Mass Lone Demos
Protesting against the ban on unauthorised protests around Parliament
CAMPACC helped Mark Thomas and friends staged a series of protests around Parliament mocking the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. SOCPA was introduced essentialy to prevent one lone person (Brian Haw) from protesting in Parliament Square. While the law failed to stop Brian Haw protesting, it has significantly restricted protests in the 'designated area' around Parliament and created a 'chilling effect' that undermines the right to protest around Parliament but also elsewhere.
See www.repeal-socpa.info for information on the ban on unauthorised protest around Parliament.
Mark Thomas on Mass Lone demos in the New Statesman, April 2007
Police deal with protest deluge, BBC, 24 August 2006
Watch video of Mark Thomas speaking at the CAMPACC "Reclaiming our rights" conference on 2nd Dec 2006.
See more of CAMPACC's work on right to protest and free expression
Photos: top -SOCPA April 2007 Demo
bottom - first "Mass Lone Demo" takes place in Parliament Square, August 2006
bottom - first "Mass Lone Demo" takes place in Parliament Square, August 2006