The point about the Critical Mass arrested (drawn from an excellent article in the Bike section of the Guardian online). The Metropolitan Police tried to limit the ride under Section 12 of the Public Order Act 1986, which allows police to impose limits on such an event when "it may result in serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community". The Critical Mass ride has been happening monthly in London for 18 years without even a hint of “public disorder”.
The Metropolitan Police tried to limit the ride to a certain ‘agreed’ route. The route was not agreed. It never is. The direction of Critical Mass is decided by consensus on the day. Critical Mass is intended to promote cycle use and cycle users rights on public highways. It operates within the law and is therefore entitled to the road, and in 2008 the High Courts agreed with this.
The significance is this:
- The police are an unelected body.
- The police assume the right to practically define the meaning of the law. In this case that a demonstration that has never resulted in “serious public disorder” suddenly might and that a procession that doesn’t have to define its route beforehand suddenly does.
- If you want to live in any kind of democracy you have to challenge this assumption by the police.