Cleverly closes loophole over the eco blockers
ECO-ZEALOTS who block the roads will be rapidly dragged away by police under changes in the law unveiled today.
James Cleverly will close a legal loophole which currently allows traffic- obstructing protesters to dodge arrest.
The Home Secretary will bring in laws to overturn a controversial Supreme Court human rights ruling exploited by groups such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion. The judgment slows down officers’ attempts to remove ‘human roadblocks’.
Mr Cleverly, writing exclusively for the Mail today, says: ‘ Public spaces... belong to all of us, not just to a minority of selfish thugs or extremists seeking to undermine our democracy.’
The Supreme Court’s so-called ‘Ziegler’ ruling says protesters may have a ‘lawful excuse’ defence against the offence of obstructing a highway thanks to the European Convention on Human Rights, which was enshrined in UK law by Labour’s Human Rights Act.
It is named after Nora Ziegler, an anti-arms trade protester who, along with three others, blocked a road leading to east London’s ExCel Centre while it hosted an arms fair in September 2017. In
June 2021 the Supreme Court overturned their convictions. The ruling means officers policing a demo must go through a multistage process before making an arrest, and the ruling can even be used to avoid conviction.
Mr Cleverly’s changes are designed to make it easier for police to remove road-blocking protesters. The Home Office last night confirmed measures will be
included as amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill currently going through Parliament, meaning the new powers could be in place within a couple of months.
Other measures will make it a public order offence to climb on war memorials. Offenders will face jail of up to three months and a £1,000 fine. It comes after pro-Palestinian marchers clambered on to the Royal Artillery Memorial at
Hyde Park Corner last November. It will also be an offence for protesters to wear face coverings. Those who disregard orders to remove a mask can be arrested and could face up to a month behind bars and a £1,000 fine. Flares, fireworks and other pyrotechnics will be banned from marches, following incidents where they have been fired at police.