There are many things we take for granted living in a democracy. One of these is the right to protest – to literally make our voice heard on an issue that really matters to us. An estimated one million people took to the streets in London in 2003 to protest against the invasion of Iraq; an example of a passionate, loud but peaceful demonstration. Compare that to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, where protesters have been arrested for singing songs calling for peace and where police brutality has been evident across the country.
But like freedom of speech – another cornerstone of democracy – the right to protest should have its limits. Just as you must not falsely accuse someone of being a serious offender without any evidence under the guise of free speech, you should not be able to assault, damage private or public property or impede our emergency services during a protest. These are acts which would be breaking the law in any other scenario and protesting should be no different.
There was understandably much anger in 2020 at the death of George Floyd, the Black American who died in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The brutality of the police was incomprehensible and it rightly led to an important conversion not only in the USA but here in the UK about racism and discrimination. While I empathised with the feelings of anger and injustice, I was appalled that protests in London turned violent and resulted in injuries to 27 police officers including to a policewoman who was forced off her horse. The year before, particularly disruptive protests by Extinction Rebellion cost the Metropolitan Police almost £40 million and put the safety of emergency workers at risk. There is simply no excuse for violence or vandalism, with protesters who engage in either usually doing more harm than good to their cause.
Since then the government has responded to calls from the police to change protest laws through the introduction of a Public Order Bill, which was debated in the House of Commons last week. The legislation would:
- introduce four new criminal offences related to disruptive protest (including obstructing major transport works and interfering with key national infrastructure),
- extend police stop and search powers for items related to specified protest-related offences,
- and introduce a new preventative court order aimed at people who repeatedly engage in disruptive protest activity.
I will always instinctively side with free speech and the right to protest. For example, I voted against an amendment to the bill this week that would make it illegal to protest within 150 metres of an abortion clinic (I strongly support a woman’s right to choose but fear the risk of criminalising someone engaging in a peaceful protest). But the police must be better supported when dealing with such highly disruptive and dangerous protests and I expect to support the bill when it reaches its final stage.