Friday 14 September 2007

Letter to Met

Here's the text of my mail to Acting Superintendent Colin Morgan -

Dear Colin

You issued a s12 Public Order Act 1986 notice on the critical mass protestors last night at about 7.45pm at the junction of Upper Grosvenor St and Park Lane. I asked you for your reasoning that the protest might result in serious public disorder, serious damage to property or to the serious disruption to the life of the community. You told me that you did not have to tell me this.

This morning I've spent some time trying to understand what these terms mean, but without much luck. So I'm asking you as a public servant to let me know what definition of these terms you use to characterise them before you decide to issue a notice. This will enable me and other protestors to understand how we might avoid a similar situation; because as non-violent protestors we do not believe that violence to people or property is useful in the advancement of our right to protest.

And I would also appreciate if you could let me know what led you to conclude that you 'reasonably believed' that we might create the situations generalised in the notice. And whether I have any rights under the Freedom of Information Act to find this out anyway.

Thanks in advance.

Carl Reynolds

1 comment:

Rachel said...

Nice one Carl, let me know if you hear back.
Rachel