Protests brought to a halt by arrival of the bride
A NOTTINGHAM protest was temporarily brought to a halt after a couple arrived in a limo to get married in the Council House.
Protesters were told to “stop standing around and getting in the way” and to let the couple through as the large limo pulled into Old Market Square on Saturday.
A woman who was part of the wedding party halted the event and told the protesters to “show some respect” for the couple as they left the vehicle and headed into the building.
Protesters then clapped and cheered the couple before they went in for their ceremony.
It came during a “Kill the Bill” protest in Old Market Square against the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will see the police handed new powers to tackle demonstrations.
Protesters hit out at the Bill and its attempts to silence people’s rights to “speak out against injustice”, damning the proposed law and also hitting out at alleged police brutality.
It came alongside a protest in support of the Palestinian people following unrest in the Middle East.
The protest heard speeches from a number of organisations, including the Nottingham Trades Council and Stand Up To Racism.
A spokesperson for the trades council told the crowd: “The right to protest is a core right that we can never take for granted.
“Such rights can never be taken for granted, they are not permanently guaranteed and have to be protected. The Bill is a serious attack on our right to protest and gives the Home Office the chance to decide what is disruption.
“In Britain we have six million people organised in trade unions. Unfortunately, many have been very silent on this Bill and the Labour Party too has been silent until Starmer was shamed into condemning what happened at Clapham Common.
“All this clearly shows that the police are being used to openly defend the inequalities of the rich and powerful.
“If the bill comes into law it will not be able to stop protest. There is huge anger at what the Tories are doing to our jobs, pay and livelihoods.”
Georgia Paling, 29, was one of the many people at the protest and told the Post the “Kill the Bill” and Palestinian causes “fit together well”.
She said: “The reason we need the right to protest is to highlight what is happening in Palestine right now.
“Both the causes work and fit together very well. It’s about oppression and attempting to silence people.
“The Palestinians are people. They are being oppressed and violently targeted. We as people are being oppressed by our Govern