Violent Protests End in Truce on Pedophiles

Seven days of violent protests aimed at driving suspected pedophiles from the seaside town of Portsmouth settled into a shaky truce Thursday night between angry citizens and the city council after police said a fifth innocent family was forced to leave the Paulsgrove neighborhood.

“Pedophiles: Don’t House Them, Hang Them,” read placards carried by men, women and children living in Paulsgrove, during daily protests involving up to 250 people.

Portsmouth, 70 miles southwest of London, became the focal point of a campaign against pedophiles recently launched by the weekly News of the World, which published the names, photographs and addresses of child sex offenders, some of whom live in Paulsgrove. The tabloid began its “name and shame” campaign after the July abduction and killing of 8-year-old Sarah Payne in a neighboring county.

For the last week, Paulsgrove residents have rioted, overturning cars, hurling bricks and stones, injuring police officers and creating an atmosphere of mob rule.

Because the residents’ list of 20 suspects was compiled largely from rumor and word of mouth, some innocent families have been forced to leave as rioters mistakenly targeted their homes with verbal abuse and violence.

The protests were suspended Thursday after a long meeting between the demonstrators and the Portsmouth City Council.

“Whilst we have had repeated requests to move child offenders out of Paulsgrove, we cannot do that. If they don’t want to move, we cannot force them to do so,” said Roger Ching, acting chief executive of the Portsmouth City Council. “But we’ve made it clear to the residents of Paulsgrove that we are prepared to give them all the support possible.”

Peter Gammon, spokesman for the Assn. of Police Superintendents, said the residents’ reaction since the beginning of the “name and shame” campaign was hysterical and has served only to heighten community fear.

“The police have got to try to reassure the residents of Paulsgrove,” Gammon said. “There is an awful lot going on in the background that residents are not aware of. We do monitor pedophiles’ activity, and they know we are watching them.”

Protest spokesman Barry Pettinger, 51, said, “We still want all pedophiles removed from Paulsgrove and not relocated anywhere else in Portsmouth, or anywhere near children.”

Residents made it clear that they would return to the streets if they saw no progress on their demands.

Member of Parliament for Portsmouth Syd Rapson, who lives in Paulsgrove, does not dismiss the demonstrations as hysteria but wants the protests to stop.

“The marches have been very threatening in nature and have caused mental torture, not only to the people being targeted, but also to those living nearby,” Rapson said. “They have put fear into people and risk driving pedophiles underground,” where they cannot be monitored.

Residents are protesting not only to oust sex offenders from their neighborhood, but also in support of a proposed “Sarah Law,” similar to “Megan’s Law” in the United States, which mandates that names of known sex offenders be released to parents.

Home Office Minister Barbara Roche called for an end to the violence, saying that the Home Office will review the police register of pedophiles and the laws monitoring pedophiles.

“But we need to be able to do that in a period of calm and quiet discussion,” she said.

Even the parents of Sarah Payne have appealed to protesters to stop the violence.

“Give us a chance. If in six months’ time we haven’t changed the law, we will peacefully protest alongside you,” said Sara Payne, Sarah’s mother. “Stop the violence. We won’t change the law if this goes on. Don’t riot--you are giving people a chance to be against you.”