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RIGHTS? WHAT RIGHTS?
In January, in a chilling reminder that we still live under a feudal system,
the High Court gave what was widely described as a shock judgment in the
'Stonehenge Two' case. This referred to the arrests at the 10th anniversary
of the 'Battle of the Beanfield' demo at the Stones in June '95. It was
an appeal by the police against the quashing by the Crown Court of their
original convictions for 'trespassory assembly' under the CJA (s14,PoA).
The case was not about what happened on the day; everyone agreed the small
gathering by the roadside was, peaceful, non-obstructive and not a nuisance.
The judges resorted to the basic assumption under our (non-existent) constitution
that the State can attack its subjects not just when they break the law,
but when they do anything they cannot actually prove they have an absolute
right to do. We have very few such rights, one of which is to 'pass and
repass' on a public highway, (But not in Wiltshire!). Anything else we
do there, however harmless, (such as chatting to a friend by the roadside)
is not permitted, and only seems to be because the State "tolerates" it.
Therefore, the judges said, any demonstration or gathering not approved
of by the authorities is trespassing on any road it is on or beside. So,
their argument goes, when a section 14 order is in force, any and every
group (of 20 or more) on a road is a 'trespassory assembly' unless it is
just 'passing or repassing' in the ordinary way. The victims are appealing
to the House of Lords and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human
Rights. An ironic result of the police winning at this stage is that they
lose the 'loophole' they claimed was in the law when they were losing,
and used to justify their having a processions order as well last year.
So there will be no procession order this June. On the same day that the
ruling was given, the same issue was being debated on the other side of
the planet. CH Tung, new leader-to-be of Hong Kong, announced that there
would be some reduction of Human Rights when the Chinese take over in July.
(The old colonial laws were recently replaced by a Bill of Rights to avoid
the opposite appearing to happen). A statement that he would require protesters
to obtain police permission before taking to the streets (ie enact section
12 of our Public Order Act) provoked outraged protests from the UK &
USA. The present Governor of the colony, Chris (Poll Tax) Patten, warned
that this threatened basic freedoms and would unsettle the community. "People
crushed by law have no hope. If laws are their enemies, they will be enemies
of the law." he said, quoting Edmund Burke. Tung reminded Patten that a
licence was needed to hold a demo outside Parliament here, clearly unaware
of the extent of the clampdown on freedoms here since that was the most
severe restriction! A few days later, the Court of Appeal came to the opposite
conclusion. Supporting the Chief Constable of Sussex's decision to restrict
policing of live animal exports at Shoreham to two days a week in '95,
the judges took into account "the right of animal protesters to protest
peacefully (but not illegally)". Those demonstrations took place on the
public highway, and could even be said to have caused something of an obstruction.
So who's right? In the other recent case, 3 people got a conditional discharge
for being an illegal procession last June. The Chief Constable did turn
up to explain why he believed he had needed a ban on processions as well
as assemblies, but the case was turned over to lawyers, and there were
few hard questions for him. Case is under appeal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The annual cycle of negativity has
resumed, with the Chief Constable asking the District Council for anther
CJA 'trespassory assembly' s14A order for the summer solstice. (Part of
his letter below.)(NOT ON WEBSITE). The Committee that advises
the full Council on this discussed his 'request' this week. Members were
given no report or account of the so-called 'review' of the situation held
in November, other than a one-sentence summary of the bland statement issued
at the time. [last issue] They of couse approved the ban, but it was interesting
that both the police and council officers tried to explain to baffled councillors
that there wasn't and never had been such a thing as an 'exclusion zone'.
Now they no longer need it, they say it was always just a press invention.
Councillors were told that groups of 12 or 18 people could not be stopped
in the zone this year, only 'public assemblies' of 20 or more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ LETTER FROM KARELIA 12march1997
~~~ Dear Stonehengers, ~
I'm voting from Wandsworth Eco Village -
I want an open decentralised hung parliament at Westminster, with PR, EEC, UN,
etc ~
I saw somewhere the exact date of Jesus' birth, a day around 7BC
when the planets, comets and stars aligned in a special way,
(I've lost the astronomological details).
