Nationwide Kill the Bill protests lined up for this Wednesday

With the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill - otherwise known as the policing bill - returning to the House of Lords this Wednesday (8th December) the public are once again demanding an end to a bill that appears destined to severely restrict protest.

This includes the introduction of protest-banning orders, which even the Home Office rejected in March of this year, claiming that it "essentially takes away a person's right to protest." This would result in Serious Disruption Prevention Orders being imposed on those who have already committed a 'protest-related offence' within the last five years, thereby prohibiting them from participating in protests. SDPOs have also been assessed by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to be neither "compatible with human rights legislation" nor an "effective deterrent."

All things considered, legislation creating protest banning orders would be legally very problematic because, however many safeguards might be put in place, a banning order would completely remove an individual’s right to attend a protest.

The noise level of protests,  the use of locking on offences, and the expansion of police stop and search powers, which have once again been shown up for their disproportionate use on young black men (almost 9x that of white individuals).

This comes at a time when the public continues to express strong opposition to numerous pieces of legislation making their way through parliament, while the nature of ministerial behaviour, integrity, and trust remains alarmingly low. Crucially, many of the racial inequities that were painfully exposed last year remain unaddressed.

Where are protests taking place?

Protests are taking place at the below venues and will begin from 17:00 unless stated.

London, House of Lords, Victoria Tower Gardens

Cambridge, Parkers Piece

Birmingham, Waterstones, Birmingham City Centre

Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes Station Square (18:30 start)

Bristol, College Green Bristol

Mayowa Ayodele