HC Deb 05 May 1913 vol 52 cc1678-9
Mr. WEDGWOOD

I beg to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary a question of which I have given private notice: Whether he has received any report from the police as to their action in Trafalgar Square on Sunday, especially as to their attempt, against the wish of the organisers of the meeting, to prevent persons getting on to the west plinth, also as to their action in violently stopping speaking from the south plinth without first consulting those responsible for the meeting; further, who was responsible for the violent clearing of the Square of peaceable people after the meeting was over?

Mr. McKENNA

I have only been able at the last moment to receive a very brief report of the circumstances relating to yesterday's meeting, but I will give the House such information as I have: At the meeting in Trafalgar Square on Sunday speech-making began at 3.30, and continued until about 5 p.m. without interruption. About 4.30 some persons, without the authority of the promoters of the meeting, attempted to address the crowd from the south plinth of the Nelson column. The regulations provide that meetings must not be addressed on the south side, because of the obstruction that would necessarily be caused by the audience forming up in the roadway. These unauthorised speakers were called upon by the police, and some of the promoters of the meeting, including Mr. Keir Hardie, M.P., and Mr. Sanders and others, to desist. The plinth was in a crowded condition, and there was some hustling, in the course of which a police officer and a couple of members of the public were pushed off, but no one was thrown off by the police, and, so far as is known, no one was seriously hurt, though one man complained of an injury, causing pain to his elbow. No arrests were made then, but later on, after the conclusion of the meeting, some disorder broke out, and five youths were arrested for assaulting the police.

Mr. WEDGWOOD

Do the police allege that the organisers of the meeting were asked to stop the speaking before the police interfered with the speaker or after?

Mr. McKENNA

I have given my hon. Friend all the information which I have so far received from the police. I may tell him that private observers have informed me that until the speaking took place from the south plinth of the Nelson column there was no disorder at all, that it was agreed that there should be no speaking from the south plinth, that the promoters of the meeting assisted the police to prevent speaking from the south plinth, but that the disorder occurred because a speaker would insist on endeavouring to speak from the south plinth.

Mr. WEDGWOOD

Would my right hon. Friend ask the police for a report as to their action at the west plinth in preventing people, very violently, from climbing on to this plinth?

Mr. McKENNA

I think that if my hon. Friend would consult one of the daily newspapers which has got a photograph of the proceedings he will observe from the photograph that it was not the police who prevented the woman from climbing on to the plinth.

Mr. KEIR HARDIE

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary whether in future it can be arranged that the police will not unnecessarily force people out of the Square on the conclusion of meetings. I have seen on two occasions that they were quite unnecessarily forced out of the Square?

Mr. McKENNA

I will inquire into the matter mentioned by the hon. Member, but of course it will be understood that it is always a very difficult matter in a great crowd to know the precise moment when the police should intervene in order to prevent further disorder.