that Pluto was no longer considered a planet to ‘Goth Pride’.
They had each individually applied for permission, as required, hoping to create extra work for police and highlight the ‘ridiculous’ new law.
The legislation was widely seen as a ruse to evict longstanding anti-war protester Brian Haw from Parliament Square – although the government insists it is necessary for ‘security’.
Thomas said: ‘The point is simply that if one person with a banner can be deemed to be a protester by the police and they need to get a licence six days in advance to enter the designated zone, then we have reached a state of absurdity.’
Published: 1 Sep 2006
