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Human Rights

Yes, I have always wondered what an impossible wasp would be. Although the situation has now moved on, things did not improve to begin with. The hon. Member for Hendon said that I was involved in trying to bring the protesters and the police together for a meeting the day before the Bishopsgate climate camp. The climate camp was entirely peaceful, and the disorder broke out at a different demonstration, near the Bank of England. The demonstration at Bishopsgate remained entirely peaceful for a long time, and there was no serious police intervention until 7 o'clock, when the police suddenly surrounded the demonstration and pushed the demonstrators back. Eventually, after about 11 o'clock, the police threw themselves into an operation that basically involved violently breaking up the demonstration, even though people had shown no violent intent all day. In fact, for most of the day, the demonstration had looked like a festival, with songs, dancing, seminars and food stalls. What most disturbed me was my phone conversation with a senior Metropolitan police commander at 11 o'clock. I asked, "What are you doing? Why are you following this tactic?" and he replied that section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 had been invoked, on the grounds not that there was violent disorder or serious damage to property, but solely because there had been serious disruption to the life of the community. The question then is what that disruption was. Why did the disruption suddenly start in the evening? What is more, we are talking about the City of London, where, as everyone knows, nothing much happens after business closes. As the hon. Member for Hendon said, the police attitude seemed to be that any demonstration on the street was technically illegal and technically disruptive because it was technically obstructing the highway. That, apparently, justified any action, no matter how disproportionate, to break up the demonstration. It was entirely over the top; it was not just unnecessary, but dangerous. The lives and limbs of the demonstrators, and indeed some police officers, were put at risk simply to clear the streets, as if that was a justification. However, we have moved on.