How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent

We reported this weekend about the problem that the privatisation of public space in the UK, and London especially, poses to the exercise of free speech in the form of public protest.

City-fat-cat On Sunday, we wrote:

Paternoster Square, despite appearances, is not a public square. It is a private development that is owned by the Mitsubishi Estate Company and is open to the public 24 hours a day, which just so happens to be on the site of a previous public square.

When the protesters came along Mitsubishi Estate Company, as is their right, decided to close the square indefinitely, and obtained a high-court injunction preventing anyone from entering.

Occupy London then found themselves with nowhere to Occupy. Since St Paul’s Churchyard is one of the biggest truly public spaces left in the City, it’s as good a place as any to set up camp.

Their options are just as curtailed further afield, as well. Canary Wharf, which is almost as big a centre for finance as the City is, has a lovely big park in the centre of it.

Unfortunately, that park, as with 99 per cent of the land in Canary Wharf, is owned by the Canary Wharf Group. Again, access is conditional; the company may choose to allow a protest, or they may not.

As we feared, Canary Wharf Estates has indeed acted to prevent any exercise of free speech on the over one hundred acres of land that it controls in the Docklands.

Occupy London report:

[We were] intrigued to learn this morning that Canary Wharf Group plc has obtained a high court injunction preventing “any persons unknown remaining on the Canary Wharf estate in connection to protest action”.

We understand that this court order will remain in place indefinitely.

You can view a map of the area where all protest is banned below:

View No-protest zone in a larger map

Although Canary Wharf is private land, it contains one Underground station, two DLR stations, two A-roads, four bus routes, and a post office. All of these are provided through public funds. In addition, the estate has three parks, over 150 apartments, as well as the headquarters of the publicly owned companies the London Olympic Group, the FSA, and the European Medicines Agency.

To treat the Canary Wharf estate as though it were merely a large office is to neglect the extent to which it has usurped, and been subsided by, public facilities.

Allowing it to unilaterally decide that there should be no protest within its borders implies a chilling future for free speech in the UK.

See also:

• The movement to evict Occupy London gains pace – Alex Hern, October 31st 2011

• The privatisation of public space is harming our ability to protest – Alex Hern, October 30th 2011

• Occupy London needs to catalyse a new Left – Ben Mitchell, October 27th 2011

• Top five reasons why you can’t protest (according to the right) – Alex Hern, October 26th 2011

• The “occupy” protests come to the City this Saturday – Shamik Das, October 12th 2011

http://twitter.com/adpucci/status/132136871894589441 Pucci D

RT @leftfootfwd: How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent: http://t.co/eIEUZfzg by @alexhern #occupyLondon #fb
http://twitter.com/alexhern/status/132137866322120704 Alex Hern

@naomiAKlein How the UK sold off the right2protest to the 1 per cent: http://t.co/gBnMjMVj on @leftfootfwd #occupyLondon
http://twitter.com/samtarry/status/132140546142638081 Samuel Tarry

@carolinelucas @GreenJennyJones How the we sold off the right2protest to the 1% : http://t.co/6ZF3IVAv on @leftfootfwd #occupyLondon
http://twitter.com/lampini1/status/132141062520193025 jane strutt

“@danielelton: @OccupyLSX How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent: http://t.co/acwBbRco by @alexhern #occupyLondon”
http://twitter.com/creativecrip/status/132164678750187520 TheCreativeCrip

@carolinelucas @GreenJennyJones How the we sold off the right2protest to the 1% : http://t.co/6ZF3IVAv on @leftfootfwd #occupyLondon
http://twitter.com/vonslaich/status/132166113361543168 Consumer

RT @leftfootfwd How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent: http://t.co/ZROy1iKU by @alexhern #occupyLondon
http://twitter.com/stevegpreston/status/132178534876721154 Steve Preston

RT @leftfootfwd: How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent http://t.co/VDmqJMXt
http://twitter.com/gstrange42/status/132193469040041984 Gabriel Strange

RT @leftfootfwd: How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent http://t.co/M4YoLR7N
http://twitter.com/neurwen/status/132202451444056064 neurwen

RT @leftfootfwd: How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent http://t.co/M4YoLR7N
http://twitter.com/flashinvader1/status/132213146717913089 FlashInvader

