Steve Bray, 56, is notorious for shouting anti-Brexit statements from College Green at Westminster
An anti-Brexit 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.
Steve Bray, 56, is notorious for shouting anti-Brexit statements from College Green at Westminster or seen quietly walking into the background of live TV interviews, while wearing a colourful blue outfit and carrying placards with a simple ‘Stop Brexit’ or anti-government message.
He was playing music on March 20 last year before then-prime minister Rishi Sunak arrived for Prime Minister’s Questions.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that Police had approached Bray on a traffic island at around 11.20am, minutes before Mr Sunak arrived ahead of PMQs, handed him a map and told him that he was prohibited from playing the speakers in the controlled area under a by-law.
The music resumed intermittently and shortly after 12.33pm officers seized the speakers, his trial at City of London Magistrates’ Court was told.
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.
The anti-Brexit activist from South Wales denied the charge and told a previous hearing that playing music was part of his “fundamental right to protest” and that they were played “sporadically”, rather than all day.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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