Access for the Majority; Right to Protest Should Be Exercised Responsibly

Summary

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The right to non-violent protest is an essential tenet of democracy, but liberty becomes licence if rights are exercised without responsibility, as the invasion of the House of Commons chamber by pro-hunt protesters this week amply demonstrated. Another tenet of democracy is the right of an elected parliament to debate and legislate on our behalf without intimidation or fear of personal attack.

This is the third serious security breach at the Palace of Westminster in seven months: in March, two anti-Iraq war protesters scaled the clock tower that houses Big Ben and in May, Fathers-4- Justice campaigners showered the prime minister with purple-dyed flour. The third breach is the most alarming, partly because the demonstrators penetrated the inner sanctum of the mother of parliaments but also because, following the first two incidents, there were public re-assurances that security had been tightened. Now there is talk of bringing in armed guards and severely limiting public access to Westminster.

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Access for the Majority; Right to Protest Should Be Exercised Responsibly

There is a danger that such measures could damage the very democracy they are intended to protect. Parliamentary d...

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