To ask you to act

[ThinkAboutItTomorrow]

I live in Clapham so the aggressive shut down of the vigil last night is quite close to home.

The new policing bill that is being pushed through next week is specifically designed to shut down protests.

www.politics.co.uk/comment/2021/03/11/silencing-black-lives-matter-priti-patels-anti-protest-law/

Highlights include:

Police can ban a protest if it is likely to be noisy
Or have an 'impact'

Protest definition extends to individuals (eg one man protests outside parliament)

The sentence for defamation of a memorial would be 10 years (vs 3 months currently)

Blatantly using aIBU for traffic but please let your MP know if you are opposed to this and ask them to vote against it.

Bumping. Especially if you have a Tory mp.

This is legislation that makes protest almost impossible. It's a dreadful assault on democratic rights.

Crap - this is horrific. I will write to my mom, though he's Labour so may be preaching to the converted.

Am writing to my MP tomorrow about it aswell as raising concerns about what happened yesterday

I’m really concerned about this too OP.

It seems to cover pretty much any protest. Seems a real move away from our rights to free expression and, well, protest.

And before any of the covid deniers jump on this, it’s nothing to do with covid legislation and everything to do with governmental discomfort with new styles of protest such as Extinction Rebellion- it’s been in the pipeline since pre covid times.

Solidarity, OP, living in your area as a woman must feel raw at the moment. ❤️

I would but there is literally no point our hugely Tory MP doesn’t even reply or act.

Thanks for taking the time to contact MPs (or moms but I'm guessing that's autocorrect 🤣).

Our MP is labour & I've heard they will oppose the bill so not much point contacting, it's as many persuadable Tories as we can get that we need.

I'm not optimistic we can do anything but can just try.

Well - I did also contact my mom (mum...) and we've both written to our Labour MP who will be opposing it. Also signed the 38degrees petition and shared it. My mum was a CND activist in the 80s/90s and while she doesn't think there is any chance of stopping this given the current Tory majority, she pointed out that repressive legislation has been passed before and later overturned, which is a comfort.

As well as your Mp, it hasn't gone to the lords yet so you can write to lords too, I'm on another thread about this and I've found this link

www.writetothem.com/about-lords

If you go through the various internal links you can reach a point where you can advance search to find a lord you think best aligns with your views on this

The lords did an amazing job with the maternity bill

Also the domestic violence bill is currently before them

Fills me with despair - one of the policies I predicted would be pushed through when the conservatives got into power, my family thought I was part of the tin-hat brigade.

@Graphista thank you for the Lords details

OMFG...well done for picking it up op. Labour MP here....

This is about covid legislation though. And I say this as someone who has been vaccinated and certainly isn't a denier.

When covid legislation may have been used to perpetrate the initial crime and is then used to prevent any backlash against the police, this is about covid legislation.

Tory MP here. I have contacted him. He usually votes with the government but not always. I dont hold out much hope for this being defeated but who knows. At least Labour have decided now to do the right thing and vote against what on earth was Starmer thinking by planning to abstain

Is there a petition against this?

@Bunbunbunny google 'protect your freedom to protest' - for the petition on 38 degrees

This is horrific. I actually wish I had a Tory MP to write to. My MP has already said she is opposed . I will write to the Lords instead.

KS is planning to abstain from the vote so I really wouldn’t be so confident of labour’s support.

No point contacting my MP as I can pretty much guarantee this is something he’d be on board with, he’s an utter prick (Mel Stride for those interested!)

So you could get the same sentence for damaging a statue as you can for sexual assault? Glad to see those statues are finally getting the protection they deserve.🙄

I thought he had changed his mind?

@starfish88 it's not about Covid at all. The vigil was stopped because of Covid but this legislation is lasting.

@WrongKindOfFace

So you could get the same sentence for damaging a statue as you can for sexual assault? Glad to see those statues are finally getting the protection they deserve.🙄

Yep.

An increase from the current 3 months. Totally disproportionate.