Peace Protesters to Appeal over Demo Ruling

south west | peace | news report Sunday November 04, 2007 19:04 by cut & paste

By John Aston, PA News

Peace protesters have decided to appeal against a High Court ruling that the police acted lawfully when officers blocked their bid to attend an anti-war demonstration.

More than 120 people from two coaches were searched, detained, and forcibly returned to London with a huge police escort when they attempted to reach the demonstration against the war in Iraq at RAF Fairford air base, Gloucestershire, in March last year.

The High Court ruled recently that the police had acted unlawfully and breached their human rights by detaining them in the coaches on the journey back to the capital.

But the court also ruled that it was not unlawful for the police to turn the passengers away from the demonstration.

The protesters say the ruling threatens civil rights as it means that any group of people could be turned away from a demonstration based solely on the view of a senior police officer as to whether they were likely to become involved in a breach of the peace.

Helen Wickham, one of the passengers, said: "To be sure of reaching a demonstration, I would have to be psychic and know what's going on in the mind of a senior police officer."

Lawyers for the passengers will argue in the Court of Appeal that the police actions in turning them away were contrary to the common law and violated their freedom of expression and assembly under the Human Rights Act.

The case is being supported by Amnesty International and Liberty.