Metric Martyrs
The Metric Martyrs were an English citizens' initiative that campaigned against the implementation of the metric system of measurement and for the preservation of the imperial system . Neil Herron was chairman.
background
When Great Britain joined the European Union in 1973, the country committed itself to abandoning the Anglo-American system of measurement in favor of a Europe-wide uniform system, the metric system.
The initiative began in 2000 after market traders Neil Herron and Steve Thoburn were instructed by the authorities in the English city of Sunderland not to use ounces (oz) or pounds (lb) weights in the future . After they refused, their weights were confiscated and both received fines, which they took both in and out of court. Thoburn sued the European Court of Human Rights , where he finally lost in 2004. In the same year Thoburn died of a heart attack. In the meantime, other market traders had joined the initiative. The Metric Martyrs also found support from a number of English celebrities, such as the comedian John Cleese , the singer Elaine Paige and the author Joanne K. Rowling , who also exclusively uses the imperial system of measurement in her widespread Harry Potter novels.
In May 2007, Günter Verheugen , the EU Commissioner responsible for business and industry, announced that the exemption, originally limited to January 1, 2010, according to which Great Britain may use both measurement systems in parallel, had been converted by the EU Commission into an open-ended exemption be. Metric Martyrs chairman Neil Herron welcomed the decision, but announced that the initiative would continue until the court rulings were overturned and the late founder Steve Thoburn's name was rehabilitated.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 'Metric martyrs' lose court battle. In: BBC. February 18, 2002, accessed November 2, 2007 .
- ^ Alison Gray: Europe's scales of justice weigh heavy on the metric martyrs. In: The Scotsman. February 19, 2002, accessed November 2, 2007 .
- ↑ Wolfgang Koydl: Not backing off an inch. In: Süddeutsche. May 9, 2007, accessed November 2, 2007 .
- ↑ Metric Martyrs: Tribute to Steven Thoburn ( Memento of the original from March 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
