HE ONCE offered potential supporters a ride in his Lotus Esprit when he stood in a general election, but this month he led a group of Occupy Bristol supporters as they took over a court in the city.

Craig Clarke, who led the storming of a hearing to evict the College Green protesters at Bristol County Court, ran as a candidate in the general election and council elections two years ago for the English Democrats party.

He also tried to stand in the 2005 general election – funding his campaign by charging friends £5 a time for a ride in his Lotus Esprit sports car.

When Occupy Bristol supporters hijacked proceedings at Bristol County Court earlier this month, he was one of the people calling for the judge to be arrested.

But Mr Clarke, who also worked in democratic services for Bristol City Council, denied he was railing against the system he once strove to become a part of.

Instead he said that his support of the Occupy movement and its camp at College Green actually protected the "establishment" as it defended the democratic right to "question authority".

Mr Clarke, 39, was born in Almondsbury and brought up in Cheddar. In 2005 he attempted to stand as an independent MP in five seats across Bristol at once.

To fund the £2,500 required for deposits he offered rides in his white Lotus Esprit at £5 a time. But the car, which he has since sold, had a mechanical fault and would only run in third gear. He then failed to stand because of a discrepancy with his nomination papers.

Two years ago he repeated his efforts, representing the nationalist party the English Democrats in the general election for Bristol South.

Mr Clarke polled 400 votes – 0.8 per cent of the total – coming seventh in a seat that was won by Labour's Dawn Primarolo, who received 18,600 votes.

On the same day he also stood for election as a councillor for Avonmouth, again for the English Democrats. He came fifth, picking up 224 votes against eventual winner Doug Naysmith's 1,879 votes.

But Mr Clarke's most recent political act, at a hearing to evict the Occupy Bristol protesters from College Green at Bristol County Court on January 13, saw him lead a 15-strong group of "lay representatives" who interrupted proceedings, with Mr Clarke claiming they had "common law" jurisdiction to "seize authority" in the court.

The group embarked on a five-hour sit-in, during which Mr Clarke repeatedly called for the judge to be arrested and spurned attempts of reconciliation by police negotiators.

But the former parliamentary candidate denied he was part of the Occupy movement, saying he was merely a supporter of its "right to protest" who attended camp to ensure "public safety".

He told the Evening Post: "I don't see myself as part of the movement. Occupy is a very small thing and I am part of a much larger thing than that – I am a man of God. I am not part of the movement but I support its right to protest."

When asked about his involvement with the English Democrats, he said: "They don't require any help until the next election. I may consider standing for them again in the future."

Mr Clarke said his standing as an MP and councillor was not at odds with his activism and support for the Occupy movement, but that were simply two different routes to the same goal.

He said: "There is no difference. All I am doing is what I have been asked to do by the Bristol public. I am achieving being able to have a voice in the public domain, which we all wish for.

"Occupy Bristol is trying to defend the establishment. The peaceful right to protest is something available to us and always has been.

"We have that right and that is what I support – our right to raise questions and awareness.

"I have a duty as a member of the public to ensure that the establishment is defended and that is what I am doing – defending the right to question that authority. That is the point."

Mr Clarke, of Redland, also said that he would stand as a candidate if Bristol voted for an elected mayor.

He said: "I will stand myself if anyone else is standing, and I am going to do it for the minimum wage. As soon as anyone else stands I will be willing to stand and do it for the minimum wage. I want to challenge directly the amount of money the mayor is going to be paid."

Robin Tilbrook, chairman of the English Democrats, said that Mr Clarke's membership of the party had lapsed because of "financial" reasons.

He said: "Craig joined in October 2009 and stood for the English Democrats in 2010, and at the time was a member."

Mr Tilbrook added that the English Democrats had not "in any way" endorsed the Occupy movement.

Reader comments have been removed from this story as they did

not comply with our house

rules.