An activist known as Stop Brexit Man has been cleared of flouting a police ban after playing anti-Conservative and anti-Brexit edits of The Muppet Show and Darth Vader’s theme outside Parliament.
Steve Bray, 56, was playing music on March 20 last year before then-prime minister Rishi Sunak arrived for Prime Minister’s Questions. Police had approached Mr Bray when he was stood on a traffic island at around 11.20am, and handed him a map to warn him he wasn’t allowed to play the speakers in the controlled area under a by-law, the court heard. He resumed playing the music intermittently and, over an hour later, officers seized the speakers.
The activist is known for playing music in protest around Westminster, famously playing D:Ream’s “Things Can Only Get Better” at the gates of Downing Street when Mr Sunak announced a general election in the pouring rain last May.
Mr Bray was found not guilty of failing without reasonable excuse to comply with a direction given under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 “re prohibited activities in Parliament Square” at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Mr Bray, of Port Talbot, South Wales, represented himself in court and denied the charge. He told a previous hearing that playing music was part of his “fundamental right to protest” and that they were played “sporadically”, rather than all day.
The court previously heard that Mr Bray had told the police their map, illustrating where he could not use the speakers, was incorrect. Body-worn footage, featuring the activist, saw him telling police repeatedly that they had the wrong map.
He said it was outdated, which the officers would learn if they spoke to someone higher up the chain of command.
Deputy District Judge Anthony Woodcock acknowledged that Mr Bray admitted to being “anti-Tory”, as he said: “He believes his is an important message to disseminate.
“He needs the volume that he uses the get the message across from Parliament Street to the Palace of Westminster.”
Judge Woodcock continued: “He says that his strategy needs pictures of him in the media and he’s spent many hours campaigning and has never been arrested, his relations with police are generally good.”
“His equipment operates on battery-power and is limited,” the judge added, as he said that Mr Bray was entitled to be “fixated” on the issues he protests about.
“How he chooses to express those views is a matter for him,” the judge said. “Lampooning the Government through satire is a long tradition in this country.”
Mr Bray said that he used the Muppets and Darth Vader themes “as the prime minister came in, which is what we always did for Rishi – apparently he’s a Star Wars fan.”
When Mr Bray was told he was not allowed to play there, the court heard he stuck his fingers in his ears and said: “No it’s not, it’s not, not here – it’s not wrong here”.
He then told the officers: “I know what I can’t do” before they suggesting they stick it “where the sun don’t shine.” He then lit a cigarette and looked away.
The defendant apologised as several witnesses described to court the negative impact of the activist’s music, which could be heard as high as the sixth floor in nearby buildings.
