when gordon brown seized power, press releases stated that during his first 100 days in power, among other things, he would 'review' the legislation (SOCPA - the serious organised crime and police act 2005) controlling protest near parliament.

many news organisations, including the bbc, reported innaccurately that the controls on protest had in fact been lifted!

last week in bournemouth, maya evans was arrested while trying to peacefully protest outside the labour conference on the issue of iraq and afghanistan . as there is an arrest warrant for her non-payment of fines arising from a conviction for 'unauthorised' protest near parliament, she now faces imprisonment as a direct result of her always peaceful campaigning. fellow campaigner, milan rai, has already been in prison for similar reasons.

in the last few days, gordon brown has called for restraint by the burmese authorities and has asked them to allow peaceful protest in their country. meanwhile, burmese protestors outside parliament here have been threatened with arrest and dispersal by charing cross metropolitan police working for mr brown.

in today's media, it has been widely reported that the 'stop the war coalition' is facing problems over a planned march when parliament returns next monday 8th october. apparently, despite several meetings with police, they have suddenly been told that new orders from government will ban all demonstrations within a mile of parliament while the commons is in session!

SOCPA requires six days notice of a protest in the designated zone around westminster, and then the police 'MUST authorise', but can impose conditions. there seems to be no legal basis on which a total ban can be imposed, and it would surely be a fundamental breach of human rights.

parliament square itself currently has a two metre high metal fence around all the grass and flowerbeds. inquiries to the greater london authority have been met with silence about the reasons for this continued obstruction to a public space, and brian haw and his handful of supporters, who are now squeezed into a tiny encampment opposite westminster, have assured me that they have seen no work on the lawns, which was the initial excuse given by the mayor's office.

in addition, earlier this year new 'anti-terrorist' gates and bollards were built across busy abingdon street, closing it to traffic, (it leads south from parliament square along the front of parliament towards millbank and lambeth bridge).

clearly, far from heralding a new era of open government, gordon brown is intent on controlling all access to parliament, and all peaceful opposition in the streets around government. today's announcement by the 'stop the war coalition' is a further ratcheting up of that policy, and timed with the burmese crisis, shows his complete contempt for democracy and human rights.


the stwc march is planned to start at 1pm trafalgar square on monday 8th october for a march to "near parliament". it is calling for troops out of iraq, although many commentators are wondering why there is no call for our withdrawal from afghanistan too, especially at a time when the signs are that gordon brown would like to get out of iraq and has probably struck a deal with the u.s. to provide more troops in afghanistan as compensation.

a picnic is plaaned tomorrow at 1.00pm in victoria tower gardens (along abingdon street and millbank by the river) by the protest campaign group 'peopleincommon'. peopleincommon held weekly sunday picnics on parliament square in defiance of the SOCPA act when it was first introduced, and now meet on an occasional basis to plan resistance to anti-protest laws. all are very welcome - bring food and drink to share and a blank banner if possible.
www.peopleincommon.org

brian haw's peace campaign, now in its seventh year, continues to defy repression in parliament square, but is in need of any sort of support that can be offered.
www.parliament-square.org.uk