BBC News Online: UK Politics

Tory MEPs' beef with armed police

The parliamentarians carried banner proclaiming "Let them eat cake - Let them eat British beef" in front of the Arc de Triomphe in the centre of the capital.

Traffic going round the monument came to a halt as the 11 protesters marched down the Champs Elysees.

The National Guard halted the Tory demonstration, but then allowed it to continue its way down the thoroughfare.

While the MEPs - who had promised to drape their banner from the top of the Arc de Triomphe - had said they would have been happy to be arrested, they complained afterwards at their treatment by the armed officers.

"It was all totally unnecessary," said Philip Bushill-Matthews, one of the protesters.

"At first the ordinary police were very helpful as we stood under the Arc de Triomphe with our banner.

"It was after they had helped us get across to the Champs Elysees that the armed police turned up, plus the National Guard in a coach.

"They simply refused to let us move any further, even though by then our banner was furled up."

After the tiff with police, the group made its way to the British Embassy, where they had a half-hour meeting with the British Ambassador to France, Sir Michael Jay.

He handed them a letter from French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin explaining his position.

The symbolic protest follows an increase in pressure on France over its refusal to accept the European Union decision to lift the British beef ban.

Prime Minister Tony Blair held private talks with Mr Jospin on the subject at last week's EU summit and the UK agriculture minister has declared he will no longer consume French food and drink.

British farmers have also held protest, attempting to stop French lorries entering at UK ports.

One of the MEPs taking part, Chris Heaton-Harris, who represents the East Midlands in the European Parliament, said: "The French are not protecting their people, they are protecting their markets at untold damage to British farmers.

"Tony Blair was so reluctant to address the situation at Tampere last week, we felt we had to run the risk of this protest."

"It is hypocritical to arrest us as we protest against their refusal to obey EU law.

"There is something to be said for civil disobedience when a government is acting criminally, and we are right to stand up for our farmers, the beef industry and the people of the UK."

The Conservative agriculture spokesman in Europe, Robert Sturdy MEP, said: "Marie Antoinette began the French Revolution in 1789 by crying 'Let them eat cake'.

"In 1999 the British Conservatives are starting their own revolution against the French disregard for European law by shouting loud and clear to all of Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, 'Let them eat British beef'."

But the leader of Labour's MEPs, Alan Donnelly, described the beef protest as "hypocrisy on a grand scale".

He said it provided "a vivid illustration of what would happen in Hague's flexible Europe where member states can choose which EU laws they want to obey.

"The result is chaos."

Relevant Stories

Fury erupts at beef protest (20 Oct 99 | UK)
Beef industry gets jobs boost (19 Oct 99 | Northern Ireland)
The French beef with British beef (19 Oct 99 | From Our Own Correspondent)
MPs take beef to the French (18 Oct 99 | UK Politics)

Internet Links

Conservative Party
European Parliament

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Links to other UK Politics stories