March organisers file complaint

Disgrifiad

South Wales Echo, Monday 29 October 1979, reported that senior police officers in Cardiff were investigating a complaint from organisers of a ‘pro-abortion’ march held in Cardiff earlier in the month, that the they were ordered to disperse, despite permission having been obtained in September. The complaint was made by Bronwen Davies [who contributed an oral history interview to the Safe & Legal project]. In a press statement, she said: “we consider it to be a matter of very grave importance that police officers should break up an entirely peaceful and lawful demonstration . . . the right to hold peaceful demonstrations is an extremely important right which must be upheld and safeguarded in a democratic society”. The group were particularly concerned about the attitude of police to demonstrations in Cardiff, in the light of harassment suffered by other groups, including the Pat Arrowsmith Action Campaign, the Housing Action Group and the Hands Off Ireland Campaign.