How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent: http://t.co/YKGf4jhg by @alexhern #occupyLondon
http://twitter.com/1957ajb/status/132357014444707840 Andy Birss

Private company controls huge part of London and bans protests-What happened to democracy? http://t.co/CZreJ9XF
http://twitter.com/shazzers14/status/132357379282042880 sharon spears

RT @leftfootfwd: How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent http://t.co/50bjN58h
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/11/bhopal-dow-chemicals-a-toxic-cloud-over-london-2012/ A toxic cloud over London 2012 | Left Foot Forward

[...] also: • How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent – Alex Hern, November 3rd [...]
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/11/the-rotten-borough-of-the-city-of-london-needs-to-be-dragged-into-the-21st-century/ The rotten borough of the City of London needs to be dragged into the 21st century | Left Foot Forward

[...] also: • How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent – Alex Hern, November 3rd [...]
http://twitter.com/jos21/status/132435850352013315 Jos Bell

Concerned Dow Chemicals sponsor the Olympics? http://t.co/iJgbcQfZ LOCOG based in Canary Wharf, so you can't protest it http://t.co/YKGf4jhg
http://twitter.com/alexhern/status/132435915263057920 Alex Hern

Concerned Dow Chemicals sponsor the Olympics? http://t.co/98XGIRiM LOCOG based in Canary Wharf, so you can't protest! http://t.co/gBnMjMVj
http://twitter.com/macinpoole/status/132442390500880384 malcolm

Concerned Dow Chemicals sponsor the Olympics? http://t.co/iJgbcQfZ LOCOG based in Canary Wharf, so you can't protest it http://t.co/YKGf4jhg
Kevin leonard

The actions of the current home secretary to curtail marches unless she gives express permission is enabling these parasites to ride roughshod over the basics of free speech. They are indeed all in this together.
http://twitter.com/labour52rose/status/132460556262195200 Alex Braithwaite

Concerned Dow Chemicals sponsor the Olympics? http://t.co/iJgbcQfZ LOCOG based in Canary Wharf, so you can't protest it http://t.co/YKGf4jhg
http://twitter.com/darrenjohnsonam/status/132487237815369728 Darren Johnson

How we sold off the right to protest to the 1%
http://t.co/TF7AwIfb <important read alongside @greenjennyjones article on City
http://twitter.com/neiallswheel/status/132494270329389056 neiall mullery

How we sold off the right to protest to the 1%
http://t.co/TF7AwIfb <important read alongside @greenjennyjones article on City
http://twitter.com/warringtongp/status/132502929117679616 WarringtonGreenParty

RT @leftfootfwd: How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent http://t.co/TH130Ept
http://twitter.com/tomayates/status/132539124077953024 Tom Yates

Concerned Dow Chemicals sponsor the Olympics? http://t.co/iJgbcQfZ LOCOG based in Canary Wharf, so you can't protest it http://t.co/YKGf4jhg
http://twitter.com/charceeholden/status/132879827865833472 Charlie Holden

RT @leftfootfwd: How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent http://t.co/CVI4N1J7
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/11/notes-from-the-new-age-of-dissent/ Notes from the New Age of Dissent: Committed, literary and stylish journalism | Left Foot Forward

[...] also: • How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent – Alex Hern, November 3rd [...]
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/11/daily-telegraph-hatchet-job-on-protesters/ Telegraph just can’t let the tent-flap go | Left Foot Forward

[...] also: • How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent – Alex Hern, November 3rd [...]
http://twitter.com/vonslaich/status/134266738312351744 Consumer

RT @leftfootfwd How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent: http://t.co/ZROy1iKU by @alexhern #occupyLondon
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/11/northern-line-extension-built-for-private-profit/ Northern line extension “built for one purpose only – private profit” | Left Foot Forward

[...] also: • How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent – Alex Hern, November 3rd [...]
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/12/occupy-la-evicted-as-america-clamps-down-on-protest/ Occupy LA evicted as America clamps down on protest | Left Foot Forward

[...] also: • How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent – Alex Hern, November 3rd [...]
http://twitter.com/simonthewriter/status/154270850407866369 Simon Cheshire

How we sold off the right to protest to the one per cent | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/4pYSrFWv