Facts About Pride Factsheet 2019 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW You can walk into the Village and around the public streets without buying a wristband and without any sort of pass. It’s your legal right to do this so you can visit premises (businesses and homes) that can’t be reached by any other route. Some businesses, including bars, have allowed people in without a wristband every year since at least 2012. However you have a legal right to reach them whether they admit you or not No wristband has ever been required to get into the HIV/AIDS Vigil in Sackville Park on Monday. On 22 April 2015, the Local Government Ombudsman ruled that had exceeded its pow- ers and that the wording of its Traffic Regulation Order for 2014 was “unlawful.”

© RGS Mardi Gras 1998 The full ruling can be read here: www.factsmcr.com/go/010

What if I experience a Which businesses will let Our Factsheet for 2019 problem at the gates? me in without a band? We’ve doubled the number of pages in Since 2014 thousands of people have our factsheet. That has allowed us to walked into the Village without a wrist- feature two special articles. band or problem. Be polite, make clear We tend to think that the Village Party that you know your rights and walk on. will be a success. But let’s see what the A member of staff from Manchester businesses generate for good causes City Council will be on duty all weekend and how much a Village wristband costs to assist and record any issue you have. next year. No pressure! Mayfield we Contact: Veronica Wong on 07771 aren’t so sure about and we understand 607341 between the hours of 12:00 Pride will have to relocate for 2020. Bullying should be the last thing anyone and 22:00. For the first time in more than 30 expects at a Pride. Unfortunately some At other times you can call the Pride years no final charity amount has been of the business people do feel bullied Control Room on 0793 9878041. But we announced for last year. A disgrace. and intimidated by the City Council and would recommend you find a police of- In January we were sad to say good- organisers. So we don’t publish a list. ficer instead and ask for the incident to bye to Julia Grant who But in the past even venues run by be recorded. passed away. In 2000 Pride trustees have served people with- And please let us know your experi- Julia and her team raised out a band. To some you are a walking ence too. Details below. £105,716 with their free Pound sign so it breaks their hearts to GayFest. The total for see that lovely loot being turned away. causes was announced and Clone Zone — which was involved distributed within days. Visit our Live Blog all Pride week- in starting off the August fundraising The unlawful blocking of end at: FactsMCR.com. And we weekend more than 30 years ago — is the public from pavements have a Facebook group: “I Love one business that has announced that has been a civil rights issue. Fighting the My Right To Access Premises at no band will be needed to enter their City Council, Police, media and others shop. They’ve even promised to assist in Manchester Pride 2019.” Tell us has been very much in the original spirit the unlikely event that you have a prob- of and . We’ve been your experience — good or bad. lem at the gates. Well done them! proud to do it! What they said... Quotes from Manches- ter City Council, Police & the Department For Transport

Fiona Worrall, Director of Neighbour- hoods, Manchester City Council in a letter of 14 March 2018: “As you are aware Manchester Pride Loose-lipped Village busi- ness sources and others has operated for a number of years under the powers of tell Linda the latest... a traffic order that restricts all vehicular traffic on certain roads. Pedestrians are allowed free and un-fettered ac- cess at all times. Wristbands are managed by the event organisers and are only to facilitate access to the bars and event spaces and are in no way related to access the public highways. “If pedestrians wish to access any footways then they The Village businesses were Mayfield ticket buyers won’t all can freely do so. the last to know about the loss see face-to-face “I can assure you that pedestrian access will be main- of the car-park for the weekend Based on proposed ticket sales Pride had an ongoing 5-year and capacity figures we believe tained to the public highway at all time. rolling agreement with the owners that the actual venue to see the “We have previously requested that if any incidents oc- of the Bloom Street car-park. acts live at Mayfield holds 8,500 cur that individuals either contact us on the day or submit That came to an end in 2018 and people and that another 12,000 Pride was only offered a one-year will be in other areas watching details to us and we will fully investigate what has oc- agreement that wouldn’t be con- big screens. They won’t see a live curred.” firmed until May 2019. Naturally performance. A rumour suggested they felt couldn’t agree to that and there would be no entry to May- Gareth Parkin, Chief Inspector City decided to move. But Pride didn’t field after 19:00. We hear that isn’t bother to tell the businesses about true. But