Activist Judges Again

An activist known as Stop Brexit Man has been cleared of flouting a police ban after playing anti-Conservative and anti-Brexit edits of The Muppet Show and Darth Vader’s theme outside parliament.

On Monday, Bray was found not guilty of failing without reasonable excuse to comply with a direction given under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 “re prohibited activities in Parliament Square” at Westminster magistrates court.

Why? It appears he did indeed breach the direction. 

Police approached Bray on the traffic island at about 11.20am, minutes before Sunak arrived ahead of prime minister’s questions, and handed him a map and a notice that warned he was prohibited from playing the speakers in the controlled area under a bylaw, the court heard.

So how was he acquitted? 

Handing down his judgment, the deputy district judge Anthony Woodcock said of Bray: “He admitted that he is ‘anti-Tory’, which is his words. He believes his is an important message to disseminate. He needs the volume that he uses to get the message across from Parliament Street to the Palace of Westminster.”

Of the issues Bray protests about, the judge continued: “He is described, virtually accused of being ‘fixated’ – he’s entitled to be. How he chooses to express those views is a matter for him.” He added: “Lampooning the government through satire is a long tradition in this country.”

It seems to have been the judge's whim, that he didn't agree with the lawful direction being imposed in the first place.  

Several witnesses described to the court the negative impact of Bray’s music, heard as high as the sixth floor in nearby buildings, after which the defendant apologised.

I guess they don't count.