Speakers' Corner

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For the Canadian television series, see Speakers' Corner (television series).

A Socialist Party of Great Britain member arguing against capitalism, October 31, 2004

Speakers' Corner is an area where public speaking is allowed, and is located in the north-east corner of Hyde Park in London. Speakers are allowed to speak as long as the police consider their speeches do not breach the law. Contrary to popular mythology there is no immunity from the law nor are any subjects proscribed. In practice the police tend to be quite tolerant and intervene either when they receive a complaint or when they hear bad language.

There are a number of other areas designated as Speakers' Corners in other parks in London, (eg. Finsbury Park, Clapham Common, Kennington Park and Victoria Park).

1 Hyde Park Speakers' Corner
- 1.1 Notable speakers
2 Other countries
3 Books devoted to
4 Media references
5 External links

[edit] Hyde Park Speakers' Corner

Though Hyde Park Speakers' Corner is generally considered to be the paved area closest to Marble Arch, legally it extends as far as the Reform Tree, and also covers a large area of the adjacent parade ground.

Public riots broke out in the park in 1855, in protest over the Sunday Trading Bill which forbade buying and selling on a Sunday which was, at that time, the only day working people had off. These riots were eagerly described by Karl Marx as the beginning of the English revolution.

Speakers' Corner on a Sunday in April, 2004

The Chartist movement used Hyde Park as a point of assembly for workers' protests but no permanent speaking location was established. The Reform League organized massive and violent protests in 1866 and 1867 which compelled the government to extend the franchise to include most working class men.

The riots and agitation for democratic reform encouraged some to force issue of the "right to speak" in Hyde Park. In 1872 the Royal Parks and Garden's Act delegated the issue of permitting public meetings to the Park Authorities (rather than central government). Contrary to popular belief it does not confer a statutory basis for the right to speak at Speakers' Corner. Parliamentary debates on the act illustrate that a general principle of being able to meet and speak was not the intention, but that some areas would be permitted to be used for that purpose.

Since that time it has become a traditional site for public speeches and debate as well as the main site of protest and assembly in Britain. There are some who contend that the tradition has a connection with the older Tyburn hanging gallows where the condemned man was allowed to speak his last words.

Although many of its regular speakers are distinctly non-mainstream, it has been frequented by such people as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell, and William Morris. Its existence is frequently upheld as a demonstration of the principle of free speech, as anyone can turn up unannounced and talk on almost any subject, though they are likely to be heckled by regulars.

It has been argued that the existence of a specific location where free speech is permitted is used as an excuse by the authorities to prohibit free speech in most public spaces in London, including the rest of Hyde Park and all other Royal Parks, where free speech is explicitly forbidden in written by-laws. In the late 19th century, for instance, a combination of park by-laws, use of the Highways Acts and abuse of venue licensing powers of the London County Council made it one of the few places where socialist speakers could meet and debate.

In 2003 the Park authorities tried to ban a demonstration set for February 15 to stop the war in Iraq. This caused general uproar and forced a climbdown; the demonstration was the largest in British history with over 1 million people attending.

The nearest tube station is Marble Arch.

[edit] Notable speakers

The following organisations and individuals have a well-established history of speaking regularly at Speakers' Corner.

Socialist Party of Great Britain (since 1904)
Donald Soper (1926–1998)
Heiko Khoo (since 1986)
Socialist Studies (since 1991)

[edit] Other countries

[edit] Australia

There is a Speakers' Corner in the Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, established in 1878. Official outdoor 'free' speech first appeared in the hustings and hanging grounds of Hyde Park Sydney in 1874. Free speech in this form was banned after a serious riot between Catholics and Orangemen. However following the formalisation of free speech in Speakers' Corner in London it was decided in 1878 that The Domain would be the place for free speech in Sydney. ABC.net

[edit] Canada

Speakers' Corner in Regina, Saskatchewan

Dedicated by the Earl of Mountbatten on April 12, 1966, Speakers' Corner in Regina, Saskatchewan is located on the north shore of Wascana Lake. It serves as a constant reminder of the notion of free speech and assembly and a tribute to Saskatchewan people who have upheld that heritage. The two lanterns framing the south entrance to the main plaza formed part of the Cumberland Screen at the entrance to Speaker's Corner in London, England. The podia on the main plaza are from the exterior columns of the Old City Hall (1908-1965) and symbolize free speech in democracy at the municipal level of government. Six paper birch trees were taken from Runnymede Meadow in Windsor Great Park, Royal Estate near Windsor Castle. It was there that King John signed the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215. The ten gas lamps surrounding the corner come from King Charles Street which runs from Whitehall to St. James Park, London, England near the Houses of Parliament. They were erected in 1908 during the reign of Edward VII, whose royal cypher E.R. VII appears on the base of each lamp.

