Home Secretary Priti Patel’s plans threaten your fundamental civil liberties

Posted: 21st January 2022

Home Secretary Priti Patel’s plans threaten your fundamental civil liberties. The dangerous policing bill has now entered a new stage in parliament – and we all need to speak out again.

Late on Monday I got to celebrate when the House of Lords defeated the government 14 times, removing some of the bill’s most hostile attacks on our right to protest. It’s good news. But the fight’s not over yet.

The government has said it’s determined to claw back some of the oppressive measures the Lords took out of the bill, like its threat to give police the power to criminalise “noisy” protests and its restrictions on protests around parliament.

Will you ask your MP to protect our freedoms by supporting the changes made to the bill by the House of Lords?I’LL ADD MY VOICEOn Monday night, the Lords rejected nearly every single anti-protest measure the government had tried to sneak into the policing bill at the last minute.

That means plans including giving police more stop and search powers against protestors and banning individuals from protesting are gone – for good. A huge victory for people power.

And thanks to people like you who raised their voices, the bill’s back in the media spotlight. But some of the measures rejected by peers can be reinstated by MPs. So despite the big success, we’re still facing an extreme threat to our right to protest.

Soon, for example, you or I could receive a conviction for breaching a police condition placed on a protest even if we didn’t know it existed.

The bill also directly targets nomadic communities – criminalising the way of life for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people.

So together, let’s fight back against growing authoritarianism and do everything we still can to defend our right to protest.

Before February’s vote in the House of Commons, will you write to your MP to ask them to support the House of Lords’ changes to the bill?I’LL ADD MY VOICEOnce again, thank you so much for taking the time to support this campaign. We really couldn’t do this without you.

All the best,

Dave Timms
Head of Political Affairs, Legal and Planning