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ANTI-CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE
6:30pm Thursday 20th December 2007
Ladies and gentlemen, (naughty) boys and girls... it's time to call an end to a ridiculous charade:
You are cordially invited to a public anti-Christmas carol service in Parliament Square at 6:30pm on Thursday the 20th of December 2007.
 As with previous years, candles and song sheets will be made available, with donations going to Medical Aid for Iraqi Children.
However, this year we will NOT be demonstrating in favour of Christmas without seeking police permission. We will instead be demonstrating against Christmas with police permission... just to be difficult.
Programme:
(Introduction and welcome)
- Feck the Halls
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town!
- Humbug All The Way
- We Wish You A Hairy Christmas
- Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Was a Sycophantic Git)
(There will be no minute of silence this year. There will instead be a minute of noise. You may bring bells, whistles and other noisemakers, but no loudspeakers, as they are strictly forbidden under Section 137 of the Serious and Organised Crimes and Police Act 2005.)
- (I'm Dreaming of a) Short Christmas
- God Rest Ye Jobsworth Gentlemen
- I'm Gonna be Elvis this Christmas
- The Twelve Days of *Hic*-mas
- We're Here Because We're Here
(This year, instead of reciting The Lord's Prayer, we will be retiring to the pub for The Airing of Grievances, in honour of Festivus.)
Donations:
We are accepting contributions online this year, by making the full song sheet available for a suggested donation of £2 (sorry, no free copies for the media):
Click below to request a song sheet complete with details, directions and all lyrics:
[SNIP! Online donations are now closed and song sheets are no longer available for download. I hope to see you at the event, where more song sheets will be made available.]
Directions:
Parliament Square is located directly opposite the Houses of Parliament (map). The nearest tube station is Westminster (on the Jubilee Line).
Legal Implications:
Previously, the police have been a little bit confused about what does and does not constitute a demonstration, which is what makes their enforcement of Section 132 of the Serious and Organised Crimes and Police Act (2005) so charmingly inconsistent.
To help clarify matters, we are repeating a demonstration (that the police have claimed is not a demonstration) that is identical in every significant detail... bar one:
This year, we will be demonstrating against something instead of demonstrating in favour of it... and requesting permission so the classifcation of this event as a demonstration (or not) is on record.
UPDATE (18 Dec) - The verdict is in! The police have decided that we DO need permission. Apparently staging an event in support of Christmas is legal within a designated area without police permission, and staging an event against Christmas is not. The police are therefore guilty of religious discrimination.
Invitations:
- If you wish to send a link to this invitation via email click here.
- If you wish to put a link to this invitation on your website click here.
- If you wish to host a copy of this invitation on your website click here.
Accommodations:
We humbly request that those who attend do not bring placards, banners or circulars to this event.
Section 132 Serious and Organised Crimes and Police Act (2005):
This draconian law was designed to evict Brian Haw and stifle dissent at the heart of our democracy. Because the law does not define what constitutes a demonstration, it is left to the Met to decide when it does and does not apply, resulting in a further affront to democracy; the politicisation of the police force.
(For example: the police appear to hold the position that wearing a peace badge or a red nose does count as a demonstration, but wearing a red poppy badge does not. Further analysis of the thinking behind this 'logic' can be found here and here.)
Section 132 - Demonstrations in vicinity of Parliament:
Demonstrating without authorisation in designated area:
(1) Any person who-
(a) organises a demonstration in a public place in the designated area, or
(b) takes part in a demonstration in a public place in the designated area, or
(c) carries on a demonstration by himself in a public place in the designated area,
is guilty of an offence if, when the demonstration starts, authorisation for the demonstration has not been given under section 134(2).
A formal warning usually precedes any action, but the Police may arrest any person committing an offence under Section 132 of the Act and if found guilty that individual may be liable to a fine of up to £2500 and/or a term of imprisonment of up to 51 weeks.
Promotion:
Below are instructions for those who may wish to promote this event via their website:
Copy and paste the code below to include a simple button/link on your website:
Copy and paste the code below to include a full invitation on your website:
Communication:
If you require any further details, please contact Tim Ireland via the following email address:
manic AT bloggerheads DOT com
Bah-humbug to one and all.
(Details of previous events: 2005 | 2006)
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