King Arthur Pendragon

A QUESTION OF POLICY
A King's got to do what a King's got to do

'm always getting arrested but that's part of the territory,' he says modestly. 'At Newbury they arrested so many of us they had to spread us across several police stations. 'When I got out of the police van, in handcuffs, I heard a lot of raucous shouting and calls of support. I thought it must be football fans but when I looked round it was a load of riot police - I've got supporters everywhere!'

A champion of druidry King Arthur is dedicated to furthering the aims of the ancient popular religion of Britain. But the old nestles neatly alongside the new, and if there's a good fight to be fought, King Arthur makes sure he's there to help. These days, conservation issues play a major part in his philosophy.

A popular target for Arthur's attentions in the Criminal Justice Act. Arthur has always maintained the Bill is an infringement of people's rights to gather in groups and a cynical attempt by Government to stop minority groups from holding public meetings. For example, the CJA is used to prevent gatherings at Stonehenge for the annual solstice - an important event in the Druid calendar. After several run-ins with the law he has now become the first monarch in history to take his own kingdom to court.

In March legal papers were filed in the name of King Arthur Pendragon vs the United Kingdom and Ireland over the issue of access rights to Stonehenge and the total exclusion zone that is placed around it. The case, to be heard before the European courts has yet to receive a hearing date.

'People think I'm a nutter, but I'm not. This is a very important issue, not just for me for an awful lot of other people too. I intend to bring it to its knees.'

In the past, Arthur has taken on the police in the courts and won. Convictions for trespass have been overturned at appeal and compensation has been handed out - handy indeed if you're a renunciate who doesn't believe in money.
'At one hearing I was fined and I told them: 'Put me in jail'. I don't have money, I don't believe in it, so I couldn't pay the fine, even if I had wanted to.

'The magistrates spent about an hour discussing the situation and decided they would jail me, but only to the end of the court session. Mine was the last but one case of the day!'