Policing Bill

Posted: 11th July 2021

Thanks again for speaking out against the government’s new policing bill and asking your MP to protect our fundamental rights.

On Monday, Friends of the Earth and several other NGOs handed in petitions signed by almost 600,000 people against the dangerous proposals to crack down on protest and trespass.

Unfortunately Monday evening’s vote didn’t bring the news we wanted. The government’s majority meant the bill was approved in the House of Commons, with MPs voting in favour of plans to restrict peaceful protest and criminalise the way of life of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

The good news is that there are a growing number of voices challenging the bill. And they’re having an impact. MPs from opposition parties voted to scrap the plans to clamp down on protest. And some, though not nearly enough, Conservative voices spoke out against these restrictions – including David Davis, who said the bill does “pose a grave threat to the fundamental right to protest” [1].

In a letter published in The Times, former police officers wrote to the Home Secretary ahead of the debate. They said that the protest laws will have “harmful implications for the ability of police officers to enforce the law and for the health of our democracy” [2].

What’s more, a number of United Nations special rapporteurs have condemned the new laws. Even the government’s own watchdog, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, said the laws violated human rights legislation [3].

These are voices that are going to be increasingly difficult for the government to ignore. The fight isn’t over yet.

The bill now passes to the House of Lords, where it’s likely to get a hard time. It’ll face several former judges and lawyers with expertise in human rights, as well as peers who are experienced campaigners and have relied on protest to achieve positive change. And importantly, the government does not have a majority there. They can be defeated.

Together with you, Friends of the Earth will continue to defend our right to peaceful protest and the rights of nomadic Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

I’ll be in touch soon to let you know how you can carry on supporting our campaign. Thanks again for everything you’ve done so far,

Dave Timms
Head of Political Affairs, Legal and Planning