No hiding from the G7 Summit protests – so policing will be key

IT is a mark of a democratic nation that dissent is not only tolerated but regarded as necessary to the way civilised society runs. Those parts of the world where protest is brutally controlled might sometimes seem to prosper. But, sooner or later, things go awry. People need to have their concerns listened to – and must be able to express them, loudly and clearly.

Of course it helps if the population also has access to fair and free elections. One reason for demonstrating is to spur on those who share your concerns to make their feelings known where it really counts – at the ballot box.

So the attitude taken by police officers and politicians to managing demonstrations during June’s G7 Summit in Cornwall is, broadly, the right one. Pretending there won’t be any protests would be naive. They will happen, whatever the police and the Summit organisers would prefer and the grown-up approach is to accept them and prepare for them.

But expecting all would-be demonstrators to take themselves off to designated protest zones, one more than 100 miles away from the Carbis Bay site of the Summit, in Flowerpot Park, Exeter, is as naive as hoping there won’’t be any protest.

We can understand why the authorities have taken such a step – it helps to demonstrate their willingness to accommodate the protesters. But we’re sure they are as aware as the rest of us, that won’t be enough for many.

There will obviously be attempts to unfurl the banners and strike up the chanting within site and sound of the G7 delegates. And the way those more volatile protests are handled will be closely watched.

The G7 Summit will be a shop window for the world to learn more about Cornwall, the Westcountry and Britain more widely. No one involved in security, from the Chief Constable downwards, wants a crisis on their watch. Protests must be tightly managed, for the safety of all. But the policing and security must be proportionate.

On a number of occasions during the coronavirus pandemic the police in other parts of the country have found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place as they try to manage demonstrations. From the protests in support of Sarah Everard, murdered as she walked home in London, to demonstrations against everything from lockdown to climate change, it has been challenging for the police to get things right.

When it comes to the G7 the scrutiny the police and security forces will face could hardly be greater. And although, with a long-planned Summit of world leaders there ought to be fewer surprises, there is no room for complacency.

As the WMN reports today, a compound for the security services is already being built. Virtually every aspect of the three day event is in the hands of the organisers and there should be no shortage of manpower to maintain order and keep everyone safe. A dialogue between recognised pressure groups, like Extinction Rebellion and the police, has already started. It needs to continue as the Summit gets nearer, so that any uncertainties can be ironed out and peaceful protests – with the accent on peaceful – can take place.