§ 44. Mr. H. Hyndasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that Sir Oswald Mosley intends to speak at an open-air rally of Fascists in Hackney on 1st May; and as this is calculated to lead to a breach of the peace, whether he intends to prohibit the gathering.
§ Mr. EdeI have no power to prohibit the holding of any meeting. It will be the duty of the police to take such steps as are reasonable and necessary to preserve public order and to maintain the peace. Since, however, it has come to the notice of the police that the Union Movement proposes, after the meeting, to march in procession through parts of the East End of London, I have given my consent to the Commissioner of Police making an order under Section 3 (3) of the Public Order Act, 1936, prohibiting for a period of three months the holding of all public processions of a political character in the area specified in the Order. Full publicity is being given to the Order which will come into force at midnight tonight.
§ Mr. HyndWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for that reply, may I ask him if he will say whether that Order will prohibit processions from assembling on the Embankment on Saturday, at the same time as the trade unions' demonstration, and marching to my constituency through the East End of London, and would he not extend the Public Order Act to prohibit the holding of this provocative demonstration in a district where there is a big Jewish population?
§ Mr. EdeNo, Sir. I have no power under the law to prohibit the holding of a meeting. I am informed that a procession was to be formed after the meeting to march through the East End of London. The Commissioner of Police made the necessary submission to me, and I have granted to him confirmation of an Order prohibiting all political processions, of whatever party, in that particular area during the next three months. Part of 600 the route suggested by the hon. Member will, in fact, be covered by the Order. It does not extend to the Embankment, but I want to make this quite clear, that if the Order did extend to the Embankment all processions on the Embankment would be prohibited.
§ Mr. HyndAlthough the Home Secretary cannot ban a meeting, will he, at any rate, ban Sir Oswald Mosley from speaking at this meeting, because obviously that will be provocation?
§ Mr. EdeNo, Sir. I have not the power to prohibit any person from speaking at a meeting, but if any person makes a provocative speech that brings him within the realm of the law my hon. Friend can rest assured that the necessary proceedings will be taken.
§ Mr. HyndIn view of the unsatisfactory position created by the reply of the Home Secretary, I beg to give notice that I shall endeavour to raise this matter on the Adjournment tomorrow.