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Police have arrested demonstrators following clashes in London as thousands of people attended marches against a controversial government crackdown on protests.
Kill the Bill protests took place in cities and towns including London, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol on Saturday despite lockdown restrictions.
The demonstrations were the latest in a continued outcry over the government’s policing bill, which opponents say threatens to contravene the right to protest.
The proposed legislation would allow police chiefs to impose start and finish times to protests, set noise limits and apply these limits on just one person demonstrating. It passed its second reading in parliament last month.
The latest round of protests also saw demonstrations in Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Cardiff, Newcastle, Oxford and Cambridge on Saturday.
London protesters included many who carried anti-sexism placards and chanted “women scared everywhere, police and government do not care” as they passed Downing Street.
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Organisers reminded protesters to stay socially distanced as crowds grew to more than 300 in the capital’s Parliament Square, where speeches were made opposite the Houses of Parliament. Several women addressed the crowd and shared personal experiences of suffering abuse and being drugged.
After hearing from several speakers from various women’s rights groups, demonstrators dispersed peacefully just after midday.
By Saturday evening, the Metropolitan Police said that “a small minority” of protestors were still in Parliament Square and were risking enforcement action after turning down requests to leave.
A spokesman said: “They are not social distancing and are putting people in danger of spreading the Covid virus. The majority have left and we urge those remaining to listen to officers and leave the area now.”
The remaining protesters marched down Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, where violent scuffles broke out with police.
Projectiles were thrown by demonstrators and several people were led away in handcuffs.
The force tweeted: “The policing operation in central London has now moved to the enforcement stage and arrests are being made.
“Officers continue to engage and we urge those who remain in the area to leave and return home.”
Protests are lawful under coronavirus regulations and can go ahead as long as organisers submit risk assessments and have taken all steps to limit the transmission of the virus.
The Met said “the majority of people at today’s events in Central London have tried to adhere to social distancing and Covid legislation”.
Speakers earlier in the day in London including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and MPs from the party including Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Zarah Sultana and Clive Lewis.
In Manchester, protesters gathered in St Peter’s square with placards and banners.
The Kill the Bill protest took place in spite of a 48-hour police dispersal order, which gives officers the power to tell people engaged in anti-social behaviour to leave an area.
Videos on Twitter also showed crowds marching past Leeds town hall, with most protesters wearing masks and chanting “kill the bill” to the rhythm of drums.
A peaceful protest also took place in Bristol, where marches against the legislation in recent weeks been followed by violent confrontations between police and demonstrators.
Protesters organised a flash mob on the city’s College Green, including an unflattering portrayal of home secretary Priti Patel.
The protests are expected to continue, while the feminist group Sisters Uncut has called for a National Day of Action on Easter Sunday, involving a series of small events and actions that can take place from home.
In addition to the proposed restrictions on protests, the bill includes a wide range of measures to increase sentencing for serious criminals, double maximum sentences for low-level assaults on emergency workers, create powers to more closely monitor terrorist offenders released from prison, bring in community sentences for less serious crime and change sexual offence laws to tackle abusive adults in positions of trust.
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