Sign up to FREE email alerts from croydonadvertiser - Daily Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Anti-abortion campaigners claim they have been victimised by “terrifying censorship" after having their stall removed from a family event in south London.

Volunteers at the Life charity say they obtained full permission to attend the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park on Saturday (June 21) and Sunday.

But when they arrived on the second day of the festival they discovered their stall had been taken down and shifted from their pitch, before, the volunteers said, they were told to take their belongings and leave.

A Lambeth Labour councillor has said the group were not officially allowed at the event and were "not on the list of approved exhibitors".

Life volunteers, though, say they obtained full permission to attend the annual event in Brockwell Park months in advance and have branded the sudden reversal an attack on free speech.

“This level of censorship is terrifying in a civilised country, it’s like being in a Big Brother state,” said Life director Anne Scanlan.

“Even people who will not share our point of view will recognise that. We can’t live in a society where your views cannot be expressed in public.

“Here we have a clear demonstration of Lambeth Council not allowing all voices to be heard.”

(Image: Life)

Life volunteers say that no mention was made of abortion at their stall, and they simply displayed images of foetuses. They also said they had been placed on the list of official exhibitors.

Life said that all materials to be used on their stall – which included face painting and games – were discussed with Lambeth Council in the procedure to gain permission to set up at the show.

But Labour councillor Ed Davie took to Twitter claiming: “It wasn’t officially allowed. They were not on the list of approved exhibitors.”

The council member for adult health and social care added: “It's a community festival - that includes women who have had to make really hard family planning decisions who don't want plastic foetuses in their faces.”

Cllr Davie indicated that councillors raised complaints about the Life stall before council officers acted to have it removed.

“These are people who are ideologically opposed to our charity,” said Life’s Mrs Scanlan.

(Image: Life)

“We applied in January with full disclosure of who we were. It was accepted in April, and we made our payments in May.

“We had full permission. This is an affront to free speech.”

Lambeth Council has been contacted for comment.

*What are your views on the situation? Let us know by contacting craig.simpson@reachplc.com