Security, safety and protest: the role of Human Rights

The Joint Committee on Human Rights has launched a new inquiry to examine recent changes to laws relating to protest. In recent years, Parliament has passed legislation to give police more powers to police and restrict protest. New criminal offences have been established for protest related activities. The Government has argued that the growth of … Show more

The Joint Committee on Human Rights has launched a new inquiry to examine recent changes to laws relating to protest. In recent years, Parliament has passed legislation to give police more powers to police and restrict protest. New criminal offences have been established for protest related activities. The Government has argued that the growth of protests in recent years had placed an intolerable pressure on police resources. It also cited the changing nature of protest, with an increase in “guerilla tactics” causing unacceptable levels of disruption to wider society and fear in targeted communities. Civil liberties organisations and protest groups have criticised the measures for restricting the right to protest, warning that the crackdown on protest and harsh new powers that treats the peaceful expression of dissent as a criminal act. In this new inquiry, the Joint Committee on Human Rights will examine if the Government has struck the right balance between its duty to protect the public and its duty to respect the right to protest. It will also examine the reforms meet the UK’s human rights obligations. Launching the inquiry, Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Lord David Alton said: “The right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Everyone should have the opportunity to have their voice heard and to express their views. Equally, wider society is entitled to go about their without undue disruption or fear. We have launched this inquiry to look at the Government’s approach to balancing these rights. “We want to understand if the expansion of police powers relating to protest has been proportionate or if they will have a chilling effect on the right to protest. We will also examine if the new laws are effective in protecting wider society from the potential negative consequences of disruptive protest.” Show less