Met challenged over May Day policing
An important test case on the police’s powers during demonstrations reaches the High Court today.
Two people are claiming damages against the Metropolitan police for detaining them in a crowd in London during the May Day protests in 2001.
It will be an important test case in how far police can go in holding people who are peacefully protesting or passing by an area where people are demonstrating.
Police held thousands of people in Oxford Circus for more than seven hours with no toilet facilities during the anti-globalisation protests on 1 May 2001.
Protestor Lois Austin and passer-by Geoffrey Saxby, who were among those detained, claim the tactics breached the Human Rights Act.
Police were determined to avoid the vandalism and violence of the 2000 May Day protests, telling those held: “You are being detained here to prevent a breach of the peace and criminal damage to property.”
Louise Christian, the solicitor representing Ms Austin and Mr Saxby, said: “It’s clear the Met and other police are watching closely in case they can use the same tactics in other cases.
“We say article five [of the Human Rights Act] entitles the police to detain a person if they think that person will commit an offence, not if they think someone in the crowd will commit an offence.
“We say the vast majority of people in Oxford Circus would be peaceful.”
However, the police contest the claims, which are supported by human rights organisation Liberty, and are expected to call the Mayor of London as one of their witnesses.