So his 2000th birthday, Millenium3, has been. ~
For me, that night up Glastonbury Tor, the 'Harmonic Convergence'
was a 'New Age Party', the Mayan New Age, wasnt it? ~
Any excuse for a
party. ~ I want to play my lightshow, (like New Years Eve in the Pilton
Pyramid, (but without troublemakers spoiling it)) And I want to play flute
and tin-whistle solo on Glastonbury Festival's Stage One for 23 minutes
on Saturday afternoon (But I'm allegedly an introvert and a pessismist
- it's their loss if I dont('want' not 'need'))) ~~~~~~~~~ (and in Stonehenge
again) ~~~~~~~~~ ~~ That hundred yards of tarmac which ~~~ ~~ CUTS Stonehenge
and its Avenue ~~~ ~~ should've been grassed up years ago ~~ Then we could
carefully repair StonehengeI by putting new white shining chalk where the
3 or 4 banks were (with an entrance south by the Small Stone Eleven (whatever
the builders called it in old Welsh)) (:} and now we've invented perspex
for the roof :-} ~~~ your cousin ~~ george@dicenews.com ~~~~ PS anywhere
I can park (or bury) an old bus please? (apart from cyberspace www.phreak.co.uk/stonehenge/psb/)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# The London Ecology Centre library
and database on Agenda 21 etc. have gone to the Battlebridge Centre.
# Our main website is now at: http://www.phreak.co.uk/stonehenge/psb/stonegeo.htm
# NO M11 are still at it and need help. # The millenium fund application
by English Heritage for their visitor centre has gone on to the next decision
stage.
# If you were in the Halifax poster you are entitled to some sort of copy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear People, Having attended
a Poisoned Electrick Head Gig at St Helens on the last date of 'The Hanged
Man' tour I managed to see the band after the show. I asked if the band
would mind submitting a small piece for future publication in S-H-C Newsletters/and/or/
Festival Eye magazine. "Mind? No, we don't mind, cor's not mate"...etc.
In the early hours of the first day of February I stumbled toward a street
light and fumbled in my pocket for the piece of paper Pete had handed to
me. I unfolded the paper and read it, it said;
#############################################
STATEMENT FROM POISONED ELECTRICK HEAD REGARDING STONEHENGE AND FREE FESTIVAL
SITUATION: EVERYBODY IS RESTRICTED IN THIS COUNTRY. "TIED UP IN NOTS"
NEGATIVE CONDITIONING RULES. ANY POSITIVE ATTITUDE SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED.
GET OUT THERE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
##############################################
P.S. The spelling of NOTS is not Knots but NOTS as quoted. Its a track
on their new album. from Activate Eye Inside Of Us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Stonehenge Campaign. Here's
my envelopes for this years newsletters. I am also enclosing a donation
to help you keep up the excellent work you do. I hope and pray that we
can get some dialogue and progress over the next couple of years. The summer
solstice 2000 celebrations would make an excellent opportunity to begin
a new era, one where the rights of all of us who want access can be given
it without any of the deceit, mistrust etc. that currently exists. The
current concerns over the ludicrous costs of the police operations. should
pave the way for progress. Good luck & thanks for the work you do!
Love & peace, - Steffan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Stonehenge Campaign. Yes, we
still exist - but at the moment are not producing a newsletter. However
we are still a contact point for information on nuclear power and nuclear
weapons and opposition to them, so please keep our listing as it is. Some
initial thoughts about the letter from "Stonehenge Peace Process";
I grew up around Salisbury and I can remember going to Stonehenge when
there was nothing to keep you out. If all you want to do is to go to Stonehenge
"in our lifetimes" then its easy - you pay English Heritage some
money and you go - I did it a few years ago and a dismal experience it
was. The reason thousands of people battled with cops during the eighties
at Stonehenge, is because it had become a symbol of how " The land
is not ours". The fact that you list all the campaigns you do in the
magazine shows how you understand that. Now I'm not saying that we have
to wait till the day of the revolution to settle this dispute - similar
campaigns in the 30's led to the creation of the National Parks with significant
free access for all. However that is not on the agenda at these talks.
Sure the state can do limited deals with small groups who have only limited
aims. The stones will still remain unfree for the rest of us, like the
rest of this rotten society. No justice - no peace, Keep up the good work,
- Steve. (Anti-Nuclear Network)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RING - A - RING ARISING
They say
their god is in
these stones; double now is
ring, far outside cops circle
to deter such prayer.
Cat-god, Mouse-god,
Old Ones
Play games
again in new human form through
uncut grain as a thousand times before
preparing sacrifice
of two coupling
in last
uncut sheaf soon when is
time of last harvesting
time when last crop's poisoning will
leave under safe stones just
dead men's
sperm to live on.
Steve Sneyd
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
, ______ _________ _______ , , / Free \ / The \ / Stones \ , , \________/ \_________/ \_______ / , , ____ ___ ___ ____ , , / \ / \ / \ / \ , , | | | | o | ! ! ! , , | | | | m | ! ! ! ,
more webpages:
... and/or email paul:
stonehenge@stones.com
