Dear John
I wrote to you earlier this week about home secretary Priti Patel’s plans to rip up some of your most fundamental human rights.
The government’s draconian new policing bill threatens your right to protest and attacks marginalised communities. It could stop us from protecting the planet by holding the government to account – and we’re running out of time to fight back.
There’s no sugar-coating it. Parts of this bill wouldn’t be out of place in a dictatorship. Before it becomes law, we have to speak out.
On Monday 17 January we'll hand in an open letter calling on the government to rethink the bill’s oppressive measures. Will you add your name?
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“Proper police state stuff”, in the words of journalist George Monbiot [1], is no exaggeration.
Banning individuals from protesting simply because they’ve attended other protests (and perhaps even when they haven’t broken the law). Convictions for breaching a police condition placed on a protest even for those who didn't know it existed. Giving police the power to regulate how noisy a protest is allowed to be.
This is not what we expect in a democracy. What’s more, the home secretary is attempting to add a barrage of new measures to the policing bill at the last minute.
These include expanded police stop and search powers against protestors, several new protest offences and banning individuals from protesting. These will come with harsh, disproportionate sentences.
Plus, the bill directly targets Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities – criminalising their nomadic way of life.
The government is failing to act on the climate crisis. And at the same time, it’s also trying to take away our right to demand it does better. We can’t stand by while it makes speaking out against power a criminal offence.
Will you sign an open letter asking the government to reverse its plans to take away some of our most important freedoms?
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When we raise our voices together, we’re powerful. And that’s exactly why it's so important that we protect our freedom to speak up.
Thank you so much for all your support,
Dave Timms
Head of Political Affairs, Legal and Planning
PS. How much do you know about your rights to protest? Take our quiz and find out how your rights will change if the policing bill becomes law.
NOTES:
[1] Jailed for 51 weeks for protesting? Britain is becoming a police state by stealth, The Guardian.
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