"Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country"
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that police will be given new powers to restrict repeat protests.
The changes will allow senior officers to consider the “cumulative impact” of demonstrations when deciding whether to impose conditions.
If protests repeatedly take place at the same site and cause disorder, police will be able to instruct organisers to move elsewhere. Breaches of these conditions will risk arrest and prosecution.
The Home Secretary will also review existing legislation, including the Crime and Policing Bill, to assess whether further measures are required. This could extend to powers allowing protests to be banned outright.
Shabana Mahmood 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.”
The proposals will amend Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to give police clearer authority to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies. The Government said more details will be set out in due course.
Policing Minister Sarah Jones visited Lambeth Police HQ following demonstrations in London, where almost 500 people were arrested. Most arrests were linked to support for the proscribed group, Palestine Action.
She held discussions with Metropolitan Police leaders about the challenges of policing frequent demonstrations and how tools like live facial recognition technology could support future operations.
The Home Secretary will also write to Chief Constables across England and Wales, thanking them for their “swift and professional” response to both Thursday’s attack and protests across the country.
Mahmood will encourage forces to use the full range of powers available to prevent and respond to public disorder.
Following the synagogue attack in Manchester, Communities Secretary Steve Reed has written to local authorities urging them to act to protect Jewish communities.
His letter encouraged councils to use existing resources and powers to limit protest activity where necessary.
All police forces are working with the Community Security Trust to provide reassurance and additional protection to more than 500 synagogues and Jewish community sites nationwide.
The announcement comes alongside measures already in the Crime and Policing Bill aimed at tightening rules on demonstrations.
These include banning the possession of fireworks and flares, criminalising the climbing of war memorials, and prohibiting face coverings used to conceal identities at police-designated protests.
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