THE METROPOLITAN Police last Friday used the opening of the
Olympics as an excuse to attack the regular monthly Critical Mass cycle ride
around central London.
The police have never
liked this event, which has no organisers and no pre-planned route and takes
place on the last Friday of each month.
In 2005 they tried to
stop them by handing out notices informing participants of the requirement
under section 11 of the Public Order Act 1986 to notify the police of the route
of any “public procession” – and the criminal consequences of failing to do so.
This notification
requirement doesn’t apply to processions “commonly or customarily held” and a
legal case that went all the way to the House of Lords established that
Critical Mass comes within this exception.
On Friday the police
tried again, this time using section 12 of the same Act. This allows a senior
police officer to impose restrictions on a public procession if he/she
considers the procession might, among other things, result in “serious
disruption to the life of the community”.
Relying on this
power, the Met banned Critical Mass participants from using the Olympic Route
Network or going north of the Thames.
The police kettled
one group of cyclists in Stratford,
east London and used considerable
force to drag cyclists from the bikes. This included one elderly disabled
cyclist on a tricycle.
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