Video coverage credit: FULouGraphy
On Tuesday, four activists appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrate’s Court in connection with a Palestine Action protest at the London HQ of Israeli weapons company Elbit which we reported on in October.
All are accused of conspiring to commit criminal damage, and it was confirmed at a hearing in Highbury on Tuesday that the trial will be heard in a Crown Court.
Around half a dozen supporters held a quiet and socially distanced protest outside the court.
Two police officers were in attendance at first, but more arrived and soon the handful of protesters were outnumbered, with eventually 12 officers ensuring that the protest was dispersed using CoVid legislation.
Since March 8th, people are allowed outside for “recreation” as well as exercise. One officer pointed out that people were there to protest, not for recreation, pretty much confirming the law is being applied purely to shut down protest. Another officer claimed one can only go to green outdoor spaces, and said “you can Google the rules, you probably know more than I do”.
So far, the authorities have got away with serious infringements of human rights and a total clampdown on protest under the pretence of concern for public health, but perhaps the tables are turning. Karen Reissman is intending to use money raised to legally challenge her recent £10,000 fine for organising the socially-distanced protest over nurses’ pay, and women planning a vigil in Clapham Common over the death of Sarah Everard are also going to court over the police threat to disperse their proposed gathering (which will be risk-assessed and socially-distanced).
The European Convention on Human Rights is written into UK law as our own Human Rights Act. It enshrines in UK law the right under Article 11 to hold meetings and to assemble in groups. Article 15 says that in times of emergency rights can be restricted only to the extent absolutely required. Arguably the pandemic may require some sensible and practical adjustments to the rights to protest, but police under guidance from this government have administered an absolute and draconian ban on protest, and in some circumstances their actions have actually increased the likelihood of CoVid spread rather than diminish it.
There is, perhaps surprisingly, no human right to education, but the government has reopened schools and pupils are required by law to attend. Yet at the same time police still maintain an absolute clampdown on protest – in this case six socially-distanced people in the open air. It’s a nonsense, must be challenged, and is highly dangerous for democracy and society.
