{"id":19139,"date":"2021-06-22T01:43:39","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T05:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=19139"},"modified":"2021-06-22T01:43:39","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T05:43:39","slug":"new-protest-bill-may-breach-human-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/06\/22\/new-protest-bill-may-breach-human-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"New protest bill may breach Human Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\"><b class=\"ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">The government should drop its &#8220;disproportionate&#8221; plan to ban noisy protests in England and Wales, a parliamentary committee has warned.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would also introduce powers to deal with demonstrations involving only one person.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The Joint Committee on Human Rights said the legislation could undermine freedom of expression.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">But the Home Office said it would not &#8220;impinge&#8221; on the right to protest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Existing laws are out of date and &#8220;disruptive and dangerous tactics&#8221; have to be dealt with, a spokeswoman added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The committee&#8217;s chairwoman, former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman, said the plans were &#8220;oppressive and wrong&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"unordered-list-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1pzprxn-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-9nsdc6-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-politics-56391988\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Government defends protests noise limit plan<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\"><a class=\"ssrcss-9nsdc6-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/bills.parliament.uk\/publications\/41453\/documents\/192\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The bill<\/a>\u00a0says group protests should not be loud enough to cause &#8220;serious unease, alarm or distress&#8221; to people &#8220;in the vicinity&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">A noise limit would also apply to a single person if they caused &#8220;serious disruption&#8221; or if they &#8220;may have a relevant impact on&#8221; people nearby.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">In report highly critical of the bill, the committee, which advises MPs and Peers on the compatibility of all government bills with human rights laws, called for &#8220;statutory protection&#8221; for the right to hold protests to be introduced.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">It added that councils should be told to &#8220;refrain from interfering unlawfully&#8221; with them and be given &#8220;the duty to facilitate protest&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The report also said the language used in the bill left an &#8220;excessive degree of judgement in the hands of a police officer&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">And it described the proposed limits on single-person protests as &#8220;unprecedented&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Commenting on the plans, committee chairwoman Ms Harman said: &#8220;One of our most fundamental rights is to protest. It is the essence of our democracy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;To do that, we need to make ourselves heard. The government proposals to allow police to restrict &#8216;noisy&#8217; protests are oppressive and wrong.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper e1xue1i87\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-md0xev-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1hq4gmv-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-1drmwog-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/1112\/production\/_119007340_3254a57a-567f-43f3-af02-df2cd64491ce.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/1112\/production\/_119007340_3254a57a-567f-43f3-af02-df2cd64491ce.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/1112\/production\/_119007340_3254a57a-567f-43f3-af02-df2cd64491ce.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/1112\/production\/_119007340_3254a57a-567f-43f3-af02-df2cd64491ce.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/1112\/production\/_119007340_3254a57a-567f-43f3-af02-df2cd64491ce.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/1112\/production\/_119007340_3254a57a-567f-43f3-af02-df2cd64491ce.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/1112\/production\/_119007340_3254a57a-567f-43f3-af02-df2cd64491ce.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Harriet Harman\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" \/><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1rnnz6t-StyledFigureCaption e34k3c22\">Harriet Harman said the right to protest was the essence of democracy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">MPs have already backed the bill in principle and it is currently\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-9nsdc6-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/bills.parliament.uk\/bills\/2839\/stages\/12819\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">undergoing detailed scrutiny.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">It also outlines stronger police powers to break up &#8220;unauthorised encampments&#8221; and longer sentences for people convicted of serious crimes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The government said existing public order laws needed updating because &#8220;the use of disruptive and dangerous tactics &#8211; including obstructing emergency vehicles or blocking the free press &#8211; costs millions to the taxpayer and causes misery to businesses and local communities&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;The right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy,&#8221; a Home Office spokeswoman said. &#8220;Our proposed measures are in line with human rights legislation and in no way impinge on the right to protest.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The bill would allow police to &#8220;better manage demonstrations so that legitimate protest groups can make their voices heard without disrupting the lives and livelihoods of others&#8221;, she added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18mjolk-ComponentWrapper e1xue1i87\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-md0xev-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-13t93ir-Placeholder e16icw910\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-1drmwog-Image ee0ct7c0\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/BCBB\/production\/_116751384_dominiccasciani_21_tr-nc.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/BCBB\/production\/_116751384_dominiccasciani_21_tr-nc.png 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/BCBB\/production\/_116751384_dominiccasciani_21_tr-nc.png 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/BCBB\/production\/_116751384_dominiccasciani_21_tr-nc.png 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/BCBB\/production\/_116751384_dominiccasciani_21_tr-nc.png 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/BCBB\/production\/_116751384_dominiccasciani_21_tr-nc.png 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/BCBB\/production\/_116751384_dominiccasciani_21_tr-nc.png 976w\" alt=\"Analysis box by Dominic Casciani, home and legal correspondent\" width=\"1536\" height=\"306.11957796014065\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">This legislation comes after repeated city centre occupations by the Extinction Rebellion movement &#8211; and last year&#8217;s toppling of the statue of a Bristol slave trader and municipal benefactor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The committee said allowing police to set noise limits could silence lawful and peaceful chants &#8211; and the most popular demonstrations could face restrictions on duration and location, interfering with the right to assembly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">It also urges the government not to create powers to interfere with public demonstrations held by a single person and warns that a new crime of causing a public nuisance is too vague to be understood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">MPs and peers don&#8217;t need to act on the report, but the legislation has already triggered its own protests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i84\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18snukc-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">And there are predictions it could lead to years of legal battles all the way to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-politics-57556947\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">The government should drop its &#8220;disproportionate&#8221; plan to ban noisy protests in England and Wales, a parliamentary committee has warned. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would also introduce powers to deal with demonstrations <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/06\/22\/new-protest-bill-may-breach-human-rights\/\" title=\"New protest bill may breach Human Rights\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,2,4],"tags":[3369,4292,138,927,970],"class_list":{"0":"post-19139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-human-rights","8":"category-news","9":"category-uk","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-home-office","12":"tag-human-rights","13":"tag-protests","14":"tag-wales","15":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19139"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19142,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19139\/revisions\/19142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}