🔗 Share this article

Ministers are set to provide police additional powers to target ongoing protests, with a particular focus on cracking down against Middle East demonstrations, as stated by the Interior Ministry.

Latest Detentions and Planned Changes

This announcement comes the morning after nearly 500 people were detained in London for showing solidarity for a proscribed group, a prohibited organization. These changes could allow police to instruct frequent demonstrations to be moved to different sites.

The Home Secretary, will also review all legislation regarding demonstrations, with the possibility to enhance authorities to prohibit certain protests outright.

Proposed Legislative Changes

As part of these measures, the Home Secretary will push through rapid changes to the existing public order legislation, allowing police to consider the "cumulative impact" of ongoing protests. Specific details will be released "at a later date", as per the announcement.

If a protest has resulted in what authorities termed "ongoing disruption" at the same site for multiple weeks, police would gain the power to order organizers to relocate the event to another location, with participants who do not obey facing detention.

Wider Examination and Public Security

The Home Secretary stated that she would "examine existing legislation to guarantee that powers are sufficient and being consistently applied", including police powers to prohibit certain demonstrations entirely.

"The freedom to demonstrate is a fundamental freedom in our nation. Nevertheless, this right must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without anxiety," Mahmood stated.

"Frequent, sizable demonstrations can cause sections of our country, particularly faith groups, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes. This has been especially noticeable in regarding the considerable fear within the Jewish community, which has been communicated with me on many occasions during these recent difficult days."

"These changes mark an significant move in ensuring we protect the freedom to demonstrate while making certain everyone feel safe in this country."

Recent Context and Police Reaction

These expanded authorities appear to be aimed at both large-scale Gaza-support demonstrations, which took place in the capital and some other cities over a series of weeks, and gatherings organized to back the proscribed organization.

On Saturday, authorities detained approximately 500 people at the most recent such protest. This gathering took place despite ministers, among them senior figures, asking that it be postponed following this week's deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester.

Police Perspective

After Saturday's protest, the chair of the police representative body stated that officers policing demonstrations in London were "drained both mentally and physically".

"This cannot continue. Our concentration should be on ensuring public safety at a period when the nation is on increased security from a security threat. Yet police are being drawn in to facilitate these relentless protests," Paula Dodds said.

Further Legislative Measures

These changes follow demonstration-focused measures in the crime and policing bill currently under parliamentary consideration, which bans the carrying of masks or pyrotechnics at demonstrations, and criminalises the scaling of specific war memorials.