And as you have heard Turner say, it's always a guessing game with the police department about whether their permit applications will be approved. However, the union senator told us today that he believes the Commissioner is misinterpreting his role. He explained that the right to demonstrate is guaranteed, and the law doesn't place the power to decide in the police's hands.
Glenfield Dennison, Union Senator
"I am with the protestors on this. Your right to associate is constitutionally given right and that includes in my mind your right to associate and assemble wherever you wish. So I think the police are a little misguided in relation to the power because what they have is an administrative power that I don't think is to give you permission I think that section exists solely for the purposes of the police being able to manage the situation and be aware of events that could erupt into violence and things like that. So I think it was only an administrative tool the police have I don't think it's a power to decide who should protest or who shouldn't protest. It certainly can't be interpreted as a power to say to an institution like the trade union congress that we are not going to give you a permit to protest because there already exists a permit to protest by the UDP and I will go on a limb and say this part and it definitely can't be the police deciding to tell the union go join the UDP. So that to me is flawed in the worse kind of way."
