SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Members of the climate activists group Just Stop Oil blockade a petrol station on the M25 on 28th of April 2022, London, United Kingdom. The activist group demands the UK government takes the climate crisis serious and stop all futher oil exploration. The 14 activists super glued themselves to petrol pumps and the road to the entrance of the BP petrol station in Clacket Lane Services M25 Eastbound. Police attended the scene and the station was taken out of service. (Photo: Kristian Buus/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Climate Activists Slam UK Government's Latest Attempt to Silence Them
Civil rights groups accused the government of silencing people with anti-protest measures like those used in Russia.
May 13, 2022
New laws designed to crack down on protesters will not deter environmental activists from taking action, campaign groups have warned the UK government.
"Despite government claims to the contrary, these are draconian laws that are part of a wider assault on our democracy."
Protesters in England and Wales could face jail sentences and unlimited fines for blocking national infrastructure, such as airports or railways, or 'locking on' to buildings, as part of legislation announced in the Queen's Speech on Tuesday.
The measures have resurfaced in a Public Order Bill, after being dropped from the government's controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, when they were rejected by the House of Lords.
They were initially intended to target groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil, who have blocked motorways and oil refineries during protests.
But a spokesperson for Just Stop Oil told openDemocracy that the group will continue protesting even if the legislation is passed.
"Changes to protest law are irrelevant when set against the criminal actions of our current government, this will not stop future disruptive action taking place," they said.
"The government should stop locking up ordinary people and take the no-brainer decision to end new oil and gas."
Civil liberty groups also criticised the plans, saying that they would limit the right to peaceful protest.
"These rehashed measures to crack down on protest in today's Queen's Speech are yet another power grab from a government determined to shut down accountability.
"Protest is a right, not a gift from the state--and measures like these are designed to stop ordinary people making their voices heard," said Sam Grant, head of policy and campaigns at Liberty.
Amnesty International UK's CEO Sacha Deshmukh compared the plans to the "repressive policies" used in "Russia, Hong Kong and Belarus", which have been criticised by the UK government.
"It follows a pattern of a government voicing support for protest around the world but cracking down on the right to speak up here at home," he said.
'An assault on our democracy'
The Public Order Bill will include new criminal offences of locking on and being equipped to lock on to others, objects or buildings. These carry a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
It will also expand stop and search powers to allow police to seize articles related to locking on.
There will also be new offences for interfering with key national infrastructure, such as airports, railways or major transport works like HS2, which will also carry a maximum sentence of 12 months imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
The bill will also introduce 'serious disruption prevention orders', banning individuals with previous protest-related offences from attending further protests or from being involved in organising them.
Responding to the news, Nick Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now, said: "The real hooligans here are not protesters desperately trying to preserve life on this planet, but [Boris] Johnson's government, which is running riot over our hard-won democratic freedoms."
The government first attempted to introduce the measures as amendments to its Policing Bill, after home secretary Priti Patel announced plans to criminalise protest tactics used by climate groups at the Conservative Party conference last October.
But in January, the amendments were rejected by peers, who described them as "menacing and dangerous".
"Despite government claims to the contrary, these are draconian laws that are part of a wider assault on our democracy," Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, a Green party peer, said at the time.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 licence.
Adam Bychawski
Adam Bychawski is a reporter at openDemocracy.
Anita Mureithi
Anita Mureithi is an editorial assistant at openDemocracy. She tweets @anitaxviii
New laws designed to crack down on protesters will not deter environmental activists from taking action, campaign groups have warned the UK government.
"Despite government claims to the contrary, these are draconian laws that are part of a wider assault on our democracy."
Protesters in England and Wales could face jail sentences and unlimited fines for blocking national infrastructure, such as airports or railways, or 'locking on' to buildings, as part of legislation announced in the Queen's Speech on Tuesday.
The measures have resurfaced in a Public Order Bill, after being dropped from the government's controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, when they were rejected by the House of Lords.
They were initially intended to target groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil, who have blocked motorways and oil refineries during protests.
But a spokesperson for Just Stop Oil told openDemocracy that the group will continue protesting even if the legislation is passed.
"Changes to protest law are irrelevant when set against the criminal actions of our current government, this will not stop future disruptive action taking place," they said.
"The government should stop locking up ordinary people and take the no-brainer decision to end new oil and gas."
Civil liberty groups also criticised the plans, saying that they would limit the right to peaceful protest.
