Charities, Unions slam proposed restrictions on repeat protests
In a joint statement titled Defend the Right to Protest Civil Society, organizations including Greenpeace, the Trades Union Congress, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Jewish Voice for Liberation emphasized that the right to protest is “precious and should be defended.”
“We therefore oppose the government’s draconian crackdown on our rights to freedom of expression and assembly,” the statement, signed by 44 NGOs in total, read.
The groups criticized the proposed amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, which would require police to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated protests in the same area when imposing restrictions. They warned that if enacted, the law would allow authorities to block demonstrations based on past or planned protests in a given location.
While the government has indicated these measures were motivated by recent pro-Palestine rallies, the NGOs stressed that the law’s implications would extend far beyond a single issue.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, announcing the proposed powers in October, cited concerns that repeated large-scale protests over Gaza had created “considerable fear” for the Jewish community following a deadly Manchester synagogue attack.
The NGOs warned that the legislation could, for example, allow an anti-racist march in Whitehall to be blocked due to a previous farmers’ protest, or a pride parade restricted because a far-right demonstration had recently taken place in the area.
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