UK seeks stronger powers for police to stop 'disruptive' protests

New Delhi: After recent years saw traffic blocked on major highways and substantial portions of central London shut down by protests and rallies, the UK government is now coming up with new proposals to clamp down on such demonstrations.

The amendments to the Public Order Bill, which will be tabled today, will broaden the legal definition of “serious disruption”, giving police greater flexibility and “absolute clarity” over when they can intervene in a protest. The government passed legislation to address this in 2022, but is now planning to go further with a new set of laws. Police have already been given additional powers to prevent protesters from using “guerrilla” tactics. “The right to protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy, but this is not absolute,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement on Sunday night. “We cannot have protests conducted by a small minority disrupting the lives of the ordinary public. It’s not acceptable and we’re going to bring it to an end,” he added. The actions taken against the right to protest come after a string of protests, many of which were organised by activists using more forceful methods to pressure the government into taking action on climate change. These protests shut down parts of the capital and blocked the M25, the busiest road in the nation and the London orbital motorway. According to the proposed laws, if passed, police can shut down disruptive protests pre-emptively. The Public Order Bill is currently in the final stages of debate in parliament and has faced strong criticism from rights groups who say it gives the police too much power. The bill already includes the creation of a criminal offence for those who seek to lock themselves to objects or buildings, and allows courts to restrict the freedoms of some protesters to prevent them causing serious disruption. It builds on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, passed in April 2022, which sparked several large ‘kill the bill’ protests. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.