Crimanalising protest via the Policing Bill is not the way for a democratic society to proceed

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is an assault on the civil liberties of all citizens. It seeks to give ever greater powers to the police to limit or ban protest altogether. Among the measures proposed are making "locking on" and obstructing transport networks into criminal offences. Other offences proposed include restrictions on demonstrations plus new surveillance and stop and search powers for the police. The Bill would also effectively criminalise Travellers and Gypsies ways of life. The government appears to be reacting to the protest of Insulate Britain, Extinction Rebellion and those who pulled down statues of slave owners such as Edward Colston in Bristol. The process though of cutting liberties in exchange for security has been ongoing for many years. Anti- terror law was where this attack took root, with the claimed extraordinary powers needed to combat terrorism, quickly being downloaded into the ordinary criminal law. The right to silence was an early casualty of this process. How effective it was in combatting terrorism never seemed clear. Many though suspected the process was really a backdoor way of cutting liberties. A more useful approach would be to engage in a meaningful way with what protesters are calling for. The environmental demands are shared by most in the country, the protests are coming because politicians are not listening and acting. It is interesting to reflect on how many properties could have been insulated for the £4.3 million spent on policing the Insulate Britain protests. There has rightfully been an outcry across the country against slavery and racism. Yet, when a jury acquitted those charged in relation to the pulling down of the Colston statue, there were those who called for an override of the decision. Amazingly, the Attorney General is considering referring the case to the Appeal Court. The centuries old right of trial by jury is apparently up for grabs. What the government needs to do is engage with people's demands, not simply seek to criminalise dissent. If people are taking to the streets with direction action it is because their demands are not being heard via conventional channels. There is already huge distrust of this government, fuelled by its own failure to abide by rules set for the rest of us during the pandemic. The refusal of so many to have the vaccination is another sign of breakdown in trust between governors and governed. The answer to this breakdown in trust is not to simply make more laws to make it easier to lock people up. Successive governments have thought the way to deal with social problems is to pass laws and criminalise more people. It does not work. There has been huge opposition to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, from protesters , Amnesty International, Liberty and several former senior police officers. The House of Lords recently rejected much of the Bill. So there is everything still to fight for, against a government that seems stuck in the past and deaf to the calls of the people.