Pro hoodies demo at Elephant in photos

By the into website team

The fun demonstration with a serious message against the banning of wearing hoods at Elephant and Castle’s Shopping Centre (pictured left) at the end of last month in photos.

The demonstration, reported by the into website team last week, was organised by the Respect our Youth campaign and was supported by a range of different groups, ASBO Concern, Lambeth Pensioners, The Movement for Justice, and activists of the Respect Party (organisers create their own banners pictured right).

As part of a larger effort to create what the Prime Minister Tony Blair  calls a 'culture of respect', approved of the clothing ban that began this spring in Bluewater, Kent.

The Prime Minister said, "People are rightly fed up with street-corner and shopping-center thugs. Such misbehaving makes our town centres no-go areas for respectable citizens."

Howver the issues attract both the young and old and the demonstration included speeches by Gordon McLennon, leader of Lambeth Pensioners (pictured left below), and Ian Taylor from ASBO Concern.

Doug Jewell, campaign co-ordinator for Liberty, a civil rights group, based in SE1, said, "You are once again creating this fear of this younger generation who are up to no good right across the board, rather than actually targeting individuals who are engaged in criminal activity."

Entertainment at the demonstration was provided by singers, MCs, a Band (pictured below right), and a poetry reading.


There were no reported incidents at the demonstration. 

All photos © Beatrice Ruffini

Useful information:

• Read more in Wearing hoods banned in Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre.
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