 Mr Haw has camped on the square since 2001 |
Anti-war protester Brian Haw, who camps on Parliament Square, has had charges of police obstruction dropped. Mr Haw, 56, from Redditch, Worcestershire, was alleged to have prevented officers from stopping an unauthorised demonstration.
Fellow campaigner Barbara Tucker was arrested on suspicion of unlawfully protesting on the square on 26 March.
But the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed with the case at a Horseferry Road magistrates' hearing.
'Malicious charge'
Both Mr Haw and Ms Tucker were arrested and taken into custody but were later released.
Mr Haw is alleged to have tried to hold on to a banner that police wanted to confiscate for use in evidence.
Ms Tucker will appear at Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court in September charged with unlawfully protesting.
Mr Haw, who is the only person legally permitted to protest on the square without prior permission, said he was being persecuted by authorities.
"These charges are malicious," he said before Thursday's hearing. "Police are irked by my presence here, day after day."
Last July a High Court ruled Mr Haw could continue his protest, which began initially over the international sanctions regime imposed against Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
New legislation means that police permission is required before mounting a demonstration within a mile of parliament.
But the court ruled that the requirement did not apply to Mr Haw, as his protest began in June 2001, which was before the law came into force.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
