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David Lammy has announced Labour will vote against the government’s new policing bill, claiming it imposes “disproportionate controls” on the right to protest.
It comes as MPs prepare to debate the government’s police, crime, sentencing a courts bill, which contains contentious new powers for officers and the home secretary to impose conditions on public processions.
Ministers have argued that “recent changes in tactics” used by demonstrators, including gluing themselves to buildings or vehicles, have “highlighted gaps” in the existing legislation.
Explanatory notes to the bill add the provisions will “broaden the range of circumstances in which the police can impose conditions on the use of noise at a public procession or public assembly or a one-person protest to include where police reasonably believe the noise generated by persons taking part may have a significant detrimental impact on persons in the vicinity or cause a serious disruption to the running of an organisation.”
Labour’s shadow justice secretary David Lammy said the party would be whipping its MPs to vote against the Bill at second reading, claiming: “This is no time to be rushing through poorly thought-out measures to impose disproportionate controls on free expression and the right to protest”.
Campaigning group Liberty, who accused of Ms Patel of “relentlessly” demonising protesters, insisted: “Protest isn’t a gift from the state — it’s our fundamental right.”
Interim director Gracie Bradley said: “Not content with all but banning protest during the pandemic, the government is now using this public health crisis as cover to make emergency measures permanent.
“It’s new policing bill is an all-out assault on our right to protest. It’s those of who are most at risk of having our rights abused who will find we’re even less able to hold the powerful to account”.
In a letter to Ms Patel, the Liberal Democrats described the legislation as “plans to crackdown on protests”, urging the home secretary to “think again”.
The party’s home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “The Met got it badly wrong in Clapham. A peaceful vigil highlighting violence against women ended in scenes of mishandled women. How on earth can the government give the police even more powers to clamp down on protests?
“The right to peaceful assembly and protest is a fundamental human right. It is a crucial part of our democratic society. These new laws undermine that right.”
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