LONDON, July 21 (UPI) -- A law giving police the power to remove unauthorized ads from private property near Olympic venues can be used to stifle dissent, critics said Tuesday.
Government officials say the powers, buried in a law passed in 2006, only apply to advertising that could lead to "over-commercialization" of the 2012 Summer Games, The Guardian reported. The law requires a warrant before action can be taken but allows police officers and the Olympics security force to take action.
Chris Allison, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said officers would not be going after protest posters or political signs, The Daily Mail said. But critics said the law gives them too much power and was reminiscent of the Chinese effort to clamp down on open protest during last summer's the Beijing Games.
'Powers of entry should be for fighting crime, not policing poster displays," said Anita Coles of the civil liberties group Liberty. "Didn't we learn last time that the Olympics should not be about stifling free expression? The cops need to focus on public safety at such a large event; not big business disputes about who owns the spirit of the games."
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