[edit] Netherlands

In the Netherlands, there is a permanently designated speakers' corner called the Spreeksteen in Amsterdam. Lawfully, every person has the freedom of speech as a matter of right. In practice, there is considerable ambiguity which gives mayors and other authorities the semi-lawful powers to prevent or distort free speech. The 'Spreeksteen' is open for free speech at a 24/7 basis and until further notice there is in fact 100% free speech on the spot. The 'Spreeksteen' has been located in the Oosterpark in Amsterdam since May 5, 2005, and has been erected by a citizens action after the brutal murder of filmmaker and columnist Theo van Gogh. Plans for bringing the Amsterdam Speakers' Corner online with a camera and microphone are in a phase of installation and will be completed in 2006. The domain for the webcam will be: spreeksteen.nl There are speakers at least every Sunday afternoon from 1:30 pm.

The Spreeksteen got into controversy when they allowed Michiel Smit, a rightist, to speak on October 1st, 2006. Antifascists had to come over and use noise to prevent Smit from being heard. René Danen, a former council member, threatened the Spreeksteen foundation with criminal prosecution, if they would let Smit speak again. Smit is scheduled to speak at the Spreeksteen again on November 5th, 2006.

[edit] Singapore

An empty Speakers' Corner in Singapore.

There is an official Speakers' Corner in Singapore. It was established by the government on September 1, 2000, at Hong Lim Park. The small park is notable for the presence of a large nearby police station. The Corner was established owing to dissatisfactions amongst Singaporeans who have few or no venues to air their public opinions.

Only Singapore citizens who have registered with the police at the police station are allowed to speak. Speeches are subject to national laws, for example, racial and religious issues prohibited (as with Hyde Park). ^[1].

The Corner is opened during daylight hours, from 7 am to 7 pm, every day of the year. The speaker must speak only in one of the four official languages of Singapore.

The Parliament passed an exemption under the Public Entertainment Act to exempt public speeches at Speakers' Corner from licensing requirements.

Initially popular, with 400 speakers registering in the first year, by 2006 this figure was down to 26. The New Paper reported that the area might now be more aptly named “Sneakers’ Corner”, as visitors are more likely to be playing soccer or just hanging around than listening to a speech.[1]

Speeches in the park are not televisionized or reported in the media. The young have found it much easier to discuss issues at the Internet forums than in the government-designated Speakers' Corner.

In the 2005 documentary The History of Singapore, sponsored by Singapore Airlines and Neptune Orient Lines, former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong calls the Speakers' Corner a 'success...because nobody goes to speak there.'

[edit] Trinidad and Tobago

Woodford Square in Port of Spain, Trinidad, is a famous Speakers Corner. The corner is also known as "The University of Woodford Square", so named by the first prime minister of Trinidad Eric Williams who gave many speeches here. Another nickname, "People's Parliament," comes from the Black Power movement of the 1970s. Flanked by Trinidad's Parliament and Halls of Justice the Square still plays host to speeches of a highly topical and political nature.

In the southeast corner of the square, a blackboard lists the day's discussion as well as other important information. The speakers' topics are divided by interest and known as "classes".

[edit] United States

The United States does not have any permanently designated speakers corners but has instead adopted free speech zones, though these relate more to where activities such as picketing and pamphleteering are allowed, rather than speech itself.

[edit] Books devoted to

The Speakers (1964) by Heathcote Williams
A Summer in the Park - A Journal of Speakers' Corner (2004) by Tony Allen, foreword by Ken Campbell

[edit] Media references

Canadian reality television show, Speakers' Corner (television series)
Episode 24 of Season 6 of the comedy TV series Married... with Children had the Bundy family paying a visit to Speakers' Corner.
Monty Python's Life of Brian has a scene where Brian and other prophets address small crowds in a corner of a market - in a way reminiscent of and presumably modelled on Speakers' Corner.
In The Omen series of films, the adult Damien passes through Speakers' Corner and is pointed out as Satan by the priest who speaks there.
The BBC produced a program on the Park Police.
BBC 3 produced a program with Tony Allen on heckling as a lost art for the election in 2005. It was based around teaching two people how to heckle at Speakers' Corner.
The lyrics of British rock group Dire Straits' song Industrial Disease (from the Love Over Gold album) refer to Speakers' Corner: "And I go down to Speakers' Corner, I'm a-thunderstruck, they got free speech, tourists, police in trucks. Two men say they're Jesus, one of them must be wrong. There's a protester singing, and he's singing a protest song..."
Speaker's Corner appears in one of the early issues of the Grant Morrison comic book The Invisibles (later reprinted at the first Invisibles graphic novel, Say You Want A Revolution).