MPs condemn arrest of woman who spoke out

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MPs condemn arrest of woman who spoke out

14:14pm 8th December 2005

 

 

The use of controversial new security powers intended to protect

Parliament to prosecute a peace campaigner has been condemned in the

Commons today.

 

Maya Anne Evans, a 25-year-old cook, became the first person to be

prosecuted under the law which bans unauthorised demonstrations within

one kilometre of Westminster after reciting the names of British

soldiers killed in Iraq outside the gates of Downing Street.

 

David Heath, for Liberal Democrats, demanded an urgent debate on the

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 after its use to convict

Miss Evans yesterday.

 

Commons Leader Geoff Hoon said the legislation was widely supported by

MPs and had worked " remarkably well " since coming into effect last summer.

 

He added that challenges to such laws were a key part of the

democratic tradition but often resulted in criminal penalties.

 

Miss Evans, 25, received a criminal conviction for defying the new law.

 

She was found guilty of breaching Section 132 of the Act, given a

conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 towards costs.

 

The vegan cook from Hastings, Sussex, was arrested on October 25 as

she stood next to the Cenotaph, outside Downing Street, reading out

the names of 97 British soldiers killed in Iraq.

 

Her fellow campaigner Milan Rai, 40, was reading out the names of dead

Iraqi civilians and was also arrested.

 

Bow Street Magistrates' Court in London heard that the pair conducted

a peaceful " remembrance ceremony " and had intended ring a bell for

each name read out.

 

During exchanges on future business today, Mr Heath said of the Act:

" (It) was sold to us on the basis that it was to prevent terrorist

acts against this House and has now been used to convict a young lady,

Maya Evans, for reading out a list of British soldiers killed in

action in Iraq by the Cenotaph. "

 

His comments were greeted with a shouts of " disgraceful " from Tories.

 

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This isn't the first time that President Blair and New Labour have

used excessive force against its political opponents.

 

When the pro-country sports people held a protest in London recently

the police used excessive force against these protesters.

 

I watched the protest on TV and I saw images of elderly farmers and

teenage girls, who had gone to London to peacefully protest, with

blood pouring down their faces and almost every policeman that I saw

had their baton drawn, In fact I believe that many of them had been

told by their superiors to remove the badge with their number on so

that they could not be traced and prosecuted when they used violence

against the protestors, as they had obviously been instructed to do.

 

- Steve, Wolverhampton, West Midlands

 

Security measures in the U.K., the U.S.A. and Canada have gone too

far. The rights of citizens have been violated. Where will it all end?

 

- Lou Reeves, Ottawa, Canada

 

Maya should be rewarded for having the nerve to stand up and speak her

mind.

 

The rest of us dumbly put up with this neo-Nazi by stealth government

which is slowly but surely eating away at the values which those

soldiers in World Wars One and Two died to defend.

 

" All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is that good men do

nothing " . In this case it is a good woman - I salute her!

 

- David Ferguson, Bangor UK

 

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