CAMPAIGNING comedian Mark Thomas lent his support to a busking protest in Cornmarket Street.

The entertainer joined a throng of musicians demonstrating against a proposed Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which would force city centre buskers to adhere to Oxford City Council’s code of conduct or face a fine.

Speaking at the protest on Thursday, he said: “If you want to do something, use the current laws to catch the criminals that are already out there.

“Don’t invent a bunch of new silly crimes to criminalise the populace.

“Actually, democracy is slightly messy, and our city should be slightly messy and slightly chaotic.”

The PSPO, which would ban a wide range of ‘anti-social’ behaviours in the city centre such as aggressive begging and sleeping in toilets, is set to go to scrutiny committee on Tuesday, June 2.

More protests are planned to coincide with the decision-making process.

esterday organiser Jonny Walker, a professional busker from Leeds and founder of the Keep Streets Live campaign, said: “We’re not going away.

“If they bring in these measures we will keep campaigning until they decide to drop them.

“Mark Thomas is a really respected comedian and activist.

“He cares about empowering communities.

“If he is against what you’re doing, it’s a pretty good sign you are on the wrong side of the argument.”