Protesting tenants who find themselves thrown out of council meetings for heckling should House of Commons public gallery you remember the following facts. The police have no right to remove people trom the pubin do so, they are laying themselves open to possible charges for assault.
This became apparent last week when members of the United Tenants committee broke up a meeting of the GLC. hey were protesting abour ine council s outrageous rent increases, which came into anybody for trespassingforce last October. After heckling, showering chale gallery to be cleared. The police were The tenants, however, refused to move. This some of his predecessors, chary of taking a hard line. The demonstrators consequently held their ground and refused to move. Net result: the tenants in effect took the council chambers for three-quarters of an hour. They eventually left when boredom set in.
The council had meanwhile left the chamber. Mr Roland Freeman, chairman of the GL's Finance Committee, explained in weary tones: You see the police have no power to give remove these people by force. That's the difficulty we're in. Parliament, on the other | stubbornness pays!
anyway, and if you so much as cough in the can theoretically be clapped in the tower. Anybody interrupung a session of Parliament alleries of council chambers by force. If they committing a contempt of court. The counci chamber, here, like any other county council in the country, is in no different legal position from any other public building. If people come Action in and refuse to move, they are committing an offence of trespass, it is true. But that is a civil offence. The police have no power to arrest Under the Local Government Act, all local the assembled councillors with leaflets, and authorities are compelled to hold their meetings throwing stink bombs, an order was given for in public. If they refuse members of the public entry, they are themselves breaking the law.
Tenants, should, however, remember that if evidence to prove that this has happened is in fact very difficult, and such charges being brought against people who have caused disturbances in neetings have been broken u for eighteen months now, realise this. They are worried. are now looking into the possibility of framing a bye-law which would them greater powers for handling troublesome tenants. Meanwhile remember;