Judge rules G-20 protest permit must be given to anti-war group

A federal judge ruled today that the city must give a permit to one group hoping to protest… A federal judge ruled today that the city must give a permit to one group hoping to protest Downtown in the days before the G-20 Summit.

U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster ruled that the city must allow Code Pink, an anti-war group comprised primarily of women, to erect tent cities in Point State Park from 7 p.m. Sunday through 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The group plans to camp in the park overnight “to represent the millions of refugees who have been displaced by the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza,” according to court documents. Its members will pass out fliers saying why they are critical of the G-20.

Members of the G-20, who represent 19 nations and the European Union, will meet in the David Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown, next Thursday and Friday.

Code Pink was one of six groups to sue the city, U.S. Secret Service and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which maintains parks, last week. The prospective protesters said the government denied them their First Amendment rights by not issuing permits to protest in the days around or during the G-20.

The other organizations included the 3 Rivers Climate Convergence, the Thomas Merton Center, Pittsburgh Outdoor Artists, Bail Out the People and G6 Billion Journey and Witness.

Lancaster denied the other groups’ requests for motions. Some of them had “been rendered moot by prior agreements.” He did not comment on the other groups’ request in court documents.

The groups criticize the G-20 for several reasons. Among their complaints is that the G-20’s decisions result in a concentration of the world’s wealth, which inevitably denies some people access to basic resources, promotes war and fails to adopt environmentally friendly policies, according to court documents.