invisibleplanet
29th January 2003, 19:31
Culture Secretary (yes - the Culture Ministers rhyming lacky) Tessa Jowell has BANNED the rally at the end of the STOP THE WAR COALITION DEMO on 15th FEB...
from todays Gruniard:
KEEP OFF THE GRASS: MINISTER BANS HYDE PARK WAR PROTEST.
Organisers of a huge anti-war rally, yesterday vowed that it would go ahead despite a decision by the culture secretary to ban the event from London's Hyde Park.
A spokeswoman fro the Stop the War Coalition said it would vigourously contest the decision, taken with the direct authority of Tessa Jowell, to outlaw the event on health and safety grounds.
The manager of the royal parks, Steve Edwards, wrote to the STWC on Monday to sat that an emergency liaison team gad decided that Hyde Park was not a suitable site for a rally at this time of year because of the condition of the ground and the number of people involved.
But a spokeswoman for the SWTC, which expects that about 500,000 people will attend the February 15th event, said it was a direct attack on the right to freedom of speech.
"This is the most important issue facing people in the word today. We are not going to accept this," the spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport confirmed that the decision to ban the rally from the park had been approved by Ms. Jowell after the royal parks authority checked to make sure she was happy with it.
"The fact is, no rallies of any size are allowed in the royal parks at this time of year," the spokesman said.
"As anybody with a garden knows, the grass is completely waterlogged and if u have 100,000 people milling about it will become a swamp. It is not just about the cost of repair, but also the Health and Safety of the people who are there, especially as the rally is likely to finish after dark."
The London event is one of 32 planned across the world for the same day.
and an e-artikel here... http://www.guardian.co.uk/antiwar/story/0,12809,884774,00.html
well really!
we can see their true colours now. They care about the grass, how much it will cost to repair BUT NOT about the Iraqi people, and how much a war will cost.
I can't beleive they used this an an excuse.
I'm so cross I'm in tears of exasperation.
from todays Gruniard:
KEEP OFF THE GRASS: MINISTER BANS HYDE PARK WAR PROTEST.
Organisers of a huge anti-war rally, yesterday vowed that it would go ahead despite a decision by the culture secretary to ban the event from London's Hyde Park.
A spokeswoman fro the Stop the War Coalition said it would vigourously contest the decision, taken with the direct authority of Tessa Jowell, to outlaw the event on health and safety grounds.
The manager of the royal parks, Steve Edwards, wrote to the STWC on Monday to sat that an emergency liaison team gad decided that Hyde Park was not a suitable site for a rally at this time of year because of the condition of the ground and the number of people involved.
But a spokeswoman for the SWTC, which expects that about 500,000 people will attend the February 15th event, said it was a direct attack on the right to freedom of speech.
"This is the most important issue facing people in the word today. We are not going to accept this," the spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport confirmed that the decision to ban the rally from the park had been approved by Ms. Jowell after the royal parks authority checked to make sure she was happy with it.
"The fact is, no rallies of any size are allowed in the royal parks at this time of year," the spokesman said.
"As anybody with a garden knows, the grass is completely waterlogged and if u have 100,000 people milling about it will become a swamp. It is not just about the cost of repair, but also the Health and Safety of the people who are there, especially as the rally is likely to finish after dark."
The London event is one of 32 planned across the world for the same day.
and an e-artikel here... http://www.guardian.co.uk/antiwar/story/0,12809,884774,00.html
well really!
we can see their true colours now. They care about the grass, how much it will cost to repair BUT NOT about the Iraqi people, and how much a war will cost.
I can't beleive they used this an an excuse.
I'm so cross I'm in tears of exasperation.