Public Order Bill

Over the last two weeks, the House of Lords has dealt a succession of defeats (6 on Tuesday alone) to the Government’s draconian Public Order Bill.

Dangerous measures voted down by peers include -

•New police powers to shut down peaceful demonstrations that might become disruptive. This would have effectively criminalised peaceful protest.

•Giving police the power to stop and search any individual without a justified reason. These powers risk innocent shoppers being frisked by police if a protest was taking place nearby.

•Allowing the courts to issue protest banning orders on citizens who have not been convicted of a crime.

The Lords also voted in favour of stronger protections for journalists and legal observers at protests - another important freedom.

It should concern all of us that a democratically elected UK government is trying to put forward measures that strike at the heart of our basic freedoms.

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