Fringe stewards broke up CND peace vigil 'like Chinese police'

STEWARDS hired by the Fringe have been compared to Chinese police for trying to block a peace vigil, chasing performers from the Royal Mile, and ordering shops to take in displays.

The staff, who are hired to manage the street performance spaces and patrol the area around the High Street, have also been accused of preventing a non-accredited journalist from carrying out interviews.

One steward told the Evening News they had been told to "disperse anyone standing in a large group drawing attention to themselves".

Opposition councillors today demanded an investigation into the apparently heavy-handed tactics and called for city leader Jenny Dawe to apologise.

The Fringe has a public entertainment licence to run the High Street, which this year was also extended to The Mound for the first time.

One group to experience the stewards' long-arm of the stewards Among those to experience the heavy-handedness were members of the local Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) branch, who were holding their annual commemoration of the Hirsoshima bomb blast on The Mound in the pouring rain.

They said stewards told them the area was reserved for festival performers only and told them to leave. The ensuing stand-off, on August 6, resulted in passing police officers intervening to resolve the situation. The group eventually agreed to move away to finish the vigil.

A council spokesman today said the CND group was asked to move away from the licensed area because it had not notified anyone of the vigil.

But former Labour council leader Ewan Aitken, an active supporter of CND, likened the situation to the clampdown on protests at the Beijing Olympics.

A spokeswoman for Edinburgh CND said: "Thirteen of us braved a downpour to sing, give readings and contemplate Hiroshima, as we do every year.

"We were hassled by staff for being in an area allocated to Fringe activity. We explained our understanding that it is a public gathering place, we were careful not to form an obstruction." and that it was a vigil for the dead of Hiroshima.

"They said that it was for performers only. We pointed out that there was not a performer in sight, because the area was awash with rainwater"
Labour councillor Gordon Munro, a CND member, said: "It's totally over-the-top. The Mound is a traditional public place for speeches and protests."

Cllr Aitken added: "This was not Beijing, this was Edinburgh.
"I will be asking serious questions of the SNP/Lib Dem administration about this unacceptable attitude as it is they who, in the end, have responsibility for this."

Yesterday, a group of Polish actors reported that they had been "asked to disperse" after leafleting on the High Street.

Marcin Bortkiewicz, director of Padamme, Padamme, a play about life in Poland before the fall of Communism, claimed his actors were told to leave because they were "drawing attention to themselves", while Alaric Trousdale, assistant manager of Royal Mile Whiskies, said he was asked by a steward to remove a barrel from his store-front earlier this month, which he declined refused to do. He later received an apology for the "misunderstanding".

One of the orange-clad stewards, who asked not to be named, told the Evening News: "We've basically been told to disperse anyone standing in a large group drawing attention to themselves."

Fringe chiefs today insisted leafleting is allowed.

Fringe director Jon Morgan said: "If anyone wants to organise an event on The Mound or the High Street during the Fringe, all they have to do is contact the Fringe office in advance."and make us aware of their plans.

"The Fringe holds a temporary public entertainment licence so that everyone can enjoy the fantastic Fringe atmosphere in a safe and organised manner. Our stewards manage the performances spaces and timetable all the outdoor action over the festival so everyone who wants to take part gets the opportunity to do so."

A council spokesman added: "This is an unfortunate situation but the CND did not give notification of their event to the Fringe or to the council and as a result were asked to move a few feet.

"If, however, the CND would like to gather at any time in the future we will be able to accommodate them and inform them of any diary clashes that might occur."