Meeting, Wed. 27th Defend Free Speech, Public Assembly and Activity in Galway

galway | miscellaneous | news report Saturday August 23, 2003 21:55 by Orla Ni Chomhrai nichomhrai at eircom dot net

Public Meeting on the right to Free Speech, Public Assembly and Activity. Menlo Park Hotel, Galway, Wednesday, 27th August, 8pm.

There is a public meeting to be held next Wednesday at 8pm in the Menlo Park Hotel, Galway on the proposed ban on leaflets and restrictions on public assembly and activity. The line up of speakers include:Catherine Connolly, Labour Party, The Tuam Mayor, a human rights lecturer from NUI, Galway, Des Bonass, of the Dublin Trades Council (who will speak about how a similar proposal was defeated in Dublin), and a campaign speaker.

To give people an idea what this is about I have copied a letter which was sent in to the Galway Advertiser on the subject

New bye-laws an attack on democracy
Dear Editor,

I wish to highlight two proposed bye-law changes which will have a major bearing on Cultural Life and Democracy in Galway city and its environs. An environmental bye-law proposes to ban the distribution of all leaflets including those of community groups and Non-Government Organisations. The parks bye-laws would require permission for groups of 100 people or more to seek written permission to hold a public meeting, protest, or religious event. Buskers would require written permission from the council to be allowed to perform and the locations may also be restricted by law. Roller blading and skateboarding will have designated areas, as will flying a kite, swimming, fishing, flying model aeroplanes, and sailing vessels. The definition of Designated Recreational Open Spaces which applies means all recreational land and water, including buildings, promenades, beaches, woodlands, parks, and public open spaces either controlled or in charge of Galway city council.

No reason that I’m aware of has been given requiring written permission by a group greater than 100, indeed some of the councillors who I spoke with did not seem to know why this particular idea is on the agenda. This proposal was voted on in Dublin in the recent past and rejected by all parties. What if someone in City Hall doesn’t like an individual or group? What if sympathetic official is replaced by an unsympathetic one? What if a protest needs to be organised quickly and sporadically in response to an event of local, national, or global importance? Who is going to enforce it and how? Would it not make more sense to allow groups to congregate and make speeches in safety off the main roads and thoroughfares, rather than causing disruption?

Denying people the right to protest and leaflet has a serious impact on democracy. The community development group in City Hall, of which I am a participant, has a voter participation strategy (a first for a local authority). Our strategy is under direct threat. The proposals will serve to keep people ignorant of issues and apathetic about politics. The perception of some that 'everything is a done deal, we have no influence' could be extended to 'we can't even open our mouths now or produce a leaflet to inform the people on the street'.

I sincerely hope that when these issues are being voted on in September common sense will prevail; that the politicians will realise that some proposals are bad for politics and democracy and (without complete clarification) other proposals are bad for cultural life and tourism. If we resort to draconian measures and banning everything, we’re then headed towards a Big Brother type state (or city) where free speech is prohibited, and leisure activities deemed ‘undesirable’ are ruled out. We could end up banning many leisure activities without first having the required facilities in place. Some consequences could be that teenagers resort to more bushing and drugs because they can’t skate or fly a kite on an empty beach of a winter’s day; foreign tourists happily rollerblading down the prom are told ‘you have to stop, we don’t allow that here’; Buskers tell their performing community ‘Galway is out, they want written permission and there’s only few places allowed now’. I’m not suggesting a free for all. Appropriate bye-laws can be effective. However, my point is there is a balance to be found and we must really strive to find that balance.

Yours,

Kieran Cunnane,

Renmore.

http://www.galwayadvertiser.ie/dws/story.tpl?inc=2003/08/07/letters/36118.html