BURSTNew measures will make it easier for police to stop protests by considering ‘cumulative’ effect of demonstrations
There used to be an informal convention in Westminster that, when the main opposition party was holding its annual conference, the government would hold off on major announcements. But, like many of the customs associated with the “good chaps” approach to politics, this has broken down and the Home Office has just announced a big story that will gobble up some, but not all, of the attention the Tories were expecting.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, is going to tighten the law to make it easier for the police to stop certain protests. They will be allowed to consider, not just the one-off impact of a planned protest, but the “cumulative impact” of regular marches organised to promote the same cause.
Police forces will be granted new powers to put conditions on repeat protests as the home secretary orders a fresh look at how protests are policed and organised.
The new powers, which will be brought forward as soon as possible, will allow senior officers to consider the ‘cumulative impact’ of previous protest activity.
The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country. However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without fear.
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.
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