Labour's U-turn on how to vote on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Court's Bill is to be welcomed but it is solely down to the brave women who attended Clapham Common vigil over the weekend. Women wanted to gather to express their pain, grief, anger and solidarity in memory of Sarah Everard. instead we saw the atrocious scenes from south London where totally unwarranted
policing led to women manhandled, handcuffed and arrested for
participating in a vigil for a murdered woman despite the fact that one of their own serving police officers has been charged with this vile crime.
Policing like this do not happen by accident. It’s hard to find words. I don’t think I need to. The condemnation has
been almost universal, with calls for the resignation of the Met police
chief Cressida Dick and even of the Home Secretary. They won't of course and despite the disgraceful police violence at the Sarah Everard
vigil, this week Boris Johnson and Priti Patel are attempting to force
through legislation to vastly restrict our right to protest, despite much opposition..
The government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts which is being debated today and voted on tomorrow, includes a huge and dangerous extension of police powers , the legislation allows for protestors to be thrown into jail for up to ten years. It will increase the use of stop and search. It will drastically reduce the scope for the public to peacefully protest while empowering the police to go much further in their efforts to stop it.
The bill will also be able to say when demonstrations should start and
finish; they will be able to determine maximum noise levels at static
protests, thus, for example, affecting the noise pickets mounted by
grassroots unions like CAIWU, UVW and the IWW. Even “one-person
protests” will be subject to these new police powers. Already the police
and the State have huge powers to restrict protest, increased with the
pandemic, and now the Johnson regime wants to up the ante by increasing
these powers even more. This bill is a massive attack on our freedoms
and civil rights. What we saw at the weekend has again shown why that is totally unacceptable.but will be our future unless we protect the fundamental right to assemble
The Good Law project points out that the Bill will give ‘new powers to
the police to restrict peaceful protests’ which would ‘legislate that
right out of meaningful existence.’It is the sort of legislation that one would expect to see in a military junta. All, it seems, in response to the Extinction Rebellion protests, after the climate activist group brought central London to a standstill and blockaded printing presses last year. Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Extinction Rebellion tactics she said they represent“a shameful attack on our way of life. The very criminals who disrupt our free society must be stopped.‘She also previously expressed outrage at Black Lives Matter
protests saying “protesting in the way that people did last summer was
not the right way at all …. Those protests were dreadful.” On Extinction
Rebellion tactics she said they represent“a shameful attack on our way
of life. The very criminals who disrupt our free society must be
stopped.‘
The whole point of protest is that it will have an impact. It may well cause unease or annoyance to those who don't agree with its aims, but that cannot outweigh the value of our freedom to peacefully assemble and to express our views. Without loud, disruptive protest causing "annoyance" , wives would still be husband's property, women wouldn't have the vote. rape within marriage would still be legal. Imagine telling the suffragettes to be quiet, the poll tax protestors not to a nuisance, or civil rights marchers that they can't stop traffic,
Black Protest Legal Support, a group set up to monitor policing of the BLM protests last summer,said that it is “vital we stand firmly against narrowing the space for civil disobedience, the attempted silencing of black voices and the chilling effect this will have on protest rights more broadly.”
If we do not stand up now. This new Bill will be used against our children and
young people peacefully protesting whether over climate change or
racism. Shami Charkrabati has called the plans “worryingly authoritarian”. Liberty has branded them a “staggering assault on our right to protest as well as an attack on other fundamental rights”.
Liberty interim director Gracie Bradley told LBC radio that she was
concerned about the proposals amid the use of coronavirus regulations to
curb protest.
“We’ve seen nurses fined £10,000 at the weekend for protesting about
their pay and it looks like these supposedly temporary measures are
going to become permanent and our right to stand up to power … will be
reduced,” she said.
Over 100,000 people have now signed Netpool's petition opposing the government's new Policing Bill and calling on the National Police Chief's Council to adopt their Charter for Freedom of Assembly Rights, setting out how police should protect not restrict the right to protest. You can sign it here https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-the-freedom-to-protest
In total more than 150 groups have expressed alarm at the government’s plans.
Political protest is the cradle of law making in society. Attempts to
restrict it touches upon the fundamental cornerstones of our democratic
rights.
Tony Benn once remarked that every generation has to fight the same battles against the powerful.
To protect our democracy, our public services, our rights and
liberties. It now falls to this generation to defend our right to
protest and challenge the power of government.
Our freedoms are under threat like never before . We cannot stand by and watch this hard right Tory government take away our democratic rights.
Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that
everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
Protest is not only a right but a duty in the face of the many social,
economic, environmental and political injustices in this society. Change
only comes about by organising protest.
If you haven't already contacted your MP it is now a matter of urgency to urge them to vote against it.
As mentioned Labour has confirmed they will be voting against the Bill but we need
others to join them. You might have an MP who you think immovable on the
issue, but a lot of surprising voices were raised in anger over the
Met’s atrocious behaviour on Saturday.
Protests can change politicians minds. We must fight for our right to protest.This shocking attempt to curtail basic human rights and freedoms must be opposed. It is certain that we shall have to be prepared to protest. We can do so
safely and peacefully. For it is not a right we can allow to be taken
away. Please sign the following petitions, Protect the right to protest, stop the assault on our freedoms.
