Editor’s note: This article was originally published on 18 January 2022. On 26 April 2022, the Houses of Parliament passed the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which This article was originally published on 18 January 2022. On 26 April 2022, the Houses of Parliament passed the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which essentially removes the right to peaceful protest. Over the last few days we have started to see more of the consequences of the new policing bill. In Oxford a man was arrested, and then de-arrested, after shouting “who elected him?” at the proclamation. The measures in the PCSCA were intended to improve the police’s ability to manage protests, but in reality we are seeing a restriction on people’s freedom of speech and expression.
It is hard to think of a piece of legislation as far-reaching, contentious and rushed through as the government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The bill covers a vast range of issues relating not just to criminal justice but also civil liberties: from tougher sentences for violent offences to restrictions on protests and civil disobedience. This breadth has enabled the government to distract attention from some of the most controversial aspects of the bill. For example, when it was first debated in the House of Commons on 15 March in the wake of the tragic murder of Sarah Everard, the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, argued that those opposing the bill of voting against “crucial measures” to protect victims, while others accused Labour of being “soft on crime”.
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