Priti Patel wants to ban protest. Bill going through this week.

[flashbac]

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is some scary looking stuff. 10 year sentence for being at any protest that, amongst other things, causes or is at risk of causing 'serious annoyance'. That's all protests then is it?
The right to protest is the cornerstone of every democracy.
Aibu to be scared about where this is heading?

@bourbonic

This is taken from The Legal Feminist Twitter account:

'The Court agreed that the Covid regs do not amount to a ban on protest, because the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly under the ECHR must also be taken into account (3/6)"

@Bourbonic I'll admit I'm struggling to find links (which is annoying as I'm sure I saw at least 3 just a couple days ago on different sm than here and now I can't bloody find them! I must admit I struggle with this sort of thing on the apps)

So hands up there - for now at least I will keep looking

I did find this from just over a year ago

www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/there-is-widespread-abuse-of-postal-votes-this-simply-cannot-go-on

Which albeit isn't "official" still I think shows how the presiding govt thinks on such matters

@Dustyboots totally agree! I have a Dd who is very politically engaged and she's horrified, it's much harder to get these things overturned if they are passed, than to prevent them being passed in the first place

His bafoon, teddy bear image is a hoax, that’s for sure.

I never bought into that

@LexMitior I agree, the criminalising of political action is not a route we should be going down as a supposed democracy

@Frazzled2207 msm in this country are a disgrace! Ethical journalism doesn't exist nor does impartiality. The bbc pay lip service to impartiality but don't practice it, eg the cancelling of the mash report this week (I'm not a particular fan, but I do think it is important that voices critical of the govt SHOULD be given a platform on a supposedly impartial public broadcast service!)

NOBODY with a major voice seems to be representing those of us who don't support and didn't vote for this govt - and by the way, we are NOT the minority, we're a majority! Because even though the tories won the election the majority of the electorate did not vote for them, when you combine the votes for all the other parties - and that's not even including those who couldn't/wouldn't/didn't vote for whatever reason.

It's not a minority being silenced its the majority! That's very frightening

[quote flashbac]@bourbonic

This is taken from The Legal Feminist Twitter account:

'The Court agreed that the Covid regs do not amount to a ban on protest, because the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly under the ECHR must also be taken into account (3/6)"[/quote]
Yes and it is law that all legislation in the UK must be interpreted to be human rights compatible.

The police argument wasn't accepted.

The point of the court case was that one of the points on which the judge had originally been asked to rule (the police saying the protest couldn't take place because protests were not permitted under covid laws) the police then themselves agreed that protests weren't banned, and that it was a matter of proportionality to the matter in hand - the judge therefore did not rule against them as there Was No Ruling To Be Made on this item - because the police had ceded this point.

Yes! In the absence of that, both sides had an argument, which was not decided.

People write here as if the police say "unlawful" and that is the end of it. Good job its not that way.

Why would they act so foolishly and apparently against their own interests? Because they are feeling defensive due to one of their own being accused and their own force under scrutiny for protecting him from other prior alleged offences AND because they arrogantly think they can get away with it

You talk about 'the police' as if it's 20 bobbies in the police station down the road, with a macho attitude. FGS, there are 31,000 met police a quarter female - so you think they are all protective of the psycho murder in their lot?? So Shipman is a typical GP? Be sensible.

@crunchybiscs

The police, as an institution, are sexist in the same way they are institutionaly racist. It's systemic.

The police, as an institution, are sexist in the same way they are institutionaly racist. It's systemic.

You mean like the whole of the rest of UK society - or are you trying to say only racists and sexist people apply for the police because that is a bit of a stretch.

The racist abuse that black police officers receive from black people (and others) makes it hard to recruit them. A quarter of the met are women but shift work etc makes it hard to recruit them but I'm pretty sure there will be a determined effort to recruit more of both.

let normal life resume without issue mad protesters being allowed to ruin their living. 'issue mad protesters'? Do you mean people keen to retain their democratic right to peaceful protest?
This is what the legislation would put a stop to. Londoners should support it.
This legislation would 'put a stop to' even one person standing outside the HoP with a placard. That won't bring London to a standstill or jeopardise anyone's jobs.

I'm a Londoner and I stand against this Bill.

I'm genuinely confused about why anyone would be in favour of this law? What are your reasons?

It's terrifying. Where would we be without the suffragettes? Do people in favour of this law not think about the consequences? What is this government planning that they want to legally jail anyone who voices their dissent?

I'm a Londoner and I stand against this Bill.

Not a Londoner but I stand with you

Protesting, marching, waving banners yes. Blocking the middle of London for weeks isn't fair on the working public. But how do you allow one but not the other. Tricky, as Priti Patel is finding.

They are not banning peaceful protest though are they ?

How about using the law they have already which offers great control?

XR outwitted the police. Consistently.

@IntermittentParps

let normal life resume without issue mad protesters being allowed to ruin their living. 'issue mad protesters'? Do you mean people keen to retain their democratic right to peaceful protest? This is what the legislation would put a stop to. Londoners should support it. This legislation would 'put a stop to' even one person standing outside the HoP with a placard. That won't bring London to a standstill or jeopardise anyone's jobs.

I'm a Londoner and I stand against this Bill.

It’s this kind of politics that concerns me. You have people saying “I was inconvenienced” and that should be a crime.

If the police had not been so flat footed and poorly resourced, then the law as it stood was more than enough.

But of course it’s fine to throw over the right of protest because you can’t be bothered to resource criminal justice properly

@Unsure33

They are not banning peaceful protest though are they ?

Have you read this Bill? That is pretty much what it can do.

If only they would put this energy into fixing things that need fixing like longer jail sentences for actually criminals?? shambles.

They are not banning peaceful protest though are they ?

They can. On the say so of the Home Secretary

Imagine if they tried doing this in Italy, or France.

The people would pull the government buildings down

Any female MP voting for this is very conveniently forgetting a key part of history and should be ashamed. Have they forgotten how they got the right to vote and be in parliament?

Sign this

t.co/5ukojp7CQc?amp=1

Should have got an Italian passport when i had the chance.

Any female MP voting for this is very conveniently forgetting a key part of history and should be ashamed. Have they forgotten how they got the right to vote and be in parliament

THIS!

This passed yesterday is there any way of stopping the criminalisation of peaceful protests?

Should I write to my MP or is it too late for that now?

This is frightening!

I had no idea about this either.
I’m sure I marched in the mid-90s against a similar Act.