March to kick off anti-ban meeting

A PUBLIC protest march against the proposed smoking ban in all work and public places will be held on Sunday 25 September. Organised by campaign group Save Our Smokers, it will start at 11am at the Town bus terminus and the route will take protesters to The Bridge.

A public meeting has also been organised for Tuesday 13 September, starting at 7.30pm at Les Rocquettes Hotel, to further discuss the ramifications of the States decision in March.

Guest speaker will be Simon Clark from the pro-smoking group, Forest, but SOS will be asking Health and Social Services Department minister Peter Roffey to sit at the top table and field the public's questions.

All States members are invited, along with the public, while other deputies will be sitting at the main table.

'We're asking the public to join us at the meeting and for the walk to show that both smokers and non-smokers are against this law,' said a spokesman for SOS.

'We want to let the States know that this is an unacceptable infringement of basic freedom in Guernsey,' he said.

'Ten years ago, one of the broadsheets said that Guernsey was the most contented place in Britain, but you would not get that now. If this law does not get overturned, it will come into place on 1 April next year. Everybody can understand smoking is no good for you, but banning it in pubs is getting up everybody's nose. The Guernsey atmosphere is being destroyed.'

A questionnaire filled in by 1,000 people will also be handed to Deputy Roffey by SOS representatives prior to the States meeting on the subject later this year.

'About 2% of the 1,000 agree with the law and 98% don't,' said the spokesman.

He is hoping that more than 1,000 islanders will join the protest march and SOS members will be taking buckets on the route to raise money for the likes of Quitline and Gasp.

One of the SOS committee has spoken to the police about the march.

'They said they're quite happy as long as it's sensible and they've said we have the right to walk.'

A clause to allow exemptions will be discussed by the States prior to the implementation of any ban.

Many licensees fear that a ban in pubs will kill trade.