HL Deb 08 July 1999 vol 603 c113WA
The Marquess of Ailesbury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether on 29 June traffic in London was disrupted by an allegedly very small number of demonstrators; and, if so, whether the extent of the disruption was commensurate with the size of demonstration. [HL3420]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police tells me that on 29 June there was an impromptu demonstration by about 250 people following the trial of Abdulla Ocalm in Turkey. The demonstrators gathered outside the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, and then walked along Oxford Street and staged a sit-down demonstration which resulted in some traffic congestion. The demonstration was soon cleared by additional officers on stand-by for such an eventuality.