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Police allow anti-terror protest

By Tim Cleary

28 June 2006, 11:00am

On 22 June, political comedian Mark Thomas, members of CAMPACC and other groups and individuals were given police permission to demonstrate in support of a proscribed political organisation and against the new 'glorification of terrorism' clause.

The Metropolitan Police approved the demonstration in Parliament Square, which was called 'to support the PKK's [Kurdistan Workers' Party] objectives of human and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey' and highlight inconsistencies in UK anti-terror legislation, including the offence of 'glorifying terrorism', which has been in effect since April this year.

Wearing T-shirts pronouncing 'I am the PKK', many of those present at the demonstration waved flags showing the organisation's jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan - acts which might be construed as illegal under anti-terrorism legislation for the reason that the PKK is a proscribed organisation in the UK.

Expressing the contradiction in the police's approval of a demonstration in support of a banned organisation, Mark Thomas voiced his concern that the validity of the legislation was dubious and its definition hazy.

The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors.

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