people could find them- Centre, Greater Manchester Police in a it for nearly two months. The selves waiting outside if there are letter of 12 January 2016: businesses found out by chance concerns of overcrowding. “With regard to the 2015 event, In- when someone at the City Council slipped up and mentioned it. Parade protest? spector Spurgeon delivered a bespoke Two separate sources with con- briefing to the Pride security teams who Party infastructure nections to the City Council and were deployed on the gates detailing what their respon- and fundraising the Police say that a well-known Infrastructure (such as fences environmental protest group plans sibility and powers were, we certainly made it clear they and security) is expected to cost to disrupt the Manchester Pride could not restrict access and the approach was a simple £300,000. The businesses don’t parade on Saturday. It’s difficult to appeal for people to purchase wristbands. However if they think that Village Party wristbands see why they would and we didn’t sales will cover the bill. So the think it was credible until we heard refused to do so access would not be restricted.” cost will end up being subsidised the same via a second source. by Mayfield. If so, no money from Sara Todd, Deputy Chief Executive, 2018 charity money Village wristbands will reach good Manchester City Council, makes clear causes. The venues have made Not only has Manchester Pride a donation and say they have failed to announce a final charity in a letter of 22 August 2018 that fought for that to go directly into total for 2018 but we understand the Council informed the Police of the Manchester Pride charity pot. the larger charities still haven’t received any money. The Village reported incidents in 2017: Police refuse to relax the rules businesses were told a figure “With regards the Incident on Saturday 26th August Greater Manchester Police was would be announced in May and 2017, this was received by Veronica Wong who followed asked to relax the rules about then that it would in the run up to on-street drinking but said no. So this year’s Pride. But it didn’t hap- this up on site and with the Pride Organisers. GMP were there will be no drinking on the pen. We hear that “questions were also notified of this and other incidents reported.” street after 23:00 hours. The con- being asked” on Wednesday. This cert at Mayfield finishes at 22:45. has never happened in the history Victoria Pointer, Department For Then there is an hour of music of this fundraising weekend which after which the volume goes started in the 1980s. Transport, in a letter, 21 August down. A club event in a separate 2014: Pride fibs area continues until 01:00. Some “I can confirm that Section (16)9 are concerned that 20,000 people Manchester Pride has a past may descend on the Gay Village history of massively exaggerat- of the 1984 Road Traffic Regulation at 23:00 just as drinking on the ing attendance figures. This year Act (‘the Act’) states ‘...no such order shall be made streets stops. Others feel that the mainstream media lapped up with respect to any road which would have the effect Mayfield and the Village appeal to claims by London Pride that 1.5 different markets so it’s unlikely to million people had been “been of preventing at any time access for pedestrians to any happen. on the streets” for its parade. premises situated on or adjacent to the road, or to any Any analysis of the streets and other premises accessible for pedestrians from, and only Visit our Live Blog all Pride week- route, which was only about 1,700 metres long must conclude that from the road.’ end at: FactsMCR.com. And we the 1.5m figure is both physically have a Facebook group: “I Love “This legislative requirement is not ambiguous. It means impossible and beyond belief. pedestrians wishing to access premises that can only My Right To Access Premises at Perhaps a 25x exaggeration? Manchester Pride 2019.” Tell us Why are the organisers of Pride be accressed from the restricted road , must be granted your experience. events so dishonest? entry to those roads.” Manchester Metrolink misleads In the era of the Pink Pound, “not spending” is the most effective LGBT protest and it’s liberating

On 13 August 2018 Manchester Metro- link told its 65,000 Twitter followers wrongly that a “pledgeband” purchase was necessary to enter the Gay Village. Metrolink refused to tweet a correction. Metrolink deleted the original tweet and then lied to the public again in The Huddersfield Pink Picnic was started by a group of friends in another saying “we have at no point the 1980s as a fundraiser. In 1991 advised anyone on access to this area.” (shown here) more than 100 peo- Unluckily for them we had screengrabs. ple turned up for the unofficial Campaigners received a letter of apol- non-profit gathering on the banks of the Dovestone Reservoir at the ogy from Mayor Andy Burnham. But no edge of the Peak District National public apology was made or correction Park. Visit FactsMCR.com to see tweeted by Metrolink to inform the an exclusive video from that year. 65,000 who were misled. With “allies” like this who needs enemies? © RGS Who is