After the government shut down the Stonehenge Free Festival with the infamous and appalling police violence of the Battle of the Beanfield in 1985, an exclusion zone was established around Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice complete with roadblocks, razor wire, helicopters, horses and dogs. Years of conflict between the festival community and the authorities followed.
Arthur was a key figure in the campaign to re-open Stonehenge to celebrants and eventually took the government (with the help of Kier Starmer) to the European Court in 1998, claiming that the exclusion zone breached his freedom of thought, conscience, religion and freedom of expression, in contravention of Articles 9, 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Thanks to his persistence we can all enjoy the solstice celebrations again this year.
COMING SOON The Trials of Arthur – The Biker who would be King
A personal message from Arthur this solstice:
I would like to wish everyone attending, and everyone who is not, a very Happy Solstice,
And whom might I be, well, as the first line from a poem I wrote back in 1987 goes.
“My name is Arthur, I am he, once and future born to be,”
Yes, I am Generally known as King Arthur, a Senior Druid and Pagan Priest, oft’ time Independent Parliamentary candidate for Salisbury, and one of the celebrants at Stonehenge going back to the days of the so called ‘Exclusion zone’ when we were forced to hold our ceremonies on the road side adjacent to the Hele Stone.
I took Her Majesties Government to the court of Human Rights in the late nineties and the young Barrister who assisted me is the current Prime Minister, at least at the time of going to press.
There’s a book coming out, ‘maybe’ on 23rd of next month. It’s the fourth edition of The Trials of Arthur, subtitled the Biker who would be King. It’s a rip roaring read profusely illustrated with around forty, mainly full colour photographs, many of which you will have never seen before. There are also a couple of new articles by both joint-Authors, myself and former Guardian columnist and writer C.J.Stone. That’s not all that’s new in this edition we have included an article written by Kier Starmer, although I am not sure that’s the sort of endorsement that will necessarily be a good selling point.
I have been fighting for Free access at times of Celebration for more than forty years now and have had many adventures and Quests along the way; it’s all in the book. I gave up work and relied on the generosity of others to literally keep this show on the road. I reasoned that, if I was a ‘Good’, Arthur the Goddess would provide and I would not go hungry, if not I would receive no help and I would have made a wrong turn along the way, it was of course a leap of Faith.
Please show your respect to Arthur Pendragon this Summer Solstice. Arthur is self funded and his ‘Iron Horse’ motorbike is at the garage and needs repairs. He needs some help – please make a donation this weekend – we need people like this in our society who make the difference.
RELEVANT LINKS:
Arthur Pendragon, Stonehenge and the Solstice
Druid Leader King Arthur Uther Pendragon, Head of the Loyal Arthurian Warband.
The Stonehenge News Blog
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