Brian Haw is thought to be one of two people arrested on suspicion of obstructing the police in Parliament Square at around 8am.
An eyewitness reported seeing Mr Haw being forcibly detained and handcuffed by officers at a camp where he and other peace campaigners maintain a round-the-clock demonstration.
Police with sniffer dogs moved in this morning to search the bedraggled collection of tents before the Queen arrived to announce the new Government's plans.
Mr Haw, a former carpenter, began his protest against British and US foreign policy in 2001 and is most widely known for his anti-war stance.
Repeated attempts have been made by the authorities to move him but none has previously been successful.
Westminster City Council attempted to prosecute him for causing an obstruction in late 2002 but failed, then MPs complained about his use of a loudhailer.
It was even suggested that protests in the square could be used by terrorists as a staging area for attacks, or even the site of a potential attack.
Perhaps partly because of his campaign, the law has been changed to bar would-be protesters from doing so without a licence.
One operation to remove Mr Haw's anti-war placards cost around £27,000.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: "We have had two people arrested in Parliament Square on suspicion of obstructing police."
__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.
What's that weasly phrase supposed to mean? Obstruction is pretty bloody obvious when it occurs. Either Haw was obstructing police and refused to get out of the way when they asked him, or he was not. I thought the new Coalition Government was supposed to roll back the trappings of the Blair-Brown police state.
Protester Brian Haw 'arrested' outside Houses of Parliament
Linear Mode
