Police to be given greater powers to restrict protests

Police are to be given greater powers to restrict protests by allowing them to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated demonstrations.

The measures follow frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations including an event in London on Saturday which saw almost 500 arrests.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said repeated large-scale protests had caused “considerable fear” for the Jewish community.

The Government will amend Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to explicitly allow the police to take account of the cumulative impact of frequent protests on local areas in order to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies.

The Home Secretary will also review existing legislation to ensure powers are sufficient and are being applied consistently by police forces – this will include powers to ban protests outright.

She said: “The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country.

“However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without fear.

“Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes.

“This has been particularly evident in relation to the considerable fear within the Jewish community, which has been expressed to me on many occasions in these recent difficult days.

“These changes mark an important step in ensuring we protect the right to protest while ensuring all feel safe in this country.”

Saturday’s event in London took place despite calls for restraint following the synagogue attack in Manchester.

Almost 500 people were arrested, including 488 arrests for supporting banned terror organisation Palestine Action.

There is currently a high bar restricting police’s ability to ban a march entirely. It requires a risk of “serious public disorder”.

Under the changes being proposed, if a protest has taken place at the same site for weeks on end and caused repeated disorder, the police will have the authority to impose conditions such as ordering organisers to hold the event somewhere else.

Anyone who breaches the conditions will risk arrest and prosecution.

Ms Mahmood will write to chief constables on Sunday, thanking them for their swift and professional response following Thursday’s attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester and at protests across the country.

She will encourage them to use the full range of powers available to them to prevent and respond to public disorder.

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed has written to councils encouraging them to use their existing resources and powers to ensure Jewish communities are protected in the coming days and weeks, including limiting protest activity as much as possible.

All police forces in England and Wales are working with the Community Security Trust charity to offer additional support to the 538 different synagogues and Jewish community sites across the country.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said in a statement: “We welcome the Government’s decision to move ahead on giving police new powers around ‘cumulative impact’ in response to the deeply irresponsible and offensive protests we have seen in recent days following the terrorist attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation.

“We have been calling for this for many months, and it was one of our key asks in the meeting with the Prime Minister and Home Secretary on Friday.

“We will work with the Government to ensure that these and other measures are as effective as possible in protecting our community.”