green potential Mayoral candidates Breaking the law for the sake of free speech!

Wayne Farrar shared Donnachadh McCarthy's post.

3 mins

Donnachadh McCarthy added 4 new photos.

Breaking the law for the sake of free speech! glasses emoticon

Here I am at 6pm this evening with 3 London Mayoral candidates, breaking the law forbidding the holding of a placard in Parliament Square, without the written permission of the London Mayor, Boris Johnson.

We were likewise breaking the law by not having paid for £5 million worth of public liability insurance, which Boris demands of any protesters wishing to protest in ParlIament Square Gardens.

Private security guards working for AOS, who are employed by the Mayor to police Parliament Square gave one of us ( Simon Morris) three warnings to remove his placard ( which read - You Could Get Arrested for For Holding A Placard ‪#‎OccupyDemocracy‬). They obviously do not understand irony!! glasses emoticon

They then instructed him to leave the square, as he was breaking the bye-law by refusing to stop holding a placard and then demanded his name and address, which he gave.

It now remains to be seen if Boris will insist on criminal charges being pursued against him. Simon was one of the amazing heroes who helped peacefully blockade the front entrance of The Sun for 20 hours, on the final day of Occupy Rupert Murdoch.

However, we continued with our protest and unfurled all the rest of our banners.

Caroline Russell, one of the candidates for the Green Party London Mayoral nomination, had issued an invitation to all London Mayoral candidates to join this peaceful direct action protest and to all commit to re-establishing free speech in Parliament Square, by abolishing Boris's repressive anti-free speech bye-laws if they get elected.

Two other supportive Mayoral candidates turned up (Tom Chance (Greens) and Independent Rosalind Victoria Readhead)
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It was a nice relief not to be arrested for the seventh time.... but having 3 mayoral candidates accompany you, as you break the law in the interests of free speech helps....

The private security guards took loads of pics of us speaking on the loud-hailer and of our posters, but hopefullly it was only for their bosses and not the police!

But YOU can take action by emailing the mayoral candidates and asking them will they abolish these repressive bye laws on placards and insurance if they get elected as Mayor and let us know what they say.

Thanks to everybody who turned up to support the mini protest or who came to tkae pics - much appreciated.

The event was staged today as the criminal trial of Ryan O'Sullivan was due to take place today, after his arrest last October for holding an Occupy Democracy placard at their peaceful protest in Parliament Square. The CPS finally dropped the criminal charges yesterday, after nine months of stress and a total waste of solicitors, barristers and police time.

There must be no more Ryans!

Help us persuade ALL the Mayoral candidates that free speech implies NOT having to ask for permission and free speech should not be privatised and only allowed to the rich who can afford private public liability insurance.

Yes We Can! glasses emoticon

peace love respect

Donnachadh x
www.theprostitutestate.co.uk

PS dont forget meeting to discuss proposed Occupy The Daily Mail - Climate Crisis Vigil at Royal Festival Hall next Tuesday (August 11th) at 6.30pm - ground floor bar.