Drastic Police Bill a sad step too far
THE Tory Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is an oppressive piece of legislation which places draconian restrictions on the right to protest, and expand the powers of the police to stop and search suspects.
Home Secretary Priti Patel should have realised that such a severe attack on our civil liberties would be resisted. The actions of the police at the peaceful vigil for Sarah Everard at Clapham Common was a stark warning as to the likely consequences of giving them even more powers.
Should Patel persist with this regressive Bill – as Margaret Thatcher persisted, against all advice, including some of her own MPs, with the Poll Tax – she might well discover that Sunday’s events in Bristol are just the beginning.
Sasha Simic, North London
While I would never condone violence, the events in Bristol would not have happened without the Government’s new Policing Bill which will impose drastic measures on the right to protest. Boris Johnson tried to prorogue Parliament over Brexit, he and his ministers have also used the pandemic to hand out lucrative public contracts to their private sector chums, and is now trying to take away our right to peaceful protest. The British public should not allow this to happen even if they are kettled by the police or hosed by water cannon. We are not a dictatorship.
Eddie Fidler, Oxford
Boris Johnson has always taken a draconian line with
protestors, even once as London Mayor advocating the use of water cannons to dispel them.
The Policing Bill, which intends to broaden the scope of behaviours at protests deemed to be criminal, is a deliberate attempt to curb their power and effectiveness.
While no one defends wanton violence and destruction, there are already laws in place to deal with this. To extend them for issues such as noise is an attack on our liberties and our democracy. Diane Silva, Bournemouth
The Bristol riots were a disgrace and, in my opinion, nothing short of anarchy. The peaceful demonstration was hijacked by extremists who assaulted the police trying to keep the peace. We expect such scenes in dictatorships but not in our country. It’s upsetting. The law should come down hard on the perpetrators.
Alan Bryan, Walsall, West Mids
The new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is designed to deal with protests where people are not primarily violent or seriously disorderly. It’s a
massive increase in the powers of the police to suppress freedom of speech and is not just an attack on Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion.
As it stands, the Bill could prohibit any legitimate protest by any trade union. If anyone protests against it, they will be on the receiving end of draconian penalties.
Derek McMillan, Worthing West Sussex
Isn’t the truth about the Bristol insurrection that by introducing oppressive anti-protest legislation, the Government has chosen to politicise the police? Such ruinous ideology from right-wing fruitcakes needs to be called out for what it is – the police being made a target instead of the legislation.
Collin Rossini, Dovercourt, Essex
After the rioting and attacks on police in Bristol it is about time the law came down hard on these idiots. All those arrested should receive custodial sentences. If they think attacking police officers will further their cause they are very much mistaken.