Manchester Pride for? A special feature by Crystal the complete opposite: exclusionary, This year billboards around Manchester unkind, exploitative, manipulative, city centre don’t mention the words gay, Manchester Pride is about making unlawfully denying basic civil rights and , bi or trans. Not even the abbre- money. Businesses citywide benefit to paying the police to assist in doing that. viation LGBT. the tune of up to £22m each year thanks The charity fundraising is a tiny to Pride, according to Marketing Man- amount in the overall scheme of things Policing Costs chester. Lucrative “events” careers have and is designed to keep us hooked and been built on the back of it. spending, despite concerns we might A reply to a Freedom of Information Pride is a not-for-profit limited com- have. Manchester Pride is a terribly request in 2018 shows that the total pany and registered charity but we have ineffective way to raise money for good policing cost for Manchester Pride in no idea exactly how and where most of causes. It’s far better to donate to those 2017 was more than £193,000. Pride the income is spent. Experience sug- causes directly. paid £54,658.66 + VAT. Andy Burnham gests that some will go to business pals It’s for each of us to decide who we’ll the Mayor seems to pay 50% of the re- and they certainly will make a profit. support with our cash and who deserves maining cost each year, much of which The Gay Village is about making punishment by having money withheld. comes from Council Tax, and Greater money too and Manchester Pride has Perhaps we’ll avoid Mayfield but buy Manchester Police covers the rest. become a sort of annual publicly-funded a Village wristband? Maybe we’ll walk in benefits scheme for Village businesses free, won’t bother with the wristband- A Pride staff earnings increase of that aren’t viable for the other 361 days only park and car-park, just enjoy being 56.27% per head since 2014 of the year. This means no major change on the streets and spend some money in Manchester Pride is a charity and a not- can ever happen or be tolerated. those businesses that allow us in with- for-profit events company called Man- Having allowed themselves to be out a band? Our regular haunts... chester Pride Events Ltd. The “group” is herded into a ghetto 25 years ago the Some of us may decide to avoid the the two together. Village businesses are themselves vic- whole thing entirely, enjoy a trip away, The earnings increase for the group tims of the City Council and landlords. or have a get-together with friends in since 2014 is 56.27% per head. As fol- Unable to relocate because gays now the park or garden — free from com- lows: 2014-2015 was a 32.95% increase, expect everything in one place. mercial exploitation. Not spending can 2015-2016 another 12.02%, then 2016- Their plight is used to guilt-trip us into be liberating! Try it... 2017 another 4.93%. continuing to support what is now one Check out the businesses that sponsor of the most dangerous crime-ridden Manchester Pride — incredibly even the areas in England. “ethical” Co-op this year — and decide Are Brighton & break- While there are good-hearted busi- whether they deserve your support un- ing the law too? ness people, over the years others have der the current circumstances. Do they Other Prides close the streets using played an active part in deceiving the know all the facts? either Section 16a of the Road Traf- public about wristbands, sidelining the Nicer, more ethical community-based fic Regulation Act 1984 or Section 21 charity fundraising and turning Pride Pride events happen around the UK. of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847. into the monster it is today. Including in Salford. Even Levenshulme Neither allows them to restrict access Despite the marketing hype it’s now a had its own free-to-attend Pride re- to premises. This year a LGBT Muslim long way from the founding ideals of our cently. campaigner was assaulted by security Manchester HIV/AIDS fundraiser and The choice is yours. As consumers we at . Apparently on the original goals of pride from 1969. In have power. And if you aren’t spending a public pavement while police watched. some ways Manchester Pride became be sure to let them know and why!• Greater Manchester Police has questions to answer A special feature by a wristband or resident’s permit was Traffic Order which is issued by the Graham required to access premises. This was Department of Transport in consultation “unlawful” wrote the Ombudsman. with Manchester City Council and this One of the most dis- Since then, campaigners have seen restricts both vehicle and pedestrian ac- turbing aspects of the nothing to explain why Pride went cess whilst allowing access to accredited decade-long Manches- ahead and charged for entry in 2003. people for those who require it.” ter Pride wristband Why didn’t the police defend our rights? The Missing Traffic Order in 2018 scam is the involvement of local Police. On the Saturday of Manchester Pride Some campaigners believe that from in 2014 campaigners attempted to enter Manchester City Council has admit- 2003-2014 the wristbands were an but were blocked by