Enhanced authority granted to UK police to manage protests

The British police have received extended capabilities as of Sunday, which encompasses strategies to handle activists who disrupt traffic and major construction with demonstrations.

Environmental advocacy groups such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, renowned for their frequent high-profile protests on major highways and roads to highlight the immediate need to address climate change, have often been criticized by the authorities. Their protests in the past few years have typically resulted in significant inconvenience for drivers.

Beginning Sunday, police now possess the authority to displace stationary protests. While critics express concern that the strengthened regulations may pose a threat to the right to demonstrate, U.K. officials insist these measures were necessary to prevent the “disruption caused by a selfish minority.”

OTHER NEWS
Asia’s Week in Pictures: AP
UK-based tourist filmed vandalizing the Colosseum, say Italian police
British royal family’s public expenditure rises 5% in a year of momentous change
UK government determined to contest court ruling against its plan to deport migrants to Rwanda

Home Secretary Suella Braverman expressed that “The public are fed up with their lives being disrupted by inconsiderate protesters. The chaos we’ve witnessed on our streets is scandalous.”

Under the revised Public Order Act, the authorities state that protesters found guilty of “tunnelling” – the act of digging underground tunnels to impede new infrastructure development – could potentially be sentenced to three years in prison. Any protester found obstructing a significant transport project could face imprisonment of up to six months.

The law further criminalizes “locking on,” the act of protesters attaching themselves to other individuals, objects, or buildings.

Numerous climate change protesters were detained in the U.K. last year for obstructing major roads and bridges. Many activists resorted to protesting by occupying roadways or adhering themselves to the road surfaces, making it more difficult to remove them.

This civil disobedience represents a surge of direct action that has seen activists resort to extreme measures like sticking themselves to renowned museum artworks or splashing soup on art pieces to attract media attention to their cause.

Police report that managing these protests has proven to be expensive and has led to thousands of officers being redirected from other duties, such as dealing with crime.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Expanded Police Powers

More about Expanded Police Powers

• New UK police powers
• Public reaction to new protest laws
• Details on Extinction Rebellion protests
• Background on Just Stop Oil
• Information on the Public Order Act