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Tamils stage another sit down protest in Parliament Square

by SouthbankSteve | May 13, 2009 at 01:26 am

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Tamils stage another sit down protest in Parliament Square

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May 11th 2009 The political heart of London's capital is brought to a standstill as Tamils stage a second sit down in Parliament Square. The protest lasted most of the day.

The police made more than 30 arrests. (Later revised up)

There were some bizarre aspects to the policing of today's protest. At one point in the late afternoon police officers were told to allow everyone but 'Sri Lankans' through their lines. One sergeant was heard by this reporter to say that it should be all or no one. Then sometime later there was a change. Cyclists only were to be allowed through.

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Paschen

flagged this story as Eyewitness Report

at 03:29 on May 13th, 2009

This is an eyewitness report from the NowPublic member SouthbankSteve who was on the scene.

recommend This comment thread is now closed

israeli.agent

at 01:29 on May 13th, 2009

Lovely..!

Nice to see the flags of peace..!

.Agent.

Hiranya Malwatta

at 01:34 on May 13th, 2009

SouthbankSteve,

Is it true that only 50 persons lawfully has permission to be in Parliament square and no children are lawfully allowed?

The lawful permission was to protest in the square but not block the roads?

Is it true that food stalls and tents were also placed ont he square?

SouthbankSteve

at 05:39 on May 13th, 2009

Yes there is food on the north side of the square and very nice it looks too.

The Tamils are very good at taking care of themselves offering rice dishes and bottles of water for free.

The 'tent', there is really only one, though Brian Haw a peace protester who has been here for almost 7 years has his own, gave shade to the young hunger striker who stayed there for many days.

You are required to give the police notice of demonstrations in London.

That was the case recently when a quarter of a million Tamils filled the streets of the capital calling for an end to the civil war in your country. I do not know, though I doubt that permission has been sort, let alone given for the series of protests outside my Parliament. And certainly not in the streets though many will recognise this as an act of civil disobedience. The British have a long and honourable history of involvement and support for such tactics in just causes.

I have no knowledge of children being banned from protests. They have rights too. Seems unlikely.

Regards

Steve

Hiranya Malwatta

at 07:08 on May 13th, 2009

Thanks SouthbankSteve, I asked because of what the Speaker has said on this issue.

Mr. Speaker: I know that I might be in a bit of a bad mood today, but let me say that when authorisation is given for 50 people to demonstrate, it means 50 people. It does not mean tents or food stalls, or texts being sent to supporters to tell them to bring little children along. That is not part of the authorisation of the demonstration. As a former trade union officer, I know that when somebody co-operates with the authorities to obtain permission for a demonstration, they comply with the rules that they lay down. No one can say that that happened in this case.

Let me add a further thing, because it relates to what Sir Nicholas has said. People, including me, who have had to drive around the square have been put into a dangerous situation—the roads have been blocked off, because police officers have had to put their vans in the filter lane. So when anyone tells me that permission was given, I say that it was given for a limited number of people, not a mob.