UK police to get more powers to restrict protests after hundreds arrested

LONDON

UK police forces will be granted new powers to impose conditions on repeat protests, the government announced on Sunday, following nearly 500 arrests the day prior over demonstrations backing the banned Palestine Action group.

The Home Office said senior officers will be able to consider the “cumulative impact” of previous demonstrations when deciding whether to place restrictions on new ones.

This could include instructing organizers to hold events in different locations if a site has seen repeated protests.

The Home Office said the new powers would be “brought forward as soon as possible.”

At present, police can only ban a march entirely if there is a risk of serious public disorder.

Under the proposed changes, where there have been repeated protests, officers could impose conditions such as moving the event or limiting its duration.

“If a protest has taken place at the same site for weeks on end, and caused repeated disorder, the police will have the authority to, for example, instruct organizers to hold the event somewhere else. Anyone who breaches the conditions will risk arrest and prosecution,” the Home Office said in a statement.

“The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country. However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbors to live their lives without fear,” said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

“Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes. This has been particularly evident in relation to the considerable fear within the Jewish community, which has been expressed to me on many occasions in these recent difficult days. These changes mark an important step in ensuring we protect the right to protest while ensuring all feel safe in this country.”

Mahmood added that she was “very worried about the state of community relations in our country” and that she had “a responsibility to think about the action the government can take to strengthen our communities, to make sure people are well-integrated into our society.”

According to the Home Office, the review of protest legislation will ensure “powers are sufficient and being applied consistently” and will include consideration of powers to ban protests outright.

Most of those arrested at Saturday’s demonstrations were held on suspicion of supporting the banned group Palestine Action.

Organizers Defend Our Juries said around 1,000 people took part in protests around Trafalgar Square against the ban on the group and opposing Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Following the Home Office announcement, the group accused the government of “silencing opposition” and “authoritarianism.”

Hundreds of people have been arrested since Palestine Action was outlawed by former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, now foreign secretary, in the summer, many for holding signs expressing support for the group.