Username:
 Password:
 

Are you not a member?
Register here
Forgot your password?
 
 
 
 
 
 



NEWS > 14 December 2006

Other related articles:

Police accused of race attacks
A LEAKED police report has questioned the future of a senior sergeant accused by lawyers of running a regime of "racially motivated police violence" against local African youths at Flemington police station.

The confidential Ethical Standards Department report, part of which has been obtained by The Sunday Age, recommended that Victoria Police call in "external agencies" to discuss whether the officer should stay at the station.

The officer was dubbed "Senior Sergeant X" in a recent VCAT judgement, wh... Read more

 Article sourced from

Independent - London,England,U
14 December 2006
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.


Police 'breached rights' of an

Peace protesters and civil rights groups celebrated an "enormous victory for free speech" after the House of Lords condemned the police for preventing a demonstration outside an airbase used in the Iraq war.

Hours before American B-52 bombers took off from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire in March 2003, 120 opponents of the invasion were travelling from London in three coaches to protest outside its gates.

A few miles away they were stopped by police who confiscated a Frisbee and a bag of toy soldiers during a two-hour search. Their coaches were then sealed and escorted in convoy, without even allowing lavatory stops, back to London.

The High Court and Court of Appeal have already said police acted unlawfully. They won a further landmark ruling yesterday when the Law Lords unanimously concluded that police violated their right to lawful assembly and to freedom of expression, which was "an essential foundation of democratic society".

Lord Bingham of Cornhill, giving the lead judgment, said the case raised "important questions on the right of the private citizen to demonstrate against government policy and the powers of the police to curtail exercise of that right".

He said the police action, designed to thwart a future breach of the peace, was "wholly disproportionate" under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said: "This is an enormous victory for free speech in a time when this principle is under considerable threat. Once again, democracy was in trouble and the Law Lords came to its rescue."

Jane Laporte, the passenger in whose name the case was brought, said: "The Lords have confirmed that freedom to protest is something that should be treasured in this country and police don't have the right to take it away."

John Halford, a human rights specialist at Bindman and Partners, which represented the campaigners, said that the judgement was "a wake-up call for democracy".

Gloucestershire Police said that it was disappointed by the judgment and defended its actions.

"Policing in scenarios such as those faced at Fairford is difficult and complex, with competing rights and responsibilities having to be assessed and acted upon in real time by operational commanders," it said.

It claimed that intelligence had suggested a potential for disorder after US B-52 bombers at the base were targeted by anti-war campaigners during earlier demonstrations.

It was against "this highly charged background" that the coaches were turned back, police said.
 

EiP Comments:

 


* We have no wish to infringe the copyright of any newspaper or periodical. If you feel that we have done so then please contact us with the details and we will remove the article. The articles republished on this site are provided for the purposes of research , private study, criticism , review, and the reporting of current events' We have no wish to infringe the copyright of any newspaper , periodical or other works. If you feel that we have done so then please contact us with the details and where necessary we will remove the work concerned.


 
 
[about EiP] [membership] [information room] [library] [online shopping]
[EiP services] [contact information]
 
 
Policing Research 2010 EthicsinPolicing Limited. All rights reserved International Policing
privacy policy

site designed, maintained & hosted by
The Consultancy
Ethics in Policing, based in the UK, provide information and advice about the following:
Policing Research | Police News articles | Police Corruption | International Policing | Police Web Sites | Police Forum | Policing Ethics | Police Journals | Police Publications