The BBC reports that Maya Evans has been convicted.
Maya Anne Evans, 25, a vegan cook from Hastings, was found guilty of breaching Section 132 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.She was arrested in October after reading out names of soldiers killed in Iraq at central London's Cenotaph.
Bow Street magistrates gave her a conditional discharge.
According to Sky News preview of tomorrow's newspapers, both the right wing Daily Mail and the left of centre Independent give over their front pages to highlight this restrction on free speech..
Maya Evans case was specifically discussed by David Cracknell of the Sunday Times and Lembit Öpik a Liberal Democrat MP, who said of the restriction on free speech being reported on the front pages of the Daily Mail and The Independent, "It is as bad as it sounds".
Since the Court has now set a legal precedent by ruling that a Ceremony of Remebrance is a demonstration according to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, this will have a serious knock on effect on other more traditional Ceremonies.
If the SOCPA law is applied equally and fairly to every other Ceremony held within the Designated Area, then it must also affect the organisers and participants in the next Poppy Day Remebrance Sunday in Whitehall, the next Trooping of the Colour Ceremony in Horseguards Parade, the next State Opening of Parliament, the next Wedding or Funeral in Westminster Abbey or in the the Central Methodist Hall etc.
Most of these public events involve Processions, which are exempt from SOCPA, but which have their own restrictions. However, they all end up in "public places" and so they do fall foul of this bad law.
(b) "public place" means any highway or any place to which at the material time the public or any section of the public has access, on payment or otherwise, as of right or by virtue of express or implied permission,
Who is going to be brave enough to arrest Her Majesty the Queen or the Archbishop of Canterbury ?
This Indymedia report has some details of the Court judgement:
"therefore in her view it was not necessary to read any proviso into section 132, it should be given its natural meaning"
Please let Maya know that she has enormous support at her side. Just speaking for myself I admire her idea to read out the names in an absolutely appropriate place and I shall happily join a demonstration in support of democracy and free speech.
Precedent, yes, but for protests not notified tot he police in advance; the only redeeming thing ont he whole thing is the guy she was with wasn't arrested as he'd informed the police he was going to be there.
That's not much of a redeeming feature, but still. When I saw the Daily Mail headline, I was horrified. Fortunately, the Independent ran the story as well, so I didn't have to buy the rag.
According to Maya's own account:
this is such a stupid prosecution that everyone who cares about free speech should hold their own demonstration in exactly the same way until the court is flooded with prosecutions.
no , you flucking morons , it isnt silly !its fascism !
ooh mummy , that could never happen in england ! unless of course we have all been reduced to spineless , turnip munching f*cking village idiots.
destroy corporate fascism - UK.