[g8-sheffield] Draft statement denouncing suppression of right todemoinstrate

[John Smith]

Nick: "to ban peaceful and orderly protests in our city centre"

I think the above quote should be reduced to " to ban protests in our city
centre"


I agree with this, and to a proposal from Steve to change to replace "(with
the decorative presence of Russia)" with "and Russia". The statement would
now read:


G8 summit: Sheffield people denounce suppression of the right to protest.

On June 16-17, the interior ministers of the world's seven richest nations
and Russia will gather in Sheffield to discuss how to step up the assault on
human and democratic rights which their governments are conducting under the
banner of the 'war against terrorism'. 

The right of Sheffield people to protest against the G8 presence is being
flagrantly denied by the police. They have informed us that no gatherings of
protestors of any size will be permitted in the town centre. Any attempt to
do so will be met with force and arrests.

Sheffield Against the G8 representatives proposed a route and a time for a
demonstration which would have marched us away from the town centre before
the arrival of the G8 ministers. Stop the War Coalition proposed a static
picket near to the venue where they will be assembled. Both of these
protests have been flatly prohibited. Under the pretext of ‘security’ the
police are attempting to marginalise our protests by forcing us to the
fringes of our city. 

We, the undersigned, believe that this attempt to ban protests in our city
centre is an outrageous and unacceptable infringement of our democratic
right to protest. We call on all citizens, organisations and elected
representatives of Sheffield to unite behind the call for these repressive
decisions to be reversed.



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