SOCPA: Has an exception been made for Comic Relief?

This entry was posted on
Friday, March 16th, 2007
at
2:57 pm and is filed
under The War on Stupid.

Well, here’s some new information; For this year’s Red Nose Day, Comic Relief is highlighting issues surrounding mental health.

OK, so that’s raising awareness of poverty, aid, Fair Trade and mental health issues… and you can do all of this simply by wearing a red nose or a Red Nose Day t-shirt.

Can anybody please tell me how this differs from any other awareness-raising campaign?

Many of us know from bitter experience that any form of awareness-raising in Westminster (yes, even of the deliberately w-w-wacky variety) will result in you having your collar felt if you don’t get your permission slips in first and follow the conditions laid down by police to the letter.

But judging by the whopping great display within the designated area that has not drawn the ire/attention of the police, it would appear that an exception has been made for Comic Relief.

The challenge is to get the police to go on the record about that…. and explain why.

You can reach the Public Order Branch on 020 7230 9801 or 020 7230 9805

UPDATE – Hey, I finally got through! Erm… and couldn’t get an answer.

I’ve been referred to Charing Cross Police on 020 7321 7525

UPDATE – And now to the Scotland Yard Press Bureau on 020 7230 1212

FFS…

UPDATE – I simply cannot get an answer out of the Met apart from the oft-repeated “It’s not a protest!” try-on (i.e. because there is no placard present, no crowd, no hippies etc.). It is at the stage that I point out that SOCPA deals with unauthorised demonstrations (not protests) that the hot potato is swiftly passed on.








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