Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has announced that police will be granted new powers to restrict repeat protests, following mass arrests at demonstrations organised by the group Defend Our Juries.
Mahmood stressed that the move does not amount to a blanket ban, but instead centres on “restrictions and conditions.” Police could instruct organisers to move demonstrations elsewhere or limit their duration if a site has seen repeated protest action.
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mahmood said: “I am very worried about the state of community relations in our country,” adding that she has a responsibility to consider government action to “strengthen our communities” and “make sure people are well-integrated into our society.” She said large, repeated protests can leave sections of the country, particularly religious communities, “feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes.”
"...repeated protests can leave sections of the country..."feeling intimidated and scared to leave their homes.""
The announcement came after 493 people were arrested at demonstrations in London. Organised by Defend Our Juries in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action, the protests saw around 1,000 gather in Trafalgar Square to protest the ban. The Metropolitan Police confirmed all those arrested have been released on bail.
Defend Our Juries said it would undertake a “major escalation” in response and accused the government of “silencing opposition” and “authoritarianism.” The group cited criticism from the United Nations, Amnesty International and legal experts following the proscription of Palestine Action earlier this year.
Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has supported the new powers, but questioned why the measures had taken so long. “We believe in free speech but that has to be within the bounds of the law. If protests are used to intimidate, to incite hatred, then that is not protest,” she told the BBC. In a separate speech to her party’s conference, she described recent demonstrations as “carnivals of hatred directed at the Jewish homeland.”
"If protests are used to intimidate, to incite hatred, then that is not protest."
The Home Office said the new powers would be introduced “as soon as possible", with The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcoming the move, criticising recent protests as “deeply irresponsible and offensive.”
Human rights groups expressed concern, including Amnesty International who said the proposals repeated earlier Conservative Party legislation struck down by the courts. The Liberal Democrats warned they would fail to address antisemitism while undermining the right to peaceful protest.