By Edward Trotter-
A speech by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan at a Fabian Society new year conference was suspended due to disruptions from protesters.
Police escorted demonstrators from the White Pendragons out of the venue, after the unwelcome group assembled to stand in the way of Khan’s right to free speech.
Far right protestors held up United States flags and called for the arrest of the London Mayor on the laughable grounds that power had gone to his head. The protest was against comments made by the Mayor of London in relation to Mr Trump’s plans to cancel his trip to the UK. Khan is a known opponent of the U.S president, but the undemocratic objection to his right to free speech shows the level of close mindedness of the group.
The interruption by the group which occurred moments before Mr Khan was due to make his keynote speech, was uncalled for. We all know ideology of Mr.Trump, but why can’t the American president and his opponents freely express their views in this modern age? There is no room for intolerant views in this day and age, but people must be allowed to express their views , allowing those who disagree to pick holes in them and bury them away if they can.
Khan disapproves of Trump’s political views and like all citizens is allowed to express his disapproval without a bunch of hoodlums trying to obstruct him disorderly human beings in the name of protest.
The protesters astonishingly threatened to make an citizen’s arrest of the London mayor but also Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary and the panel’s chair Kate Green. Video footage of the incident revealed one man saying:
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re here today to make a non-violent, peaceful citizen’s arrest of those being named.“
They are Sadiq Khan, Keir Starmer, Kate Green MP and Andrew Harrop.
“We stand under common law jurisdiction. If you touch us you will be done for common assault. Do not touch us. We’re not leaving, I’ve paid for a ticket.”
The mayor also tried to make light of the protest with a reference to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Tory conference speech, which was interrupted by a prankster, saying: “On the plus side I wasn’t served with a P45.”
Video shared on social media showed the moment the activists interrupted Mr Khan’s speech, just after the mayor was introduced to the stage.
One man could be heard addressing the audience with: “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re here today to make a non-violent, peaceful citizen’s arrest.”
Audience members started to heckle and slow-clap, but the clap was interrupted by the arrival of security
COMMON LAW
Attempts to eject the obstructive protestors from the conference led to bizarre claims from one member of the group who said that they stand ”under Common Law jurisdiction”. It is doubtful whether the protestor understood the full meaning of common law- he appeared to be loosely using a term he recently learnt
“If you touch us, you’ll be done for committing assault,Please stand back, do not touch us”
one protestor stated.
“We’re not leaving, we’ve paid for a ticket.”
He then accused the Fabian Society of “subverting” the constitution. Khan’s planned attack against the U.S was successfully hindered, but the London Mayor still executed a limited attack on the American president when he ridiculed Trump’s claim as a “very stable genius” by saying: “It is a pleasure to be here even though we were distracted by the actions of what some would call very stable geniuses.”
It has barely been 24 hours since the London Mayor said the US President had “got the message” that Londoners opposed his views and policies as he canceled a planned visit to the capital.
Mr Khan the visit would have been hampered by “mass peaceful protests” as Mr Trump’s controversial views were the “polar opposite” of the city’s values.