With the government clamping down on protest rights, Thompsons Solicitors updates on the latest changes
Since the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group, expressing support for the organisation now risks a 14-year prison sentence. Over 200 arrests have been made to date, including an 83-year-old priest.
Activists have moved quickly to challenge the proscription. On 30 July, the High Court granted permission for a judicial review application to proceed, concluding there was an arguable case that the decision disproportionately infringes on rights to free speech and association. A three-day hearing is scheduled for November.
Several UN experts have warned the government that “acts of protest that damage property, but are not intended to kill or injure people, should not be treated as terrorism”.
Meanwhile, the Crime and Policing Bill, currently passing through the House of Lords, creates new offences criminalising possession of pyrotechnics at protests, climbing on designated memorials and concealing one’s identity where a relevant police order is in place.
In a separate ruling, the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s finding that Suella Braverman acted unlawfully in attempting to lower the threshold for police imposing conditions on public processions under the Public Order Act 1986.
