MPs to debate petition against protest policing bill
A parliamentary petition against legislation that has sparked protests across the UK is to be debated by MPs later this month.
A parliamentary petition against legislation that has sparked protests across the UK is to be debated by MPs later this month.
Civil liberties campaigners have condemned police plans for dealing with demonstrations as an “assault” on human rights.
The UK government has announced changes to public order legislation that would give the police greater powers to restrict protests.
More than 600 people have signed an open letter to senior police officers calling for an end to the categorisation of political campaigning as “domestic extremism”.
A long-awaited consultation is underway on new guidance for policing protests.
Update 29/8/2018: See section headed Swapping fracking at the bottom of this post. A report published today on social cohesion in Greater Manchester has been rewritten this evening after it emerged that a case study falsely accused anti-fracking activists of “grooming” a 14-year-old boy.
A tribunal has ruled today that police cannot use “national security” as a reason for refusing to release information about fracking opponents referred to a counter-terrorism programme.
The police monitoring group, Netpol, is claiming victory after senior officers agreed to a consultation on changes to guidance on policing anti-fracking protests.
The exploration company, UK Oil and Gas, has applied for a wide-reaching injunction against anti-drilling protests at sites in West Sussex and Surrey.
Anti-fracking campaigners have called on police to protect their civil right to protest. They were responding to a report published this morning alleging “confrontational and “aggressive” policing. Two police forces in fracking protest areas said they have a duty to balance the right to protest with rights […]