Speakers' Corner

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

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

A Speakers' Corner is an area where public speaking is allowed. The original and most noted is in the north-east corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Speakers there are allowed to speak as long as the police consider their speeches lawful. Contrary to mythology there is no immunity from the law, nor are any subjects proscribed. In practice the police tend to be tolerant and intervene 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) as well as other countries.

Hyde Park Speakers' Corner

Though Hyde Park Speakers' Corner is considered the paved area closest to Marble Arch, legally it extends as far as the Reform Tree and 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, the only day working people had off. The riots were 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 organised a massive demonstration in 1866 and then again in 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. The Parks Regulation Act 1872 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 Tyburn hanging gallows where the condemned man was allowed to speak.

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

In the late 19th century, for instance, a combination of park by-laws, use of the Highways Acts and use 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 uproar and forced a climb-down.

Notable speakers

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

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

Nottingham's Speakers' Corner

Launched on February 22, 2008, Nottingham is the first Speakers' Corner in the UK outside of London. The designated space is currently in Nottingham’s Old Market Square, but it is proposed that the final site is at the junction of King Street and Queen Street at the edge of Old Market Square. The space is to be paved and landscaped and will also provide the home for a new statue of Brian Clough, the legendary, straight-talking former manager of Nottingham Forest FC.

Nottingham's Speakers' Corner is the pilot project of the Speakers' Corner Trust. The Trust is a new charity, established in 2007, which seeks to provide a stimulus to civil society both in the UK and in emerging democracies overseas by creating new opportunities for citizens to exchange ideas and opinions in open, face-to-face debate.

Other countries

Australia

There is a Speakers' Corner in the Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 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 following 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. Other Speakers' Corners are found in King George Square and The Powerhouse in Brisbane, Australia. In Melbourne, Speakers Corner was originally held in Birrarung Marr where the original site is still visible. This site has lost some popularity over the years and Speakers Corner(Now called "Speakers Forum") is currently held outside the State Library of Victoria on Sunday afternoon from 3pm.

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 Speakers' Corner in London. 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, 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, 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.

Kitchener, Ontario has a small area designated as Speakers' Corner on the northwest corner of King and Frederick Streets. It existed already since the mid 1980s.

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 24-hours a day, and was established to allow complete free speech. 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 film-maker and columnist Theo van Gogh. Plans for bringing the Amsterdam Speakers' Corner online with a permanent camera and microphone are in a phase of installation. In the meantime the speakers are filmed with a hand-held camera.

The Spreeksteen was involved in controversy when they allowed Michiel Smit, a rightist, to speak on October 1, 2006. Antifascists used noise to prevent Smit from being heard. René Danen, a former council member, threatened the Spreeksteen foundation with criminal prosecution if they let Smit speak again. Smit was scheduled to speak at the Spreeksteen again on November 5, 2006.

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 Singaporean 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 are prohibited.

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. Speeches in the park are not televised 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.

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.

Trinidad and Tobago

Woodford Square in Port of Spain, Trinidad, 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".

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. However, Chicago did have an area called Bughouse Square in Washington Square Park, Chicago. Denver (Colorado) Speakers Corner started in May, 2008 http://cocacop.meetup.com/2

Books devoted to

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

Media references

• Episode 24 of Season 6 of the comedy TV series Married... with Children had the Bundy family paying a visit to Speakers' Corner.
• In Omen III: The Final Conflict, 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..."
• Speakers' 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).
• Karl Pilkington interviews a man who regularly attends Speakers' Corner, claiming to have discovered "the secret to eternal youth." The interview is an extra, featured on Ricky Gervais's DVD entitled FAME.

External links

• The Speakers' Corner web site The web site contains radio and video archives of speeches, discussions and soundscapes from Speakers' Corner Hyde Park since 2003.
• The Speakers Corner Trust Website The site includes information on the work of the Speakers Corner Trust and the Nottingham project, including pictures and contact details for the Trust.
• Hyde Park Union: Documentary about Speakers' Corner
• Tony Allen's web site with a diary on Speakers' Corner
• Binaural audio recordings and photography from Speakers' Corner The site contains binaural recordings and photography from Speakers corner since 2005.
• Speakers' Corner Hyde Park: flickr gallery
• History of Woodford Square
• The Dutch Speakers' Corner web site The web site contains radio, tv and video news & archives of speeches, discussions and soundscapes from Speakers' Corner Oosterpark since 2005.

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