The Day We Were Arrested and Nearly Banned from the UN

We were very busy during the four days that we attended the UN Special Session on the Child in New York. Each of fourof my students were delegates representing different NGOs. Two represented Article 12 and the other two represented the International Humanist and Ethical Union. They attended fringe meetings, lobbied, leafleted, marched, read out poems and statements. The second to last day we heard about the public briefing given daily by the American UN delegate was to be the focus of a protest. The whole conference was being stalled by the delegate and his team, along with some Islamic countries, and possibly Rome, with arguments against rights in favour of the family, and specifically against the right to sex education and to support for sexual health. There was also an ongoing debate about Lebanon and Palestine and Isreal preventing their children from attending schools...

We rushed to the UN multidenominational Chapel to hear the American delegate. Outside we were given A4 sheets of paper, to hold up, saying 'Shame America'. Anything bigger would have broken the laws about protest. The audience was restless, and the chapel was packed. Before the speaker was introduced an official asked if there were any journalists present. A few hands went up and they were escorted out of the building. Then a professor started to talk to us about economic American aid changing the politics of countries around the world in terms of human rights and democracy. He was challenged about the lack of the presence of the USA UN delegate and responded that he was busy negotiating and would be joining the briefing as soon as he could. It was commented that the day before he arrived so late that there was no time for questions or feedback. The Professor continued his talk...

Just ten minutes towards the end of the briefing the USA UN delegate arrives in haste and is introduced to us. He makes some introductory comments and then asks for questions, my hand shoots up, he does not see me. The first question is about sexual health and AIDS. I put my hand up again and speak, "could I ask a question?" He turns to me and indicates yes.

"I am with four children from Britain. We have travelled to this conference with respectful ideas of the values of democracy, negotiation and the UN. With your behaviour in stalling the UN talks and trying to silence the majority of voices on the UN, what images are you teaching my children about what the USA feels about democracy, negotiation and the UN?"

The audience applauds. The speaker is not happy. He replies with an angry quip.

"At least America has a better child protection system than the UK."

"Answer the question," I respond, "Answer the question". The chair tells me he has. I counter that he has not, and he replies that he will not answer it.

Several questions later the delegate starts to leave and we all stand-up for him to see, and to the dismay of the Americans in the audience, repeat the word, "shame", as we display our A4 sheets and as he disappears we all walk out.

On the street outside the police quickly move on us as we still hold our sheets and shout 'Shame'. They tell us we are obstructing. I say I am moving, but whilst shouting and displaying the sheet, the policeman, with no humour at all, threatens to arrest me. We move quickly and quietly around the corner. As we chat about what we are going to do next and a journalist asks me some questions I notice Roger Moore walking up the road to the UN Hotel. He had been opening a sculpture the day before in honour of Audrey Hepburn. I gathered courage and ran up to him, with my Summerhill baseball cap on, shook his hand and thanked him for supporting children's rights. He was slightly bemused.

I then rejoined my students, who were not as impressed with my bravery as I was. We decided to go back to the UN building to watch John Denham do his presentation. We had lobbied him the day before - but that is another story. I entered the building first, having gone through the security, and waited. Instead of my students behind me I was faced with two security guards walking up to me and asking me to accompany them. We were to be detained for a hour, and threatened with life bans from the UN...