Budget 2009: Police shut down morning protest

I advertised this protest yesterday but police have decided to shut it down . Bloody appalling!!

See below press release

 POLICE SHUT DOWN 11.30AM PROTEST… DEMONSTRATE OUTSIDE TREASURY 5PM-7PM!

The police have refused to authorise our planned demonstration on Whitehall at 11.30am and have made clear that, if it takes place, the organiser will be liable to arrest and imprisonment for up to a year.

 

To avoid any police action against protesters turning up, we have been forced to cancel this demonstration.

 

Our protest from 5pm-7pm outside the Treasury (1 Horse Guards Road , London SW1A 2HQ – click link for map) will still take place. Please spread the word and attend the protest to demand a People’s Bailout – and defy police moves against demonstrations.

 

We will also be going ahead with our 7.30pm Question Time event with John McDonnell MP, economist Graham Turner and others in Committee Room 10, House of Commons.

 

Make sure you come along and exercise your right to protest.

Best wishes,

Owen Jones

Campaign Convenor

And from John McDonnell

PRESS NOTICE… PRESS NOTICE…

For immediate release

POLICE SHUT DOWN PEACEFUL BUDGET DAY…

The Metropolitan Police have effectively shut down a peaceful protest planned for Budget Day.

The demonstration was organised by the Labour Representation Committee and was expected to be attended by a number of MPs.

The demonstration planned a simple peaceful lining of the route from Downing Street to Parliament by pensioners, students and trade unionists holding up placards asking ‘Where Is Our Bailout?’

Police have refused authorisation and threatened the organiser with arrest and imprisonment for up to a year if it takes place.

John McDonnell MP, Chair of the Labour Representation Committee, said: “This is another example of the police overstepping the mark and abusing their powers. It was never the intent of the legislation relating to demonstrations in vicinity of Parliament that the police would be allow to ban peaceful demonstrations in this way.

“This represents yet another curtailment of one of our essential centuries’ old civil liberties which is the protest within the vicinity of Parliament. People should have the right to take to the streets when their jobs, livelihoods, pensions, homes and public services are at risk.

“For us to be told that such protest is unauthorised is a complete disgrace.”

 

Visteon: the struggle goes on…

 

Thanks to Charlie Maxwell who has been commenting on this blog regarding updates from the Belfast Visteon factory occupation. Just like to say solidarity to you comrade and to all the workers involved good luck with the fight!

The Visteon workers in Enfield are still in struggle despite no longer being in occupation of their plant. The Visteon workers in Belfast burnt the court orders evicting them from their plant! All the Visteon workers need and desverve the support of every socialist and every trade unionist.

 

The Enfield plant is being picketed 24 hours each day. Individuals and groups are more than welcome at the picket at any time of the day or night.

Especially welcome are food items and logs to burn on the fire. Regular rallies each Saturday at the Enfield plant are planned as is the leafleting of Ford showrooms. On Wednesday 22 April at 7.30pm there will be the weekly support group meeting at Gate 5 of the Enfild plant.

 

A blog has been set up www.visteonoccupation.org.

 

The struggle continues.