Protestors handcuff themselves to public gallery during meeting (From Croydon Guardian)

Protestors handcuff themselves to public gallery during Croydon meeting

5:58pm Tuesday 6th December 2011 in Local news By Nick Hitchens

Shasha Khan

The leader of the Croydon Green Party has handcuffed himself to the railings in the Town Hall public gallery.

In a show of defiance against the secretive plans for a new waste facility site, possibly with an incinerator allegedly for Beddington, Shasha Khan took the extreme measure at an overview and scrutiny committee meeting tonight.

The plans were due to be discussed during the second half of the meeting, where press and public are banned.

Councillor Fitzsimons proposed elements of the plan such as council policy on waste removal be discussed in public before financial aspects went into private.

But his call was rejected by chairman Councillor Steve Hollands.

When the public were asked to leave a small protest group from the public gallery refused and Mr Khan along with Dave Pettener, a Waddon resident, handcuffed themselves to the railings.

Mr Pettener shouted to councillors as they left to enter a private chamber: "This is my life we are talking about.

"I live down wind of this incinerator. Does no one care?"

Council officers are at the scene and have asked the protestors to leave but have currently taken no further action.

It is unknown if the police have been called.