Campaign for Freedom of Assembly ‘Return Agora to People, Return Democracy to People’

A campaign for freedom of assembly is launched on the name of ‘Return Agora to People, Return Democracy to People’. The campaign is for returning the Seoul Square to people by ourselves since the Seoul Square, which is the very symbol of democracy and freedom of assembly, has been frequently blocked by the police force arbitrarily.

The Seoul Square, the Symbol of the Democratization

The Seoul Square is a symbolic place throughout history. The Seoul Square was the place for people gathering when democratization movement reached the dramatic point in 1980s, especially on June 10, 1987. Last year, people also gathered to the Seoul Square with holding a candle against the import of US beef which may include BSE(bovine spongiform encephalopathy).

Lately, people gathered to the Seoul Square for mourning for the former president Roh Moohyun’s demise. However, the Police barricaded the Seoul Square with numerous police buses and no one was permitted to walk into or trespass the Seoul Square for more than 12 days except the funeral day, as saying that there was a high possibility of “illegal” protest but without an evidence and legal base. As strong criticism arose, the Police buses were slipped out of the Seoul Square on June 4, but there is still high possibility that the Police barricade the Square to prevent a civil assemble.

The square can be meaningful only if it opens to the public. The barricaded square can not function as a square. However, the Seoul Square has been frequently blocked since the Lee Myungbak’s inauguration. The Seoul City municipal government, which comes from the governmental party, the Grand National Party’, has disapproved any assembles because those assembles were not suit to the purpose of square-building, which were judged by its arbitral standards.

Although an assemble is only a matter of notice, the police arbitrarily permit or disapprove every single assemble. A possibility of protest can be neither an excuse nor justification for blocking an assemble by barricading the Seoul Square. The freedom of assembly is clearly mentioned on the Constitution.

Campaign for Freedom of Assembly : ‘Return Agora to People, Return Democracy to People’

We take a legal action against illegal barricade by the Police. We will claim for damage as the Police maliciously disturbed the Roh’s mourning ceremonies. A constitutional petition will be submitted to the Constitutional Court since our fundamental rights were violated by the government.

We campaign for revising of the Seoul City municipal ordinance related to the uses of the Seoul Square. It includes the introduction of the notice system for the use of the Seoul Square, not a permission system. while extending the purpose of the use of the Seoul Square which currently just covers a cultural event. A web-site will be made for publicizing the Campaign and collect signatures necessary for revision of the ordinance.

The Memorial Event for Democratization Movement is coming on June 10.

People, including the civil society and the PSPD, have been requesting the Seoul City municipal government not to close the Seoul Square on June 10 for holding a memorial event. Nevertheless, it has denied our freedom of assembly and the police have threatened the public not to gather and protest “illegally” although there is no such an “illegal” assemble since our Constitution clearly states the freedom of assemble and the freedom of expression.

If the Police barricade the Seoul Square once again, we will carry out all of the means to protect our rights and our Agora, the Seoul Square, including seeking an urgent relief from the National Human Rights Council.

It is apparent that neither the Seoul City municipal government nor the Police owns the Square. Seoul citizen and People own the Square. We, the PSPD, are to launch a campaign, so called ‘Return Agora to People, Return Democracy to People’ to protect our freedom of assembly and our priceless Agora, the Seoul Square.