03/03/2008

Protesters On Crane In Parliament Square

Two protesters have scaled a crane in Parliament Square to protest against the proposed EU Treaty.

The two male activists climbed onto the crane, which is in place for renovations in Middlesex Guildhall, shortly after 2am on Monday morning.

They unfurled banners reading "Referendum Now" and "Give Us Our Vote".

Police have been called to the scene and are talking to the protesters.

The protest comes two days before MPs are due to vote on a Conservative amendment to the EU Treaty Bill, which calls for a referendum on the issue.

A report at the weekend also suggested that most Britons were in favour of a referendum on the document, which is also known as the Lisbon Treaty.

Campaign group I Want A Referendum organised a mini-ballot, which saw more than 150,000 people in 10 constituencies vote on the issue, with around 88% voting in favour of a referendum.

However, it has been a reported that a spokesperson for the group said that it was not behind this morning's protest.

Last week, there were two other protests - one at Heathrow Airport and one on the roof of Parliament, in protest at a planned expansion at Heathrow.

(KMcA)


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