Pride’s guards. ted in writing that the road Traffic Order organised conspiracy at a high level to Police officers stood behind. Campaign- for Manchester Pride in 2018 wasn’t obtain money from the public by decep- ers noted that some of the officers were approved by the Secretary of State. The tion. And that this was only possible be- smirking and grinning and this unprofes- Council didn’t send in the Order until the cause Greater Manchester Police (GMP) sional and rather peculiar behaviour was day Pride started. After the weekend turned a blind eye to something that the recorded. the Secretary of State declined to ap- force knew was unlawful all along. The protesters didn’t mind whether prove the Order retrospectively. It’s a shocking claim, but let’s look they got in or not. It was a win/win situ- No Traffic Order was in place for at at the evidence... The minutes of a ation: either they gained entry and their least part of Manchester Pride 2018 and meeting that was held at Marketing rights were respected or the law was roads were closed to traffic illegally. Manchester in November 2002 were dis- broken by the organisers. By the time A situation that we’re told is “unprec- covered by campaigners in the Library Pride happened, the Police were well edented” for an event on this scale. Archives in 2016. GMP was there and aware of the advice from the DFT. We asked Greater Manchester Police the meeting was told that two methods whether, during the Pride weekend, it Police With No Pride could be used to close the streets but was aware that there was no valid Traffic that either way a charge couldn’t be The transcript of a Manchester Pride Order. But GMP has refused to tell us. made to enter. “Listening Group,” more than three In October 2018 campaigners wrote months later, in December 2014 shows to the Chief Constable and asked him to this question from GMP and Police with investigate whether the wristbands had Pride (PWP): “Regarding all the hype of been an organised conspiracy at a high the Temporary Traffic Order and Rights level to obtain money from the public by of Access, we know that we only had deception. We received no reply. to deal with a small group of people. GMP told us the letter wasn’t re- Do you anticipate the same issue again ceived. However it was sent by signed from this group?” for delivery and Royal Mail records show Here was someone from the Police a signature for receipt at GMP’s HQ. describing our basic civil rights as “hype” When finally we did receive a reply it and those who were campaigning for was unsatisfactory. GMP claimed that It may even have been the police rep- those rights as people “we” had to “deal there had been no complaints “of peo- resentative that told the meeting this. It with.” Who is “we” exactly? They were ple being denied access“ in the previous isn’t clear from the minutes. taking the side of an organisation (Man- three years. However in August 2018, in However, the following August, Man- chester Pride) that had acted unlawfully relation to an incident the previous year, chester , as it was known that for ten years. This at a “pride” meet- the City Council wrote that “GMP were year, went ahead and refused to allow ing. Pride being a also notified of this and other incidents.“ entry to the gay village without a pay- political movement We’re determined that GMP will issue ment. Over the years this was enforced about civil rights, a public apology for its role in the wrist- with an iron fist. Letters were sent to which grew out of band scandal. However long it takes. residents by Pride claiming (illegally) a riot against the According to the Code of Ethics issued that it had the right to “grant” or refuse police outside the by the College of Policing, police offic- entry to their homes. Stonewall Inn in ers should avoid politics. They should Just before Pride in 2014, in letters New York in 1969. act with fairness and impartiality and to campaigners, the Department For You couldn’t make “behave in a manner, whether on or off Transport (DFT) issued written advice, it up... duty, which does not bring discredit on saying that “nothing in the [Traffic] Were the grin- the police service or undermine public Order can at any time prevent access ning officers at the gates in 2014 also confidence in policing.” for pedestrians to any premises situated members of the biased “Police With In 2015 a former Police Federation on or adjacent to the road, or any other Pride” staff organisation? expert told the BBC that the profes- premises accessible for pedestrians At the same Listening Group, the sional standards department of Greater from, and only from, the roads.” then Chair of Manchester Pride sug- Manchester Police was “corrupt.” He And in April 2015 the Local Govern- gested that “having GMP in the Parade said he became dismayed at practices ment Ombudsman ruled that Manches- is a large political statement in itself” which he considered to be “corrupt, ter City Council had exceeded its powers and CEO Mark Fletcher told the meet- criminal, underhand and contrary to the when it stated in a road traffic order that ing, incorrectly “We have a Temporary police regulations.”•