By Shareen Patel, policy and influencing officer at ACEVO.
A narrated version of this blog is available at the bottom of the page
Throughout its passage in Parliament, several civil society organisations campaigned tirelessly to have the Public Order Bill scrapped or amended to ensure restrictions were not placed on people’s fundamental right to protest. To our dismay, any positive gains made during the House of Lords stages were undone by MPs during the ‘ping pong’ stage.
The Bill received Royal Assent on 2 May and became an Act on 3 May. The Public Order Act has now introduced severe and problematic measures on individuals such as, 1) a new criminal offence for interfering with key national infrastructure, such as roads, airports and railways, with perpetrators facing 12 months behind bars, 2) making it illegal to ‘lock-in’ to others, objects, or buildings, carrying a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and an unlimited fee, and 3) allowing police to carry out Stop and Search when they believe protestors are setting out to inflict serious disruption, so police can intervene before chaos is caused.
In just over a year, this is the second piece of anti-protest legislation. The quick implementation of the Act and the almost immediate use of its powers seen during the King’s Coronation is deeply alarming, where six members of the Republic pressure group were arrested on suspicion of going equipped for locking on. This is evidence of the severe curb on civic space that this Act introduces.
We strongly defend the right and lawful ability of charity leaders to campaign with freedom and confidence to further their charitable goals, which can strengthen civil society overall in holding those in power to account.
Currently, organisations are urging the Government to amend the Act and uphold people’s basic human rights. Meanwhile, Labour has faced pressure to commit to undoing the Act if elected to government, though no assurances have been forthcoming.
The right to protest is a key component of democratic participation and an important component of campaigning. We will keep you informed on the latest developments.
Further resources
- Liberty Responds to Coronation Protest Arrests
- Public Order Act becomes law
- What you need to know about the Public Order Act, the law used to arrest coronation protesters
