PTI to stage another protest outside 10-Downing Street

Owing to stage yet another demonstration outside the historic 10-Downing Street, London after a gap of 26 months, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) workers are again gearing up to urge the David Cameron regime to prosecute and indict the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain for allegedly inciting violence from British soil.
In May 2013, hundreds of PTI workers, joined by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) loyalists, protested against Altaf Hussain and the assassination of their senior vice president, Zahra Shahid Hussain, in Karachi.
While the incumbent British Prime Minister David Cameron had taken notice of these PTI-JI protests under review, he had also reportedly come out of his residence for a few minutes to witness the demonstration, where the infuriated participants were demanding of the British government to put a curb on any interference by any organisation from Britain into the politics of Pakistan and the resultant provocation of the country’s citizens.
But protests outside the 10-Downing Street can also turn violent sometimes to invite the wrath of the cops deputed there for security purposes.
Just to cite a quite recent example, during May 2015, London Police arrested 15 people, following angry anti-austerity protests near Downing Street that saw a war memorial vandalised.
In its May 11, 2015 edition, “The Independent” stated: “Thousands of people marched to the prime minister’s official residence in the wake of the Conservatives’ unexpected election victory, which paved the way for another £12 billion of welfare cuts. Mostly peaceful protesters held placards reading “I pledge to resist” and “stop the cuts”, while shouting anti-Conservative and anti-cuts chants. Smoke bombs, traffic cones and missiles were thrown at officers blocking the way, armed with batons.”
History reveals that behind the 10-Downing Street’s front black door, some of the most important decisions affecting Britain and the world have been taken since 1735 or for the last 280 years.
These decisions pertained to the First and Second World Wars, the key decision about the end of the British Empire, the building of the country’s nuclear bomb, the handling of economic crises from the 1929 Great Depression and the building up of an enviable welfare state.
The 10-Downing Street has been named after a notorious spymaster and wealthy diplomat Sir George Downing (1623-84), as the Encyclopedia Britannica has mentioned. It has been the official residence of British prime ministers since the time of Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930).
It goes without saying that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had never liked Sir George Downing.
Churchill, also a fabulous writer, had described 10-Downing Street structure in these words: “Shaky and lightly built by the profiteering contractor whose name they bear.”
This historic building has been a favourite site for protesters since 1908 at least, when women battling for their right to vote had opted to register their resentment here.
While a woman named Miss Nell chained herself to the railings outside the prime minister’s front door; one of her colleagues had chained herself to a statue in the lobby of the House of Commons.
Police were called to guard the prime minister’s offices at 10-Downing Street.
These were the days when London was the scene of bitter political debate and tense street battles.
In 1912, two Women Voting Movement protesters (Mary Leigh and Edith New) were caught after they had smashed the windows and were found guilty of pelting stones at 10-Downing Street, leading to mass arrests of suffragettes.
History tells us that British women were enfranchised 80 years ago, on February 6, 1918.
The Representation of the People Act had given the right to vote to those women over 30, who had occupied premises of a yearly value of not less than £5.
But it was not until 1928 that the voting age for women was lowered to 21 in line with men.
Downing Street has been gated since 1989 when Margaret Thatcher was in office, preventing public access. There was a similar barricade in 1918 when violent protest by supporters of Irish Independence was anticipated.
It was also in 1918 that thousands of World War I women workers, who were discharged from the British ammunition factories, had come to meet Prime Minister Lloyd George (1863-1945), but were not allowed access.
Consequently, they had opted to raise their voice outside the 10-Downing Street too.
By the way, hot and cold running water was installed at the 10-Downing Street in 1877, electric lighting and first telephones were installed in 1894, it was equipped with central heating in 1937 when it was renovated for Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, the first motor-car driven within its vicinity in 1902 had belonged to Premier Arthur Balfour, the first direct hotline between No 10 and Washington DC was established in 1982 during Margaret Thatcher’s first term of office, the first micro-computer and microfilm reader were also installed here in 1982, the desktop Personal Computers were installed at all workstations of 10-Downing Street’s staffers in 1996 and internet access was allowed for the building’s staff desktops in 1998.