Hackney business pulls anti-Olympics banner after pressure from top cop

Take down that banner! The offending 'Justice for Victims of the Olympics' sign, which has now been removed following a police request. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

The most senior police officer in the Olympic borough of Hackney took time out from his crime fighting schedule to ask the owner of a delivery business to remove a banner critical of the Olympics.

Borough Commander Matthew Horne requested that Michael Spinks remove his “Justice for Victims of the Olympics” banner from the side of a Hackney Wick warehouse belonging to his family-run food distribution business Essex Flour & Grain Company.

The 160-year-old firm’s location next to the Olympic Park has left it fighting for survival, according to Mr Spinks, because of problems making deliveries due to road closures and traffic throughout the Games.

An article posted on justiceforvictimsoftheolympics.com today (Friday) told of how police officers paid a “friendly visit” to Mr Spinks and stated: “We have no powers but are you minded to take it down?”

Mr Spinks said that, following this, the Borough Commander Horne rang him today and encouraged him to remove his banner, telling him: “We have no powers but please would you take it down.”

Mr Spinks is currently involved in court proceedings to try to get compensation from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) for the harm he believes is being done to his trade.

Councillor Ian Rathbone, chairman of Hackney Community Law Centre, said he thought the request to remove the banner had originated from an Olympics organisation.

He added: “What’s the problem with someone putting up something like this when they feel they have been unfairly treated? As far as I can see he’s a law-abiding person.

“He hasn’t supported any programme of civil disobedience. He’s going through the courts in the way that any citizen has to. We are little minnows compared with these Olympics giants. Why do they have to stamp on every little thing?”

Mr Spinks said he had decided to remove the banner after his conversation with the Borough Commander.

He said: “We’re not here to cause grief for the police. The act of putting it up and taking it down in the beginning isn’t a problem I’m going to raise. I am still suing LOCOG but I’m not here to give the police any distress. I’m not going to convene a board meeting to ask whether we follow police protocol.

“We’ll be down on the towpath protesting on Sunday. I need a line to the Borough Commander in case anything should go wrong like if there’s an explosion on the towpath or whatever and I might need help. You might see it as a sign of weakness.”

At the 2010 election Mr Spinks stood in the Hackney South and Shoreditch constituency on a platform of “Justice fror the Victims of the Olympics”.

He read land economy at Cambridge before joining his family food business, where he has worked for his entire career.

A Met Police spokeswoman said: “Hackney borough continues to engage with all businesses and residents affected locally by the Olympics and spoke with the man concerned as part of this engagement. During the conversation, he offered to remove the banner. It was made clear to him that police have no legal powers to require the removal of the banner .”