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London protest ban demo sparked by Christian campaigner

-7/02/05

Organisations working for peace and justice ñ including womenís groups, those working with asylum seekers and refugees, church bodies, Muslims and various black organisations are being urged to join a protest from 14:00 to 20:00 in Londonís Parliament Square today.

The demonstration is against proposals which may end the right to protest in Parliament Square through rushed provisions in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill.

Anti-war protest is the first target, say campaigners. Christian peace activist Brian Hawís three-and-a-half-year, 24-hour-a-day vigil against war (and especially the invasion of Iraq) has caused annoyance to some MPs.

ìSome Members do not like to be reminded of what they have done, voting for war and deathî, says Labour MP John McDonnell, who is backing the protest along with fellow Labour member Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat MP Lambit Opik, Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond and Elfyn Llwyd MP of Plaid Cymru, the Party of Wales.

Under pedestrianisation plans powers would be given to the police to outlaw protests and demonstrators might be arrested for ìspoiling the viewî within a kilometre of Parliament Square ñ as far as Trafalgar Square, Waterloo Station or Buckingham Palace.

Brian Haw, who is seen by parliamentarians as an eccentric whose protest is unsightly, won a High court victory against plans to evict him from the square. He did so under the Human Rights Act, a precedent which human rights groups says establishes a right to protest that the government is now seeking to revoke.

There is increasing concern among peace and justice organisations that New Labourís alliance with US president George Bush in the ëwar against terrorí is eroding the civil liberties that it claims to protect.

Mr Haw is an evangelical Christian, but his one-person campaign against war has so far failed to attract much support or sympathy from Christian groups, allegedly because of his ëmaverickí tactics.

The demonstration today is being promoted by Global Womenís Strike, which has also used Parliament Square for protests. It campaigns against the exploitation of women worldwide, especially in Africa, and has highlighted the ëdomestic slaveryí of womenís unpaid housework.