The statement from Rylance and others asserts that, "The police should not be misusing public order powers to shield the BBC from democratic scrutiny. The excuse offered by the police is that the march could cause disruption to a nearby synagogue which is not even on the march route." This highlights the perceived overreach of police authority and the importance of holding public institutions accountable.
Rylance and the signatories address the police's concerns by stating, "As the Met police have acknowledged, there has not been a single incident of any threat to a synagogue attached to any of the marches." This underlines the lack of justification for the ban based on past events.
In calling for the protest to continue, the statement emphasizes that, "The rights to protest and free speech are precious. It is not acceptable in a democratic society that, in the face of an ongoing genocide in Gaza, people should be barred from protesting at the BBC." This underscores the critical importance of democratic freedoms in times of crisis.
The collective letter from activists and artists states, "The BBC is a major institution it is a publicly-funded state broadcaster and is rightly accountable to the public." This reinforces the accountability of public institutions to the citizens they serve.
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