NO2ID

I'm very concerned about the news below, and it would be very useful if someone with knowledge of the law could clarify what our rights are. Maybe others would find it useful to.



thanks for any info.

Don't know how authoritative it is, but this guide looks useful:

http://www.freebeagles.org/

Can any lawyers on the forum give us a quick sanity check on the FreeBeagles advice?

If you read the rest of the story, the protestors did not diperse, leaving the council enforcers glowering. My assumption is this was the independent Haringey Against ID group (http://www.haringey.org.uk/ID.html) in action, since I wasn't aware we had an active group in the area.

As long as you are not obstructing anyone you may generally leaflet on the public highway. Though bye-laws may prevent it, and you don't have the same freedom on private property (which includes local authority property) without the permission of the owner.

As long as you are polite to everyone, and always obey police requests then there's very little danger of arrest. The police will usually be helpful and local council officials less so.

On rare occasions leafletting has been construed as harrassment, but that's rather an unusual occurrence.

I have a feeling that if you try to hand the same leaflet to a person twice, that can constitute harrassment.

I just put it into their hands and expect them to take it, saying something like "Sir, you might like to read this".

The police will generally use common sense. A street stall politely offering leaflets to passers-by won't be seen as harrassing. The occasions when leafletting has been treated that way are mostly related to some sort of picketing of premises by hostile, overwrought, protestors (particularly animal rights groups), and can be seen as an unexpected application of the powers designed to be used on the same sort of people sending hate-mail.

Basic guidelines:

You can have a stall or table, as long as it does not obstruct the highway.

You can't shake money tins if you are collecting.

You can't force leaflets onto people although you can hand them out.

The solution to their heavies is to have BIGGER heavies

That is just so-counter-productive. If you want to make a peaceful protest, then this is definitely NOT the way to go about it.

Who said your heavies would be violent?

Heavies work on the principle that they can intimidate people with a fear of violence rather than actually use violence, if you've got bigger heavies than them then they lose the intimidation factor and won't bother with their heavies.

A-hem!

Don't want to dampen spirits or anything, but the definition of assault is action which causes someone to fear violence. Also, s.5 POA "actions causing harassment, alarm or distress." Don't alarm anyone with your heavies - they don't have to lift a finger to get nicked.

I'm sure you knew that...

So if someone turns up with some heavies like the Haringay lot I'll have to feel harassed, alarmed and distressed, and get them nicked.

Black Cloud

Yep, absolutely. Tremble in fear and submit a lengthy witness statement explaining how terrified you were. It has to be what a "reasonable" onlooker would consider alarming. A burly intimdating heavy getting close would certainly count AFAIC.

I wonder if the gangsters who sent out the "heavies" would object to having their photographs taken and being accosted on the street by people threatening to call the police for assault if they tried to push someone away? Eye for an eye I say.

you can, but you need a licence to do so

You can also shake boxes of badges next to a donations tin.