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One man’s comedy of terrors
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IS it journalism or stand-up? The political activist Mark Thomas’s show blurs the boundaries to great effect, writes Tom Foot.
As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela arrived at the Tricycle Theatre a fortnight ago to great acclaim. By popular demand, it returns for a one performance on July 9.
The show is split into two halves. It reveals the south London funny-man’s twin pet hates: the British arms trade and the Serious Organised Crimes and Police Act.
It is an explosive account of his experiences as an undercover arms dealer, exposing loopholes in legislation governing the arms trade.
In the show Mr Thomas reveals lesser-known facts about our complicity – that the UK arms industry is subsidised by £850million a year and that Britain is the world’s second biggest arms dealer.
Since last September Mr Thomas has organised monthly demonstrations in Parliament Square designed to undermine legislation he believes restricts freedom of speech.
Socpa, part of the Terror Act 2005, bans spontaneous protest within one kilometre of Parliament Square. Anyone wishing to protest must get permission from officials at Charing Cross police station first.
Mr Thomas gets hundreds of demonstrators to apply for individual protests on the same day – flooding the system.
“Most people know that this rule was brought in by Labour to kick the peace campaigner Brian Haw out of Parliament Square. What many do not know is that it does not just apply to the square, but to a designated zone covering a sizeable part of central London. So if you wanted to stand outside the Channel 4 building, 10 minutes’ walk away from the square, with a badge saying ‘Please don’t repeat Friends any more’, you would need police permission.”
The absurdity of the world is never far from Thomas’s mind. He prefers to ridicule rather than carp – a Byron, not a Shelley. Here is a little anecdote from his Mass Lone Demonstrations.
He said: “I have got to know the man who co-ordinates the requests quite well. PC Paul McInally now handles most of the Socpa applications. We sort of bonded a few months ago when I handed in an application to demand the immediate sacking of Superintendent Terry. ‘You want to sack my direct superior! I’ve got to go and ask him if you can have a demonstration calling for him to be sacked?’
“Yes please,” says Mark.
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