London Calling

international | rights, freedoms and repression | other press Monday January 17, 2005 11:57 by pat c

Police sued over May Day protest

Not just in Ireland, across the water the image of the friendly bobby is also taking a bashing. What makes this case different is that it doesnt just hinge on the question of individuals being assaulted by the police; it also takes the form of an action over breach of Civil Liberties.

The police intend to call Ken Livingston (in his capacity as mayor of London) as a witness. I await his testimony with bated breath.

pat c
(Story below)

Civil liberties groups accused the police of heavy-handedness .

Two people are going to the High Court to claim damages against the Metropolitan Police for detaining them during May Day protests in 2001. At the event, about 10,000 protesters were held by riot police at London's Oxford Circus shopping area for hours.

Protester Lois Austin, 35, and passer-by Geoffrey Saxby, 48, claim the tactics breached the Human Rights Act. The test case is important because it raises questions over the police's power to control demonstrations.

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