"These rehashed measures to crack down on protest in today's Queen's Speech are yet another power grab from a government determined to shut down accountability.
"Protest is a right, not a gift from the state--and measures like these are designed to stop ordinary people making their voices heard," said Sam Grant, head of policy and campaigns at Liberty.
Amnesty International UK's CEO Sacha Deshmukh compared the plans to the "repressive policies" used in "Russia, Hong Kong and Belarus", which have been criticised by the UK government.
"It follows a pattern of a government voicing support for protest around the world but cracking down on the right to speak up here at home," he said.
'An assault on our democracy'
The Public Order Bill will include new criminal offences of locking on and being equipped to lock on to others, objects or buildings. These carry a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
It will also expand stop and search powers to allow police to seize articles related to locking on.
There will also be new offences for interfering with key national infrastructure, such as airports, railways or major transport works like HS2, which will also carry a maximum sentence of 12 months imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
The bill will also introduce 'serious disruption prevention orders', banning individuals with previous protest-related offences from attending further protests or from being involved in organising them.
Responding to the news, Nick Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now, said: "The real hooligans here are not protesters desperately trying to preserve life on this planet, but [Boris] Johnson's government, which is running riot over our hard-won democratic freedoms."
The government first attempted to introduce the measures as amendments to its Policing Bill, after home secretary Priti Patel announced plans to criminalise protest tactics used by climate groups at the Conservative Party conference last October.
But in January, the amendments were rejected by peers, who described them as "menacing and dangerous".
"Despite government claims to the contrary, these are draconian laws that are part of a wider assault on our democracy," Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, a Green party peer, said at the time.
Adam Bychawski
Adam Bychawski is a reporter at openDemocracy.
Anita Mureithi
Anita Mureithi is an editorial assistant at openDemocracy. She tweets @anitaxviii
New laws designed to crack down on protesters will not deter environmental activists from taking action, campaign groups have warned the UK government.
"Despite government claims to the contrary, these are draconian laws that are part of a wider assault on our democracy."
Protesters in England and Wales could face jail sentences and unlimited fines for blocking national infrastructure, such as airports or railways, or 'locking on' to buildings, as part of legislation announced in the Queen's Speech on Tuesday.
The measures have resurfaced in a Public Order Bill, after being dropped from the government's controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, when they were rejected by the House of Lords.
They were initially intended to target groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil, who have blocked motorways and oil refineries during protests.
But a spokesperson for Just Stop Oil told openDemocracy that the group will continue protesting even if the legislation is passed.
"Changes to protest law are irrelevant when set against the criminal actions of our current government, this will not stop future disruptive action taking place," they said.
"The government should stop locking up ordinary people and take the no-brainer decision to end new oil and gas."
Civil liberty groups also criticised the plans, saying that they would limit the right to peaceful protest.
"These rehashed measures to crack down on protest in today's Queen's Speech are yet another power grab from a government determined to shut down accountability.
"Protest is a right, not a gift from the state--and measures like these are designed to stop ordinary people making their voices heard," said Sam Grant, head of policy and campaigns at Liberty.
Amnesty International UK's CEO Sacha Deshmukh compared the plans to the "repressive policies" used in "Russia, Hong Kong and Belarus", which have been criticised by the UK government.
"It follows a pattern of a government voicing support for protest around the world but cracking down on the right to speak up here at home," he said.
'An assault on our democracy'
The Public Order Bill will include new criminal offences of locking on and being equipped to lock on to others, objects or buildings. These carry a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
It will also expand stop and search powers to allow police to seize articles related to locking on.
There will also be new offences for interfering with key national infrastructure, such as airports, railways or major transport works like HS2, which will also carry a maximum sentence of 12 months imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
The bill will also introduce 'serious disruption prevention orders', banning individuals with previous protest-related offences from attending further protests or from being involved in organising them.
Responding to the news, Nick Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now, said: "The real hooligans here are not protesters desperately trying to preserve life on this planet, but [Boris] Johnson's government, which is running riot over our hard-won democratic freedoms."
The government first attempted to introduce the measures as amendments to its Policing Bill, after home secretary Priti Patel announced plans to criminalise protest tactics used by climate groups at the Conservative Party conference last October.
But in January, the amendments were rejected by peers, who described them as "menacing and dangerous".
"Despite government claims to the contrary, these are draconian laws that are part of a wider assault on our democracy," Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, a Green party peer, said at the time.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy