Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Paragraph: 22
A delicate balance is required between the right to protest and public safety concerns.
Conclusion
There is a balance to be struck between the right of people to protest and the right of others to go about their everyday lives and to feel safe. The police should have the appropriate powers to safeguard the exercise of both these rights. The differing scale, nature and frequency of protests over recent years has led to increased scrutiny of the way in which the right to protest is exercised and policed.
Government Response Summary
The government highlights the Public Order Act 2023, detailing its new measures to address highly disruptive protest tactics while protecting the right to protest, noting the legislation is already partly in force.
Paragraph Reference:
22
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Public Order Act 2023 (the Act) received Royal Assent on 02 May 2023. The Act introduces a variety of measures including the new offences of locking on and causing serious disruption by tunnelling, alongside the introduction of Serious Disruption Prevention Orders which target protestors who are determined to repeatedly inflict disruption on the public. The Act does not prohibit protests, it targets the highly disruptive tactics used by a selfish few. The legislation has already partly come into force and has not led to the end of protests, which continue to occur peacefully and without police intervention. The usual practice for Government legislation is to carry out post legislative scrutiny between three and five years after Royal Assent. This would mean that the post-legislative scrutiny of the Public Order Act 2023 would take place between May 2026 and May 2028 if the standard timetable were to be followed. The Government is happy to consider the report’s recommendation that we review the legislation sooner than this. Israel-Gaza protests