Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Deferred
Balance between protest rights and daily life generally maintained during recent protests.
Conclusion
There is clearly a balance to be struck between the right of people to protest and the right of people to go about their daily lives. We wholeheartedly support both these rights and recognise that finding the balance between competing rights can be challenging, particularly in terms of operational policing on the ground. In the context of the policing of recent Israel-Gaza protests, as with the policing of the King’s Coronation protests, we conclude that this balance was generally maintained, even if individual incidents inevitably tested that balance. Likewise, while the ongoing protests have tested the operational independence of the police, as have some of the communications around the protests, we conclude that it has ultimately been maintained. (Paragraph 66) Policing of protests 41
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response focuses on tackling hate crime through existing legislation and police resources, stating it does not intend to publish a Hate Crime Strategy, rather than directly addressing the committee's conclusion on the balance of protest rights and police operational independence.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
Peaceful protest is a vital part of a democratic society. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather together and demonstrate their views, however uncomfortable these may make others, provided they do so within the law. There is, of course, a balance to be struck. Protesters’ rights need to be balanced with the rights of others to go about their business without fear of intimidation or serious disruption to the community. Rights to peaceful protest do not extend to violent or threatening behaviour and the police have powers to deal with any such acts. Should a protest contravene the law, the police have comprehensive powers to deal with activities that spread hate or deliberately raise tensions through violence or public disorder. This does not negate the right to peaceful protest. The use of these powers and the management of demonstrations is an operational matter for the police. The recent spate of protests that have followed Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October has created challenges for policing, particularly in terms of their size and frequency. The impact of the protests has also been felt by the general public and, in particular, the Jewish community.
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